Venice Pier with Da Boys 061111

Surf Report: 1 – 3 feet fun little waves

Water: Cold

Atmosphere: Gloomy

Winds: Next to nil

The Malizoo gamble FAILED once again.  We all woke up pretty early this morning in hopes of catching this SW swell that’s due to peak today.  It wasn’t a big swell per se, but it would have sent our south facing beaches quite a bit of swell (apparently.) 

Mikey was to meet me at my house, and we were going to drive there.  I got telephone calls from Nicky last night saying he would be in Topanga partying, so I should come swoop him up in the morning while on our way. 

I had a weird series of dreams last night.  One of them involving Nicky and I where I had to go pick him up into the Topanga Canyon, way the fuck above the ritzy houses and almost to the valley.  In my dream, I was on an endless journey trying to find this house, while I kept everyone else waiting.  I ended up not finding this house, and my dreams switched to another one.

That dream set the tone for my morning, for I woke up a few times during the night to drink water, pee, and to mumble myself back to sleep.  I looked at my phone when I woke up to see that Nicky had come back home and would be at Mar Vista instead.  So, I had to go pick him up at Mar Vista.  I called him and he told me, chuckling, that he had been up all night, and that he would be ready by the time I came to his house.  So, I set out to go pick him up. 

Mikey texts me saying that he would be at my house in ten minutes.  I thought that this would work out perfectly, timing wise.

I got to Nicky’s house, and my stomach gurgles.  My stomach gurgled madly and loudly, and I felt a furious wave of poop come over me.  I had to go poop NOW.  I called Nicky, and there was no answer.  I get pretty antsy.  I decide to wait a few minutes.  The seconds on the clock couldn’t move fast enough, and so I called him again.  No answer.  I was getting pissed.  How the hell is he not answering his phone when he knows I’m coming to pick him up?

Gurgle gurgle gurgle.

Shit, should I take a shit in front of his house?  No, let’s be logical.  He must have already gotten back to his house.  Therefore, the front door should be open.  Ok, let’s go check. 

Luckily, the front door was open, and I rushed passed Nicky and his homey eating some breakfast.  As I hissed a vengeful few words at them, I rushed in to his bathroom and deployed the unholy bombs from myself.  It was a quick one, and I felt ten pounds lighter afterwards. 

Nicky was already packing up all his surf stuff into my car, and so we were ready to go in no time.  As we made our way back to my place, Mikey called and said he was at my house already.  I told him we would be there soon.

We pack up Mikey’s stuff and some water jugs and head out.  Khang and Dais were on their way by the time we got to Sunset.  Sunset wasn’t even breaking at this point… and I had that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that no bowel movements would justify. 

As we passed by the Reel Inn and Topanga, we glanced over to see no waves rolling through. 

Then, finally we get to Malibu, and there were only a handful of guys out at the time.  This is a bad sign, I thought.  Usually when there is some good swell, Malibu is packed to capacity.  So, the empty parking spaces that flanked the PCH and the Malibu parking lot were an ill omen.  We got out to see the waves.

Of course the waves were flat.  Why the hell were there be any waves?  The waves were one foot maximum, and impossible to catch without anything shorter than 7 feet.  It was a painful sight to see, knowing that I suggested once again to go to Malibu, and we got skunked. 

Khang and Dais pull up and we all say hi.  We watch the waves for a quick minute, and try to look at the brighter side of Malibu.  Maybe 3^rd point?  No.  Maybe if the tide was dropping out?  Can’t really wait that long.  The brighter side would have been that we could head straight back to Venice and surf there. 

We all ran across the PCH and decided to meet at Venice.  What a SKUNKER.  God damnit, I thought.  Why do I make that gamble, and every single time we get skunked.  I felt terrible for directing da boys in the wrong direction (once again.)  I could only hope that Venice would have some waves.

We get to Venice and park on Driftwood Avenue.  Luckily Khang found some parking there too.  The early morning was a buzz kill, and my only hopes was that we could score some waves at Venice now. 

We get to the Venice shore, and the waves looked fun.  They were small, but not Malibu small.  On top of that, there were a few surfers out, which always means that there are some surfable waves out there.  We all start stretching, and paddle out in front of the lifeguard tower north of the pier.  I could only hope that we could catch some clean waves with some face on it. 

Khang went towards the pier, while Mikey paddled straight out.  I went to sit next to the pier also, and had that eerie feeling that maybe there weren’t too many waves here either.  The pier wasn’t firing, but the north side was firing.  Well, it was mushing through with some groms hooting and hollering at each other as they caught waves. 

“That looks like fun,” Dais said, paddling up behind me.

“Yea, groms are always so stoked!”  I said.  I could take a page from their book.  The first wave I went for, there was a step on the face of the wave.  I tried to jump the step with my board, but got pitched over, and fell flat on the rail of my board.  I felt I just got punched in the stomach by a fist.  This blow knocked the wind out of me for a quick second, as I made my way back to the line up cautiously. 

I went for a left, grabbed rail, and was trying to make it through the lip, but got clamped shut.  At this time, the board went above my head and conked my head.  I couldn’t believe it.  What luck am I having??  I tried to be even more cautious from then on.    

Nicky was in front of the lifeguard tower, and started catching waves on his fish.  He would eat it on some, but he made the lefts look makeable as he raced down the line in his text book wide stance and flowing pumps. His style hasn't changed at all, and he was only going for the left.  He must have horse-blinders on, because all he see's are lefts.  He's darn good at going left, but I hope he comes to a big day at Malibu or Sunset so he can learn to go right.  Until then, all he does is go left, and go left he did!

“Damn, Nicky’s scoring over there!” Khang said.  “Let’s go there.”

