Never Turn Your Back to the Ocean 070311

Surf Report:  1 – 3 feet

Water: Cool (should have worn a jacket at least)

Atmosphere: MARINE LAYER!! GO AWAY!!!!

Winds: Little to none, then slight on shore

The legendary Fransauce made his way to the Westside this weekend.  He lives right by Culver City and the Palms area, so he doesn’t have to make the crazy drive down from Pasadena no more!  I was stoked to be surfing with him again.  When I picked him up from his house, the sun was out.  However, as we drove down to Manhattan Beach, the marine layer blocked out the sun completely, and it was gloomy all the way through to the beach. 

We parked at 15^th Street and made our way down to the Strand.  Skating down 26^th Street was a breeze, and the morning seemed to be a hung over, morning sickness day.  The waves lacked oomph, and the water was cold!  I wish I had a jacket on…

The first hour or so was so so.  The waves lacked power, and the waits were long in between sets.  I wouldn’t have minded if it weren’t so cold in the water.  Francis and I caught some waves, but nothing noteworthy.  I finally got one turn in after a few waves.  Francis got his turn in on a backside wave.

We waited.  I hooted and smiled and said hi to everyone I made eye contact with.  The conditions may have been shitty, but the vibe didn't have to be that way.  I made the most out of what we got. 

Khang showed up in the line up first.  His late arrival brought about some surf.  Dais and Khoa paddled out too, and it seemed the surf picked up significantly.  Now there were waves, there were outside sets, and there were snakes.  Everyone got snaked.  I personally got snaked by each and every member today: Francis, Khang, Dais, Khoa, and Peter. Francis actually kicked out of the wave after he saw me behind him.  It was just one of those days. 

My right shin muscle cramped up, so I had to take a quick break to stretch it out.  I made it back out right when Peter paddled out too. 

Pete got a left that he almost fell on, but he was able to maintain his balance.  He was on the foamie so he couldn’t do much to compensate for any pitchy waves, but he stuck this one and made it down the line.

Khang snaked Khoa pretty badly, and ruined his wave.  Khoa became off balanced and fell off the wave and ate it.  Khoa still chased down a handful of waves on the foamie and was able to take most of them all the way to shore.  He would disappear for minutes at a time paddling back out after a long ride. 

Dais had a few good ones on the fishy.  The one wave I got to see him snake me on was a good one, and he was going down the line, not minding me behind him.  He was still drop knee half way down the line, but mustered up the strength to get his right foot up and ride out the wave. 

Just then, we saw Khang go for a late drop, and ditch his board.  Board went to his right, and he went down with the wave.  Dais and I hooted him for that.  Khang’s spills were always rewarded with long rides.  He punched through white water sections, and I saw a legit attempt at a top turn with his green belly of Jade showing up from behind the wave. 

Francis had some nice top turns after the waves started to pump.  We all oohed and ahhed at his ability, and wished we could surf like that too.  He is by far the most skilled surfer out of all of us.  The best part is that he has this huge smile every time he catches a wave.  He is always so stoked, it rubs off on us like rabbit fur on your penis. 

Francis would pump stylishly down the line and pump once more before bottom turning and reappearing for a top turn.  BAM!  We would all hoot him for these waves, since it looks so cool. 

We surfed a good three hours, and I was getting tired, hungry, and pruned.  I decided to take a last wave in.  My second to last wave I got was ok, but not “that ride” I was looking for.  Not to be deterred, I paddled back out, and sat in the line up.  Body boarders surrounded us, then paddled away.  A Latino guy sat next to us in the middle of the pack, but realized he wasn’t getting anything, so he paddled away too.  I saw an outsider lurch its ugly head off the horizon, and gunned for it.  It was a bad wave choice, for I had to take a late drop on my belly and that was my “last wave” of the day. 

What ensued next could only be blamed on myself…

Lesson #1: Never EVER turn your back to the Ocean. 

I'm glad all I got was a bruised knee

I paddled in towards shore, and looked back at the Ocean.  I saw a small wave jack up, and tried to catch it.  It bogged out.  Normally by this location in the shore pound, I would have gotten up to walk out backwards, but today… today, I don’t know why, but I decided to keep paddling in the shore pound.  I then saw a wave double up and jack up right behind me. 

Lesson #2:  Never let go of your board.

The double up shore pounder engulfed me into her sandy maws.  She wrenched my surfboard away from me as I got tossed and turned like a pin ball in an arcade.  I felt the surfboard fins first hit my upper knee, and then my shin.  My initial thought was, “Please don’t get cut, please don’t get cut!”

I get up and stand on the shore pound. I see my board, and grab it.  Something is missing… my fin is missing.  I look around for it, but it is in the sandy tomb of Manhattan Beach, and I don’t feel like scouring the under dwellings of the shore pound for a fin.  I was bummed and tried to walk out.  Then, my knee ached.  I hobbled up and threw my surfboard on the sand.  I looked at my knee, and it was just bruised.  I was thankful and grateful that I wasn’t cut.  That fin must have hit me from the front end, not the curved, sharp back end (like Parko on his injury at Snapper where he sliced his foot from the fin.)  I was glad that was all that happened to me.

I assessed the damage of my board.  Just a missing fin.  Oh well.  I laughed it off as I threw my board to the side and waited for Francis to come in.

When Francis came in, I pointed out my missing fin.  He pointed out that there was a ding on the plug, probably where the fin dug in from hitting my knee before snapping off.  I shrugged it off.  No biggie.  I was a little disappointed because I was trying a new fin set up and I really liked the drive and turning ability I was getting out of it, but heck, even the Mona Lisa is falling apart everyday. Francis then pointed out some blood on his toe.  His fins caught him on his toe, making a small gash.  So we were both having some bad luck with fins.  But that's all.  No serious harm was involved. 

Ho Brah, no one rides a twin fin in Hawaii!

This is all I saw before getting to my car, thinking shit was fine

We skate back gracefully down the Strand and walk up to my car.  To my astonishment, there are cars lined up to park in the parking lot too.  I put my board down, and notice a line in my board that I had never seen before.  It was a board buckle.  A board buckle from the shore pound?  Man, I wish I had buckled my board in something cooler, like an air, or a steep drop at a point break, or anything else besides being a noob.  I still feel like laughing this one off, because it was all my fault.  Everything was in my control, but Mother Nature caught me off guard and made me pay the price.  The board seems salvageable… but Francis points out that even if I do fix it, the first person to notice that something is wrong will be me. 

So, I am still in one piece.  My board is still technically in one piece, but that is why I have a quiver.  One board down?  Get the other ones out.  All material things eventually perish, and that is a fact of life.  At least I am safe and sound.  I would rather have the board break in half than me break in half. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean.  You re-tested me on some basic lessons, and I failed miserably.  I will know to keep my guard up at all times, for you are most powerful and unforgiving for the smallest of mistakes.  That doesn’t mean I’m not going to pull into those outside sets though.  Don't worry, I’m still doing that.  I’ll be back for more, later next week!

BUCKLED - Aloha Means Hello and Good-bye

Let the craigslist hunt begin!!