Back Home at 26th Street with One Wave Dave 041711

Surf Report:  NW (?) swell.  Drift went north though.  Knee to waist high.  Chest high max. 

Atmosphere:  Hazy to Sunny!!

Winds:  Off shore!  Then to on shore.

Water:  Cool

I was hung over from surf.  I collapsed last night after taking a shower.  Actually, Big Wave Dave had texted me right before I was going to sleep, and he wanted to come out.  So I told him I would call him when I woke up. 

630 AM rolls around, and I roll out of bed.  I call Dave up as he answers as if I just woke him up from a nap. 

“Yea, yea, ok, yea, let’s go surf!” he told me. 

I fill up the water jugs and grab my towel.  The towel was dry from hanging on the dolly in my garage.  I reach for my wetsuit.  The damn wetsuit is still cold.  Oh well.  Deal with it. 

I pick up Dave as he fills me in on his night.  He went to go get some soup with Chancho at Jerry’s around 200 AM and didn’t get much sleep.  I had about five hours of continuous sleep.  I woke up at 400 AM, then 500 AM, then 630 AM.  My body wasn’t aching too much, but I was sure tired and sluggish. 

Christina had texted me that Shan and Cheryl might be coming to 26^th Street, so we should meet up there.  She texted me at 647 AM to give us the surf report:  “It’s overcast, still free parking.  Waves look fun, there are some nice shoulders.” 

I hoped the day would turn nice.

I knew by the time we got there, we wouldn’t score the free parking.  We still stopped by to check it out real quick.  The shoulders looked mushy and crumbly.  The face of the wave was almost at a 30 degree incline.  It was looking flat.  Oh well.  Let’s do this!  So we hop back in the van and go to 16^th Street for some free parking.

I debated whether or not Dave and I should skate there.  Dave said he could skate on the longboard, carrying Sherry the longboard.  So I reluctantly obliged. 

I couldn’t wait to change into my suit.  I really had to pee.  Once we got changed and started walking down the slope with our boards in hand, I let loose and let it drip down my leg.  SLOSH SLOSH said my sandals.  SLOSH SLOSH SLOSH SLOSH.

We got to 26^th Street in no time.  Dave’s bare foot skating was nice and smooth.  We left our boards on the lifeguard tower and covered it with my towel.  I saw Christina’s bag, so I figured she would be right where her bag was, right north of the tower.  So, we both stretch out, and stretch just a little bit more for caution, and start to paddle out. 

Today the shore pound was kind of gnarly.  It had that washing machine effect, pushing and pushing and swirling and twirling.  If one wasn’t careful, they would be swimming in the same spot for ten minutes at a time.  I felt that I got caught on the inside on my first paddle out.  I couldn’t make it to the line up.  But, I just kept going, getting my aching muscles some more oxygen and juice.  I see Dave paddle south of me, and I lose sight of him.  I hope he makes it out, I thought. 

I finally get out to the line up and observe my surroundings.  I see some longboarders on the outside, some shortboarders hanging with other longboarders ten feet behind them, and then I sat even further behind them.  I saw Manny in his neon yellow pink and orange board shorts, reminiscent of the sexy ones Nicky wore.  Manny is a quite large Hawaiian dude, and loves to go bareback. 

“Eyyy, Klaude!  How you doing?” he yelled at me.

“Good Manny!  How are you!?” I replied.

“Good man.” 

“Hey, its already summer time huh?”

“haha, yea, I love it!  It’s so warm!” he sarcastically said.

“Hey Manny, what time did you thaw out yesterday?” another guy asked.

“Oh, like three o’clock,” he chuckled.

It was good to be back home. 

I love 26^th Street’s vibe and atmosphere.  Everyone is so friendly, but if they don’t like you, they will chase you out in an instant.  The atmosphere can get heavy here if there is someone releasing bad vibes.  Today, all the 26^th Street Ohana were out:  Bruce, Roy, Manny, Neon board dude, Kyle and Damon, and even the groms!

The winds were off shore, feathering the peaks of the waves.  Every five minutes or so, a set would lurch over the horizon, and if it broke early, the longboarders got it on the outside.  However, when they broke a bit later, the wave had a steeper face on it as it made an almond shaped curl and peeled across the sand bar nicely.  The blue waves were tinted with a touch of green and the sun started to burn through the marine layer and blast us with some warmth. 

I noticed I stated to drift north rather quickly.  I was actually stuck behind Bruce and his crew.  I always try to avoid where Bruce goes, because he is always on the best waves, no matter what.  You can’t drop in on him, you can’t out run him, and you can’t help but cheer him on as he flies down on his self-painted foamie.  He kills it all the time on that thing. 

