Sharing is Caring - 040812

Surf Report: 1 – 3 foot max and still clean

Winds: light

Atmosphere: Sunny but cool

Water: cold

I was at my first Passover dinner last night.  My good friend Sasha invited me to his house where his mom Stella cooked a feast for us.  I’ve been over for Shabbat dinner a few times, but Passover was a first, so the whole family and others went through the formalities of Passover dinner, with the explanations of symbols on the Hellel centerpiece.  They went through the stories, the songs, and the prayers for me.  Man, was the food good!  And oh yea, lots of vino.  I brought a bottle of kosher wine for the occasion, and that went away in a puff of smoke.  Luckily there was about 8 bottles of wine for us… and the celebration continued until 1130.

I got home, packed up my stuff in anticipation for a Sunday morning surf session. 

I woke up at 530, exhausted, and aching all over my shoulders. 

I tried to go back to sleep, but after 10 minutes of closing my eyes, my body yearned for some salt water.  Cmon weekend warrior!  Get up!!

I did my usual stretches as that bastard of a bird kept chirping his ass off.  He was loud as ever, but I can hear my mom snoring in the next room.  She too had a long night with her ballroom dancing group, and came home later than me!  

I packed up my stuff and headed out the door.  I wasn’t expecting much today.  Just some cold water and smaller waves than yesterday.

When I arrived to the empty parking lot, I was right.  The waves were smaller than yesterday, but I could see Roy tearing it up in the same spot.  The concrete was cold as I got changed, and my wetsuit wasn’t cooperating when I was putting it on.  I grab my twin fin fish, Mary Jane, and head out.

The low tide made the paddle out a non-paddle out.  It was more like a walk out to the line up.  The water was still freezing, and I can feel my muscles aching still.  Once I started to paddle, my muscles started to warm up and get loose. 

Roy was doing his thing, and the other locals were all congregated in this one spot.  The other sand bars weren’t working, so everyone was just sitting here.  Still, there were only about fifteen, twenty guys out. 

The longboarders had first pick of the waves.  We shortboarders had to get the scraps really.  However, the shape was still clean, and there were some fun ones coming through the line up today too. 

At first my pop up was way off.  I couldn’t get to my feet!  My pop up felt weak and unstable, like my shoulders were about to pop out, and so I would get to my feet in almost a standing stance, feet side to side, and just eat it on the wave.  I did a few cobra stances on my board, pushing up on my board and arching my back, to get the muscle memory back. 

It was a fun, mellow morning today.  The longboarders didn’t take ALL the waves, just most of them.  A pack of four dudes that I see frequently were just sitting outside of everyone, getting into the waves before they broke, and taking them all the way to shore.  We picked off a few good rides in between.  The shape was clean still, and the waves were just so glassy all morning long. 

Roy asked where all my friends were today.  “Snoozing,” I replied, laughing. 

“They’re not as dedicated as you are,” he said.

“No, they’re not as crazy as I am,” I told him.  We both chuckled at this.  Seriously, who gets up slightly hung over with sore shoulders on a Sunday morning at 530 AM to go surf 1-3 foot waves when the water is freezing cold?  I have to surf, or else I’ll go crazy.  Krazy KK is not a good sight.  Ever. 

So after those longboarders left, we finally had the peak to ourselves. 

On a right, I pumped down the face, bottom turned up and hit the lip, with the nose flying off the lip.  I couldn’t stick the landing though, and fell onto shallow water. 

On a left, I pumped on my board to get down the line.  My board carried me too far away from the curl of the wave, so I cut back and heard some ssssss-splash from behind.  I rebounded on the white water and continued back down the line on the left.  Finally studying Roy’s cutbacks has paid off. 

Roy was killing it as usual, taking lefts and rights all the way to shore.  He did a tail slide today, and was super stoked on it.  He was describing how the fins slid out from under him as he top turned on a left, and that he felt the fins catch after a few moments of sliding.  He even hit the lip so hard it looked like he got some air on a left.

