County Line Part Two - Jello Arms and Legs

Surf Report:  still 2-4 feet

Winds:  On shore

Atmosphere:  Sunny!

Water:  Freezing cold…

We ate at Neptune’s Net across the street from County Line.  I had some fried fish and shrimp with French fries, but I should have gone to the other side to get some fresh seafood instead of the fried stuff.  I bought some shrimp ceviche to share with everyone, and that was pretty tasty, except that the ketchup taste was a little over powering for me. 

Dais, Matt and I decided to take a nap as we were full and in need of some rest.  Dais was in the front seat, while Matt was sprawled on the middle seats, and I slept in the trunk with the door open.  It was hard to sleep because of all the motorcycles revving up their engines and blasting off down the PCH.  

Francis walked by and said he was going to surf.  I told him I wanted to rest just a bit more.  I’m not sure if I really did get any rest from that point on, but I was laying there, eyes wide open under my sunglasses, hearing the waves crash on the shore line and the myriads motorcycles blasting off their engines. 

I got out of the car and looked at the line up.  The line up still looked really fun with some crumbly blue green shoulders coming in on the sets, and people busting turns on the face.  I see a guy take off on a red railed board, and I knew it was Francis.  I can tell his style.  He pumps down the line, and then does one really deep pump and then swings the whole board around for a round house cutback.  He threw out lots of spray on the face, and hit the foam ball.  He pumps down again, and busts a top turn until the wave bogs out.  He paddles out back to the line up. 

He waits for the sets to come.  He knew that the second and third waves were better choices, and plus he didn’t have to compete with the local guys and groms gunning for the first set, so he sat back and watched as the first wave rolled through, paddled a bit further out, swung around, and paddled into the cleanest of the set.  It wasn’t as big as the first or second wave, but it was the cleanest.  He pumps down the line, top turns, and pumps further down, taking the wave all the way to shore.  That was enough inspiration for me to paddle out. 

Dais had “woken up” too, unable to sleep with the passing motor vehicles running up and down PCH.  He saw Francis tearing it up there, and seemed inspired to paddle out.  Matt was still a little groggy, but he said he would join us later on. 

We pulled our wet wetsuits back on, and put on our sun block.  It was time for a double session!  I stretched as much as I could, and made my way down to the rocks.

I paddled out where I saw Francis tearing it up.  It wasn’t that bad of a paddle out, just tiring on my shoulders.  Once I got to the line up, the waves were jumbly from the on shore winds.  Francis was nowhere in sight.  The water was clear and clean still, but I could see the drain pipe running out to the line up.  The sun shown down on us, and made this halo around the shadow cast upon the water.  The ice cold water trickled down my wetsuit as I saw Dais come out to the line up. 

“Where’s Francis?”  I asked him. 

He shrugged.  “Maybe down there?” he said, as he pointed to the left hand peak down south.  It could have been him, I’m not sure. 

We saw him walk out of the line up, so it was kind of a shame to not be able to see his cutbacks up close, but it was still nice to surf with him in the AM session.  The clear water really reminded me of Diamondhead, and I surfed Diamondhead with him practically every day last time I was in Hawaii, so it was very cool to be with him surfing again. 

This double session had only a few memorable rides for me.  I think we all struggled in this double session, for our bodies were tired and the cold water didn’t help at all.  Matt was still shivering, and could only squeeze out a few rides.  Kind of like when you squeeze the last bit of tooth paste out of the tube, he was on his last bit of energy reserves.  I think the cold had everything to do with that, for he has more energy than any of us combined.  Matt paddled up north where we started the morning session to see if he could get lucky over there. 

On one wave, I paddled for it while a longboarder was on my inside.  He was kind enough to ask, “Are you going for it?” 

I answered back, “YEA!” and paddled my hardest.  The wave bogged out.  FAIL. 

I felt bad at making him back out on his wave.  He said not to worry about it, but I knew he was a little irritated about it.  He talked to his own crew on how he doesn’t like to back out on waves, and that if he see’s someone unable to paddle into waves, then he’s snaking the next one no matter what.  That was fair enough, for I think the same way, but I felt bad because he missed his opportunity. 

So the next set rolls around, and he takes the first wave.  His friend takes the second wave.  They were both short rides.  It wasn’t that I watched them the whole time, I knew they were going to be short rides, and so I paddled for the next wave that came.  I was able to pump up and down kind of hit the lip as I gathered a lot of speed.  However, my legs could not handle the G forces as I was on the curling lip, and I wiped out with my back on the flats.  Still, the longboard guy saw it, giving me validation that I did belong in that line up. 

Dais seemed to be struggling in the diminishing conditions, and I don’t blame him.  It was a tough time out there, for the wait was long, and the sets came out far beyond the horizon.  Usually, no one was in position for the set waves, and the sets came in sometimes in sets of seven waves. 

My second to last wave was memorable because of my fail.  I pop up on the wave, but my legs were so exhausted from the cold that they felt like jello under me.  My legs gave out from under me, and I couldn’t even make it past the flats.  I was upset at myself for not being able to stick that drop.  I made sure that the next wave, my last wave, would be better.

I told myself, just stick the bottom turn, just stick the bottom turn.  As I made my way back to the line up, I told Dais that I was tired and I would take one in.  Indeed, I was yawning in the line up, so I was lethargic and exhausted.  I yawned again, as I squinted towards the horizon.  I saw a set approach, and I gunned for it.  My Rell, the “reborn” board, sucks when paddling out, is pretty cool when duck diving because she’s so thin, but once you get on a wave, feels like a magic carpet.  So I paddled for the right, putting my head down.  The board picked up speed, and I told myself, pop up!  I then got to my feet, and told myself, “OK, just stick the bottom turn, focus on your legs,” and so I did.  I bottom turned up the wave almost in slow motion, and I was at the top of the lip. “OK, now swing around and re-direct the energy down to your front foot,”  and I did.  I looked down at the wave face again, and out of my peripherals, I saw a small cup of spray come out.  I looked back to see if Dais was watching.  Nope.  Oh well.  I re-entered the wave, and pump down the white water.  That was it for me.  My last wave, and I got a small top turn off of it front side.

I got out and headed up the beach break part of County Line.  Wow, what a better way to get out of the line up.  The sand was forgiving, and there were just small pebbles and shells on the sand.  It was hard to climb up the little cliff though, as my legs and body were out of energy, and my feet were so numb that they wouldn’t listen to what I was telling them to do.

Matt came up shortly and Dais came in as well.  We all had fun today, and surfed our brains out.  I have never surfed County Line before, but I did like the place.  It was a small victory for our small crew, just one hour outside of Los Angeles. 

Till next time, Mahalo Mother Ocean.