I see Glenn out today!  He always surfed 26^th Street with Nicky and I, and he used to take Nicky surfing points north of LA.  He is a really great guy, and loves his surf.  He and I chit chat for a while before noticing that we won’t get any waves around Bruce.

We start to make our way further south, back towards the lifeguard tower.  I wondered where Dave could have gone.  I was hoping he too was drifting north, because when I saw him paddle out he was south of me, so maybe I can run into him? 

My first wave today was a right (go figure.)  I was able to pump some slow arcs on the wave face, for I wasn’t fully recovered from my surf hangover yet.  The wave closed out, and I straightened out. 

The ensuing paddle out a downer.  I worked and worked at getting myself out of the shore pound, but it took way too long for my liking.  My shoulders were still store, and so I wasn’t really liking the paddling against the waves too much. 

Just then, Matt’s voice came into my head:  “My brother says, if you want to train for your paddle, you got to paddle against the current and fight to maintain your spot.  There’s no better way to get your paddle stronger.”

So, I paddled longer, deeper strokes.  They were slower than usual, but each stroke was with more concentration and focus.  I get out to the line up, and sit with Glenn.  He and I catch up on his family, what’s been going on with my shoulder, and surf.  Just then, he catches a nice set wave going right.  I backed out for him since he got a clean ride ahead of him, and it was a legitimate chest high insider.  The off shore winds blew rainbows off the top of his wave as he dropped in and trimmed down the line on his longboard.  I hooted for him.

Another longboarder who’s face I see at 26^th Street took off on the second insider double up.  I hooted for him too, as he dropped in on a clean clear blue right hand shoulder that was just begging to be caressed by your hands.  This day was beautiful. 

I took some waves, all pumping down the line or practicing my cutbacks.  I still seem to bog out of the cutback when I’m at the top of lip, making me lose all my speed and therefore falling off the wave.  I should check out some video’s to see how I won’t lose speed in those sections.  Maybe I have to lean more on my back foot? 

On one wave, though, I wanted to change it up.  I popped up on a wave that no one saw coming.  Everyone was out of position on this insider that doubled up.  I pump down the line twice, rearranging my feet to go over the fins.  I could hear the leash hitting the board.  I then shoot down the face and lean all my weight into the fins.  The board shoots up, off the lip, and I try a redirection down the line.  I fall. 

I catch some more waves, going down the line, going left, and took a right going straight while dragging my whole hand on the face, since I saw another surfing coming at me on the left and he was on a longboard.  I then see people sitting next to Christina’s bag, so I figured it was Shan and her. 

It turned out to be Dave and her.  Shan came walking back as I got out of the water.  Dave had been talking with the three of them for a while.  He told me of his one wave that he got, and how he got worked and had to take a break.  Shan and I exchange hello’s and what’s ups, and Christina gives me a hug.  We all make small talk, and I ask if they were coming out again.  They said they would, so I started to go back out. 

At this moment, I didn’t have a good time at all.  The surf just shut down, and the waves became even mushier.  It seemed only the longboarders were getting these tough waves, and I was scratching out on a few of them.  I decided to start body surfing a bit instead.

Shan and Christina started to paddle out when I was body surfing.  I saw Shan catch a close out left that  exploded white water before he even got to the flats.  I saw Christina’s long wave, to which I yelled, “Stay on it!”  to her numerous times for she seemed to wobble a bit while maintaining her balance on the crumbly wave.  She took the wave for a long ride, all the way to where she could walk after she hopped off the board. 

Then, I saw Kyle.  He took an inside wave that stood up nicely, pumped, pumped, pumped (and these were long, speedy pumps) and cracks a huge turn on the lip, and continues on his ride to the inside.  I had to hoot for him.  He smiled back. 

Before I knew it, he was on the outside now, getting to his feet on a wave that hasn’t broken yet.  He starts stomping the nose to stay in the wave, then the wave starts to gather speed and pitch, so he directs his board down the right.  He pumps again with long, smooth arcs and gathers speed.  CRACK!!! Another turn destroying the lip.

That was enough for me to grab my board again and go out.  I didn’t care if I was tired.  I had to go surf.  I convince Dave to come back out, and he said OK.  I paddle out to the line up with him, and he sits way on the outside. 

I got a few rides while sitting their with him, and I see Shan in the line up.  I take a left that doubles up with a steep face and gun for it.  I pop up while grabbing rail, and I’m sliding down right in front of him when I feel my nose dive in and I get flung forward.  I took the wave on my back, and came up laughing at myself.

