All DAy Surfing - Afternoon at Churches 041611

Surf report: Incoming NW Swell

Winds: On shore

Atmosphere:  HOT and summer-like

Water:  Cold

We arrive to San O and see a line to get in.  We hoped they were all civilians trying to get in, and we were right.  We cruised through the entrance thanks to our “golden ticket” and went down to the familiar camp grounds of San Onofre.  This was a military perk for sure, used by soldiers and their families for a bit of R&R.  All the campsites were packed full with trailers and trucks, with the smell of barbeque and beer hovering over each site.  The water looked crystalline as we drove passed every campsite in search of J.  We get to the end of the lot and score a parking spot.  We go search for J, but ended up at a campsite with no tent and just one yellow twin fin fish hanging around.  Oh well, let’s just go surf.

JUST ENJOY THE SURF.  JETS.  That should be our motto from now on.  We three got changed into our dry wetsuits (thank you Mr. Sunshine) and waxed up our boards.  We put on our sun block and refueled as much as we could.  I ate my banana chips and drank my coconut water while Dais ate his PB&J sandwich.  Matt fed off the energy of the universe.  The spot in front of us was firing, but was dominated by stylish longboarders.  One guy was bare-backing it, and he was definitely the stand out surfer in the pack.  He took off on these rights that peeled perfectly from the point, and he would walk up and down the board.  He would then do a cut back and walk up to the nose, and then walk back and kick out of the wave. 

The tide was approaching low tide as we walked down towards Churches and Middles, and we saw an empty spot near Battle Platoon’s.  Matt asked if we wanted to paddle out here, and we all agreed that this looked like a winning spot.  So, session number two was under way.

It was just us three at this spot with no one else out.  Matt was the first to hit the empty line up.  I was second, and Dais followed soon after.  Before I could even start paddling out, I saw Matt take a left.  He pumped up and down the line, and kicked out.  OK, so it’s pretty nice huh?  I took a few more cautious steps on the cobble stones, and I see Matt pop up on another left.  I look back at Dais, giving him the “WHAT THE FUCK??” look.  Was it really that good, or was Matt just taking out his frustrations of this morning out on the waves? 

Dais didn’t hesitate another moment and started to paddle out, passing me as I walked on the cobblestones.  I said fuck this, and started to paddle too.  Matt continuously took these lefts after lefts.  It was his hour of glory.  The spot just seemed to pump out wave after wave.  Then Dais was getting in to the action.  I actually got to see two of his nicer waves early in this session.  One wave, he pops up, and then he stands up on both feet since I saw his body stabilize on the board, and then he made it out on the face of the wave.  He took the wave until it bogged out on him. 

Matt kept getting rides to shore, even on the rights.  I was really jealous, for I had no waves under my belt at this point.  I was more north of them, and tried to work the rights from that section.  Unfortunately, they didn’t pack the punch that would carry me and I couldn’t get into any of the waves.  I grew frustrated, and gave in by paddling towards Matt and Dais. 

“Man, I haven’t caught shit yet!” I told Dais.  Matt had taken another right all the way to shore.

“You’ll get one.  Here, take this one!”

I swung around, and caught the wave.  I popped up, pumped down the line, and exited the wave.  Dais = good luck.

After that, it was just wave after wave of bliss.  We probably used up as much serotonin as kids dropping E pills at raves during this two and a half hour session.  We all had waves to ourselves.  Even when a new guy came, he didn’t get much because we would take all the waves, hooting each other into them.  The new guy would then leave or paddle somewhere else, seeing that he wasn’t getting any waves while we got ride after ride. 

I split the peak with Matt.  It was a set wave, and I went right as he went left.  The drop was nice and smooth on this chest high wave, and I was able to pump down the line.  I did a half cutback and bogged out on the lip, getting unstuck like the barney I am.  Matt took his wave all the way to shore, far further from where I bogged out on the wave, and Dais gave him a JETS (shaka) signal and hooted for him. It was the first time Matt and I had split the peak.  I wish there was a full panoramic view of that split of the peak from the shore... I used to do that with Nicky, and splitting the A-Frame peak with one of da boys is by far the funnest way to surf

My right hamstring started to cramp up half way through the session.  I didn’t want to get out, so I tried to stretch it out to no avail.  So I started to massage my hamstring and I think that did the trick.  It was a shame that my hamstring had to cramp up when I was going for the set of the day, so I completely ate it, but hey that’s life, isn’t it?

