Next One 112214

Surf Report: 3-4 feet solid
Water: Warm
Atmosphere: Sunny
Winds: Offshore

SKUNKED!!

I've been battling a small cold for the last week. It's nothing serious, but I've been coughing a lot, sleeping a lot more, and not being able to surf. I got skunked on Wednesday, November 19th. Fucking flat ass Ocean. The worst hit me on Thursday, and I drank a lot of hot tea and went swimming with  my dad. I know I squirted a lot of nose juices and lung cookies out into the swimming pool, and after an hour of swimming, I felt like myself again.

Not only that, but mom made us Oden!! It's a traditional Japanese hot pot dish suiting our very needs in order to warm up after a cold day.

OH DAYUM! It's O-den

So Friday, I stayed in to recover a bit more. I really wanted to surf since Matt is going to Japan after this weekend. His time is limited...

Saturday rolls around, and I'm determined to surf. I have to surf today... last day for Matt!!

where is my wallet?

I can't find my wallet at all. Time is running out!! Where is my wallet? I know I had it last night... Well maybe I left it at work. I'll have to search again when I get home from surfing. 

I'm late to arrive at 26th Street. And there's no parking. Of course not. There's a line to get into both lots. I can see Khang's car in the lower lot, waiting for a spot. He's the first car waiting for a spot, half way into the lot. I have to park up the hill today. Oh well.

Luckily, I find a spot right at the top of the hill on Highland. I parallel park like I've never done before: in one shot!

I can see the lines marching in, and the mushy waves coming in as they break from the top of the hill. I KNOW THIS. This is going to be an epic session. I know it. I can feel it.

I run down the hill. My feet never felt better on cement. I see Khang pop out from his ride. He's still waiting for a spot.

"Let's go brah! Hurry up and park!" I yell at him.

"Get em Klaude!" yells Bruce.

I throw a shaka at him.

I run down the hill and off to the sand. Calm yourself KK. Calmo. I paddle out. I know the waves when they do this. This is going to be an epic sesh.

First wave, I take off after Don takes the first wave of the set. I bottom turn, snap off the top, bottom turn again, and hook it off the top again.

Whoa, a TWO TURN wave?? On my first wave? What the fuck is going on.

I see Matt further down, and I paddle towards him to burn off some excess energy from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Matt, Bri and I embrace. I told them of my first ride was a two turn right.

"What, no way. Where?"

"Over there, man. Right where Don is."

The waves would pitch up but would be very mushy once they broke. It was just perfect. The tide was high, but the swell was pushing through it. It was high tide fun - one of those days we dream about in every South Bay swell.

Matt catches a wave. He gets a few hacks off and comes back to the line up.

Bri is freezing her ass off. It's been a whole week since she has been surfing, and since the water has dropped in temperature, she is unable to tolerate it. She gets a lot of rides even in her frozen state, and keeps coming back for more. These conditions would have been a lot better if she had a proper wetsuit on.

Khang comes out to the line up, and we embrace. He is chatting up with all of us. It's been three weeks since he has gotten to surf. He's been busy with work.

"Oh yea, I'm moving to New York on Tuesday," he says to Bri.

"What?"

"Oh Klaude! I'm moving to New York on Tuesday. Not this Tuesday, but next Tuesday. I'll have a good-bye party on Sunday, the 30th. Come through!"

Wow, what a surprise. First time of hearing this news...

His absence from the water shows... He's catching waves, yet getting stuck behind the sections. Hey, he's still catching waves though. It's great to see him in the water especially since we have such conflicting schedules all the time. We all trade off waves between the four of us. Matt takes one, Khang takes one, Bri takes one, I take one... It's like a broken record we never want to fix. Santa Mierda!!

I see Bri paddling for a wave. I go for it too. I pop up, and I see her pop up as I look back. Well, guess I beat her to the punch. I start to pump down the line. I see a section, and cutback. I don't see Bri in my turn, so I keep going. I cut back again. Pump pump pump. I cut back again. Pump, bottom turn, top turn. I pump one last time, bottom turn, and see the wall of water turn into sand. OH SHIT! EJECT!! EJECT!! I hop off my board and land in waist deep water. Four turns... holy shit.

An Unridden A-Frame

I apologize to Bri. Well, not really. I tell her sorry, with a big smile. She tells me that the wave looked really good... until I snaked her. HA! I told her that I got four turns on it, and that I'm glad I snaked her. I couldn't let that wave pass me by. 

Much of the morning turned out to be like this: Matt gets a wave, Khang gets a wave, Bri gets a wave, then I get a wave. It was not all in this order, but tons of waves were being shared by everyone. Everybody was SHARING. That's what I love about this place. There is no bad blood, no ego's. Just people enjoying the wave riding experience.

I remember paddling for a wave and it was a perfect A-frame. I see Matt on the inside, paddling out. As I pop up, I had enough time to think, "Should I go left? Or should I go right? I've been going right a lot.... I'll go left this time." And then I swoop into a backside beauty. I get a few carves off, and end up on the inside. How the hell is it this good today? 

Khang had to leave to conduct interviews at Quik.

Bri had to exit after a while because of her leaky wetsuit. 

Matt got a four turn right.

Matt and I battle it out in front of the Mons Pubis. "Next one, we'll go in," he says. We both smile.

He gets one, I get one. And these waves are no one shot waves. Two turns, minimum.

We both paddle back out. It's never "One more." But there will always be, "Next one."

I get a right where I take off super late. I can't see anything, but I have my eyes open. I pump around the white water section and get two turns off. One after the white water, and one as a finisher. I paddle back out.

As I paddle back out, I see Matt on a left. He lays back into the snap, and goes all the way into the inside. He paddles back out.

We trade off a few more waves. Matt catches a long left. He exits from the water from getting a great wave. His body language says it all - "I'm done."

I wait for a set. The sets are far in between, but they come. Sure enough, I get a right. I pump down, get a small carve off the top, and then bottom turn and carve again. Roy is in the inside, hooting me on my last ride. My body slumps into a state of hebetude.

We are all exhausted. Everyone got rides today. It was just nuts. And barely anybody was out! Surfline apparently forecasted a shitty day. Hey, good job Surfline! That's why I never check you out for surf forecasts. It was an epic day of surf in the South Bay, and I got to share it with just my friends. And all the locals that I see every day... We were all rewarded for surfing one spot in a dedicated fashion. We were rewarded for our commitment! Two hours plus with my friends, and we are tired from catching so many waves. Rarely does it get THIS GOOD.

And the sets keep marching in...!!

We stop by at Mandy's for some late breakfast. We gorge on food. Because I had lost my wallet, Bri took care of the bill. We all talked about Japan, language barriers, our surf for today, and how it was perfect to send off Matt on his journey to Japan.

He is insecure about the trip, but I reassure him that he will be golden.

"Just be yourself, you have a lot Japanese mannerisms that they value." I tell him.

We learn "I-TA-DA-KI-MA-SU" and "GO-CHI-SOU-SA-MA-DE-SHI-TA" literally, "I will commence eating," and "thank you for the great meal." Simple and polite, yet essential to Japanese culture. I give Matt and Bri a kiss good-bye, and head back to my quiet home, stoked from head to toe. DRC had a good showing for today. Sweet!!

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!