I get caught on the inside for a two good three wave sets.  Shan paddled for a left, but couldn’t get in it and still popped up.  The board was being taken down by the crashing lip as the section ran five feet ahead of him.  He had the “Oh shit” look on his face as he went over the falls and into the washing machine. 

I paddled and paddled and paddled to get back to the line up.  I see him again going for a wave, this time an inside wave that stacked up nicely in front of him.  He paddles and paddles, but scratches out, and watches the light blue wave go past him. 

Watching this, I told myself that I need to push myself over the ledge.  I was inspired not to scratch out on any waves from that point on.  I can’t hold back anything since I might miss the wave.  I didn’t want that to happen.

I feel that I go into these “letting go” modes when I surf my best.  It’s similar to when all my problems disappear when I surf, but more in control.  I let the wave and body work together, and I somehow muster up the power in catching some waves.  I had that yesterday too at Churches, when our arms were super tired and our bodies couldn’t pop up, but when a wave came the light switch turns on and everything works completely together. 

I took a handful of waves after this moment, going for anything that doubled up on the inside, for the outside sets were mushy and didn’t offer much of a ride for a shortboarder like myself.  On one of these double ups, I snaked Uncle Miles today.  I don’t know about you, but Uncle Miles has snaked me a dozen times, but he’s so good that you feel good when he does his beautiful turns on the wave face.  I know Khang has been snaked by him a handful of times, so I guess he just does it to anyone.  Today he was going for this right, and so was I.  I knew that he was going to catch it, but I wanted to get in on the action.  I pop up the same time he pops up, and I start pumping down the line, running away from him.  I try to hit the brakes on the lip, and bog out.  He laughs and smiles at me as he pumps down the line all the way to shore.

One of the groms said to me that he was hoping that right would open up for me a bit more.  I told him that it was ok, since I snaked Uncle Miles.  He chuckled as he watched the other grommette on his longboard take a nice wave all the way to shore.  She usually has a custom Don Kadowaki, but I guess she convinced him to trade (damn cute girls.)  I told him to get his board back, and not to be nice to her.  There will be plenty of time for being nice to her another time.  And he listened!  hahahahaha

I noticed I drifted a bit further south when I looked back and saw the next life guard station south of 26^th Street.  I then saw Dave’s neon armpits, and then I yelled at him.  He looked my way, but I think the moving water didn’t allow him to see me for I was bobbing up and down in the inside.  Shan tells me that he’s over there, so I start paddling towards Dave. 

“This is training, it’s not as bad as Huntington Beach,” Matt said in my head. He was right. 

I paddle past Shan, then past Damon, and then a friendly surfer who said hello to me, and past the green longboarder, then I finally get back to the 26^th Street lifeguard tower, where the groms are.  These guys are so awesome on the longboard, I can’t wait till they get even older and better.  They were talking about being on tour so I’m guessing they were longboard or just local competitors.  They weren’t oh my god ripping, but they definitely knew how to surf and choose good waves.  The grommette was back on her shortboard, and the grom had his longboard back.  Now he was catching all the waves to shore. 

I call Dave in since he was all the way outside.  He said that he was tired, and I told him I was too.  We should take on in, I said to him. 

“You can call me One Wave Dave, from now on,” he told me. 

Big Wave Dave to Death Wish Dave to One Wave Dave??  Man that’s brutal. He's been busy with school and work so he doesn't have much time to get some surf time in, but I hope he does soon, since he is at a world class surf beach known as Steamer Lane. 

Ladies and Gentlemen: I present to you, One Wave Dave (applause.) 

Boo.  Boo.  Boo-urns.  I want Big Wave Dave back.  

I just wanted one more wave.  Something good to end this three hour session.  The grom paddled into the first set wave as it feathered off a nice peak and opened up for him for a nice ride.  But he got pinched towards the end and fell.  I took the third wave of the set as the blue green colors of the wave hypnotized my whole body and I took off on the right.  I was able to pump up and down and re-enter from the lip, and I fell off when the wave slowed down on the inside.  That was it for me.

Dave eventually paddled in, and expressed his difficulty even paddling in.

“Dude, I was trying to paddle, but the water kept pushing me back out so I had to get off!  And then they kept crashing and crashing…”

Still Big Wave Dave in my eyes.  Sexy sexy!!

Damn, 26^th Street just gave him a welcome home slap on the buttocks, and bit off a chunk of his heart, for Dave looked drained and humbled.  But, he did catch one wave!! 

Shan and Christina were talking on the sand, and Shan came by to say adieu.  We went to Christina and talked for a bit and took off.  Our bodies were tired and in need of some good rest.  We skated back up to 16^th Street and called it a day.

Mahalo Mother Ocean for producing the beautiful conditions once again. It felt great to be back home again at 26th Street.