So we made our way to Nicky’s spot as he caught another clean left and made it look easy. 

Dais went for a wave as I was paddling out, and had one of his back-bent-knee-hand-dragging bottom turns into white water.  Oh, if only there was a little more face to work with…

Khang went for some nice rights as he plowed through the flatter sections nicely.  He took a lot of rides to the inside.  Normally, they would have gone all the way to shore, but today, the tides were funky, and created a shallow section in the line up, followed by a deep bowl on the inside, then another shallow area until one reached the shore. 

Mikey was going for a lot more waves than last week.  I think it helps that he is getting to surf with some friends in the water.  He later told me that it was nice to have a group of surfing friends since sports are usually fun, but more fun when you get to play with your friends.  I concur on that.

There were two latino’s, one goofy one regular footed, that were in the line up with us.  The regular footed guy was pretty good, attempting floaters, and would egg on his other friend on set waves. 

“Vai! VAI! VAI!” he would yell.

Personally, this morning session I wasn’t really having much fun.  Something just felt off, or missing.  I wasn’t really sure what it was, but I tried to shake it off. 

The current wasn’t strong today, and it was pretty easy maintaining our spot in the line up.  Just the waves that came through weren’t the best.  The bigger sets were close outs, but the ones in between or behind the set waves were clean A frames.  I wished to split the peak with Nicky, but that never came about.  He kept on going on these lefts, sometimes making it through the sections, other times punching out through the back of the waves.  He was clearly the highest wave count out of all of us.

“Damn, that north of the pier looks fun,” he said.

“Yea, it does,” I replied.  “I’m going over there.”

And off I went to the north side of the pier.  I paddled in between the piers’ legs, and made it to the north side without a scratch.  There were three groms dominating this spot, each no older than Nicky.  They were talking about girls, one had to go to his job, what to eat after wards, and what they were going to do this weekend.  Each got a wave in and went home. 

After that, I had this spot all to myself.  I sat right by the pier as the funky current rocked me back and forth, forwards and backwards.  It felt weird just sitting there, being rocked back and forth by the pier.  I then saw a left come through.  I paddled for it, popped up, stuck the drop, and went down the line in my crouched stance.  The wave pinched off, and I ate it. 

I took a right that pinched off before I could shoot the pier. 

I took another left, this time grabbing rail, trying to get barreled.  The wave engulfed me.

I took another right that pinched off as I did a bottom turn out the wave.

I took more lefts, switching between grabbing rail and not grabbing rail.  I envisioned Matt’s deep bottom turn as he always climbed up the face from his back leg.  I tried to mimic that and was able to bust a half turn out of it.  I was stoked, but all alone.

SO VERY RONERY!!

Dais and I have had this conversation before, but if u can’t share something joyful with someone, it is empty joy.  The joy loses meaning.  Yes, I will be stoked scoring perfect waves all by myself, but we are humans; living organisms that co-exist with each other, and so without anyone to share that joy with, that happiness becomes empty.  As I caught more waves, I grew empty with happiness. 

I took more lefts as a longboarder came by.  He was way outside the peak, and was timid at taking any waves.  I chit chatted with him as I took another left that formed off the pier.  He got caught on a few sneaker sets and left within half an hour.  Another surfer came, and we chit chatted for a while as we traded waves. 

And then I had it.  I paddled back under the pier and towards Khang.  In the process, the funky current pulled me to one of the barnacle encrusted pier legs, and I had to sacrifice my palm to avoid a direct collision with the leg full on.  The current then pulled me away from the leg as I scrambled passed the leg and back into the line up with Khang.

Oh so ronery, but no longer arone. 

Khang said that he loved the spot right by the pier, as he stroked into one right hander.  I tried to get into it too, but I hit a back wash section that made me lose all my speed.  Khang went through that too since I saw his board stall just for a second but he plowed through that section and took the right pretty far.

Just then, Nicky catches another left, dragging his hand on the wave face. 

The waves look glassed off as there was still no wind.  What a rare sight to see!  No wind in SoCal.  I couldn’t believe it.  Da boys informed me that Mikey had taken a break, and was knocked out on the sand.  He eventually came back an rejoined our group.  He told me that he had some crazy experiences surfing a little more south of the pack.  On one wave, he was able to stick a late drop, and not fall.  On another wave, he was staying high in the curl of the wave, soul arching his body to stay in the wave curl.  sooouuuul full.   

After the north of the pier solo session, I felt that I caught enough waves.  I didn’t catch any waves with da boys, but I felt pretty satisfied.  I wasn’t overly stoked or super happy with the waves and conditions, but I was content.  The set waves still close out on us as we duck dived out of its jaws of justice. 

Dais found out what time it was: 1111.  Damn, we had surfed for just about three hours.  Maybe even more.  I paddled in, and so did Mikey.  Khang and Nicky were the last ones to paddle in with Dais, and they frolicked on the shore doing hacks and airs off the mushy inside waves on their boards.  They weren’t on their boards, but the boards were doing some nice hacks and airs. 

We called it a day and everyone was stoked.  I was probably the only bummed one from today, but I don’t really know why.  I caught a lot of waves, but perhaps I needed to be catching waves with da boys?  It was a weird feeling catching a lot of waves by myself and not feeling fulfilled at all.

Well, today is just one day of surf, and everyone got waves.  Mikey said this was one of his best surf sessions ever, especially since he didn’t have to ride crappy El Porto dumpers.

The Malizoo call was a bad one, but I hoped to redeem myself at Venice.  I think all da boys did, and therefore I should be stoked that we all scored some waves today.  I hope that tomorrow will bring some more waves to ride.

Until then, Mahalo Mother Ocean. 

V-House!!!