Dais caught a lot of waves today.  I think he too realizes how good waves improve his skills beyond any wave at Porto or Manhattan Beach.  These waves at Trestles are just so slow and crumbly, and forgiving!  Even if you wipe out on the feta cheese lip, you’re not in for a long hold down or a trip in the washing machine.  And even if you do get tossed in the washing machine, it isn’t as bad as the washing machine at Porto. 

Another fun way to surf would be to drop in on da boys.  Dais also snakes me again this day.  He and I went for this right, and I popped up.  This snake was all slow-mo for me, as I watched him paddle valiantly into the wave.  I see him get to his drop knee pop up, and then we make eye contact.  He then has this surprised look like “Oh shit, where the hell did you come from?” and completely loses concentration and becomes unbalanced.  He gets the speed wobbles and bails out of the wave, and he goes backwards as his board shoots forward.  I laughed hysterically because of the whole body language and his eyes just becoming so wide with surprise.  I kept on laughing in the line up with this snake. 

I learned today that my backside pump is no where I want it to be.  I must have looked so awkward going on the left, for I tried to stay in the lip, but still try to go through the motions of pumping.  In my head, I wanted to do what Andy Irons was doing in his High 5 section, but in reality, all I was doing was bogging out in the lip of a left.  I got three “pumps” (they were just me stomping on the tail and nose back and forth) before the wave ran away from me.  Whomp whomp whomp.  FAIL. 

Our spot started to die out.  So, Matt leads the way down the valley of death, I mean the mountain of glory, further north, where he immediately catches a great right all the way to shore. 

I took a nice right too, pumping down the line and attempting at my cutback.  Dais gets a wave here too, and we all dominate this spot. 

There was a longboarder here, but she (?) wasn’t phased by our presence.  Dais and I hooted her into a set wave as she made the drop and took it all the way to shore. 

“MATT!  MATT!  MATT! MATT!” we started chanting.  We cheered him into a nice, perfect right that he pumps and smacks the lip, then pumps all the way to shore.  He said that he was walking up all the way to the nose in order to maintain the momentum.  What is he, a longboarder? 

The place we moved to started to shut down too, but the spot we were before starts firing again.  My shoulders and back were burning, and my limbs felt like jello.  I couldn’t paddle into any more waves at this point, until my eyes saw another set approach. 

I had to go for it.  I would regret it my whole life knowing I didn’t try to go for it.  The on shore winds crumbled the lip on top of me as I popped up.  I make it down to the flats and bottom turn up.  I start to lean on my heel side and slide down the face again, as the green wave just rippled with energy.  I pump up and then down again, then back up and do a small top turn.  The wave closes out ahead of me, and I felt revitalized. 

We three move down back to where we started from, and catch a few more waves.  In all honesty, this day is a bit fuzzy in my memory bank.  I think the serotonin messed with all of our brains and we don’t remember much.  The waves we caught this second session was just non stop and so much fun!  By the end of the session, I had to catch one last wave in order to punctuate the session.  I caught my last wave on a right, and got out of the water. 

Matt followed suit as he caught one last left from the peak he started from.  We both looked at each other and acknowledged that we redeemed ourselves from the morning session. 

We tried to direct Dais from the shore.  We whistled and hooted and yelled as sets approached, and directed him to the peaks.  We directed him to the north, and then the south would break.  Then we directed him south, then the north would break.  In the end, exhaustion kicked in, and he was stuck in the middle of both peaks, and just started to let the wave carry him.  The set waves looked like ankle slappers anyway.  I guess it was a lot bigger out in the line up. 

When we got back, we rinsed off at the showers and started to get packed.  We watched the military dudes play beer pong and grill up some barbeque.  The longboarders were still out in full force in front of us.  There was a shortboarder out there that was killing it.  A military soldier took out a longboard and was completely kooking it, getting in the way of people, eating shit, paddling in straight on one wave, and claiming the ride.  We must have looked just like him when we first started, but with less machismo and bravado on such meager wave catching.  

Longboarder's Heaven San Onofre

We three had blood shot eyes, burning shoulders and backs, and sun-tanned faces.  We tried not to eat so much during the day, for we were going to get all you can eat sushi for dinner.  We stayed there for a good three hours, watching all the customers come in and out of the restaurant while we polished off 20+ orders of sushi each.  Even the waitresses and the manager Tony were pretty impressed with our accomplishment.  I only hoped that Randy would be proud of our achievements today, for we surfed all day, redeemed ourselves of the bad conditions in the morning, and ate for three hours at the sushi joint that he and Matt frequented so often.  

Good Work Gentlemen.  3 hours of eating!!

We got home around 1100 PM.  The day was dark, the street lights were on, the air was chilly, and the passing cars were seldom silenced by a flying airplane.

Mahalo Mother Ocean… you always seem to make my day.