Bruce was out on his foamie, and he got a lot of waves too.  But, he pushed me into waves too.  He told me to go on this one set right that I completely ate it on because the wave just pitched and I was trying to get barreled.  I dragged my right hand on the face as I dropped in, but I felt my nose dive in before I made it to the bottom of the wave.  He smiled at me though, which made me feel better. 

That’s what I love about 26^th Street.  They make sure everyone gets a wave, even if they can catch all the waves to themselves.  They aren’t greedy, and if you show up enough, they will let you have some waves to yourself.

I took a right towards the end of my session.  I pumped up and down the wave, and bottom turned up the closing section, floated over the closing section, but couldn’t stick the landing.  Roy saw the whole thing, and said that I should have stuck that landing.  He wasn’t aggro about pushing my buttons, but just told me to stick the floater next time. 

I repeated to myself, stick the landing KK, stick the landing…

Then, a left rolled through the line up.  No one was in position for the waves, and the first set rolled through unridden.  I paddled hard to meet the wave, flipped around, and caught the second set.  I can hear Fransauce in the back of my head, “Meet and greet, ride and slide.”  I got to my feet, and started pumping backside.  I saw the lip curl, and instinctively floated over the section.  I didn’t really think about it, I just did it.  I kept all my weight on my back leg, and the wave just pushed my board forward, back to where the white water was breaking.  I landed the floater, and ditched my board in ankle deep white water, landing on my butt.  A small improvement for me today!  This one wave definitely made my morning. 

Calvin, another local/regular that surfed this morning, was freezing his ass off, and just wanted “one more.”  Roy took a long left right when Calvin said this, and I teased him, “Just one more?  Man, now the waves go flat for you.”  He grimaced at this, and a right came my way.  I took this one to shore, and paddled back out, watching Calvin pulling out of a no hope close out.  I wanted him to catch his “last one” so I backed off a few waves for him and hooted him into some, hoping he would catch them.  The first one he blew because of bad positioning.  But the second one was a right I hooted him into and he was able to take all the way to shore, banking a turn off the top.  He threw a shaka at all of us back in the line up.  Sharing waves makes everyone feel better. 

And then this shaper named Eric came out on his quad fin.  He shapes for a lot of the groms that surf the South Bay.  He reminded me of Rick, since he was an older dude that ripped on a quad fin.  But man, he just tried to catch every single fucking wave.  Even when Roy or Bruce was going for a wave, he would try to go for the waves.  I get it, you’re a shredder.  I even told him that he shreds.  But would it kill you to share some waves?  Seriously, share some waves. 

The place started to go flat, and I told Roy I was taking the next one in.  I caught a close out and took that as far as I could. 

Back in the parking lot, I saw a familiar car, along with a familiar face.  Ann was there with Nancy, and so we chit chatted for a bit.  It was nice seeing her this morning, especially since I was thinking of stopping by to say hi to her and Robbie and Fred and Wilma (their two dogs.)  Roy and Bruce came back shortly thereafter, and we talked for a few minutes in the parking lot.

“Man, that guy Eric, he’s a good surfer, but he doesn’t know how to share,” said Bruce.  “I mean, I could catch every wave out there with this Costco board, but I don’t, because everyone will hate me out there.”

“Yea, I had to paddle away from him, cuz he’s so competitive at paddling for waves!” Roy said.

“Yea, real competitive.  I had to paddle away from him too!”  Bruce reiterated.

I think this is why I love surfing at 26^th Street so much.  Everyone looks out for each other.  If your meter is empty and parking enforcement is here, they throw in quarters for you.  They bring snacks occasionally.  And, they share waves with everyone.  They know how fickle it is here. 

“Look, Miles won’t even let his girl get any waves!” Bruce said. 

Ok, so maybe not everyone.  Uncle Miles just took wave #4 of his session by burning his girlfriend/wife.  Nice one… 

So, it was another beautiful morning in Manhattan Beach.  The swell is supposed to pick up tomorrow, while I type away on the keyboard.  I am thankful I got a lot of waves this whole weekend.  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!