Surf Report: 1-2 feet with the occasional 3
Water: Warm
Winds: Offshore
Atmosphere: Sunny
"Hope you're taking advantage of the daylight savings time," said Matt, in the last part of his Voxer message. He's right, I need to take advantage. I think it's late... but it's still 700 AM. Technically, it's 800 AM. But hey, daylight savings time baby!!
I get to the beach, and see Bri is getting changed in the parking lot. Matt is in HB, gambling to get more barrels. The line up is surprisingly empty - not even the groms are out. Weird.
Ross screeches to a stop in the parking lot. "Hey, at least I beat Ross!" I yell.
"Hey, I have kids to drop off!" he defends.
Bri has to take off, so we say our good-byes, and she takes off. The winds are offshore.... it looks really clean... why isn't anybody out?
The Brick House is working well, so I start there. The wave is fast from the peak, but the shoulder is too weak to let you in. I mentally note that I need to pump immediately when I get to my feet.
I get a quick right but the wave sections ahead of me. I hear Mr. Mike, the Vietnam Vet, in the line-up with his trademark laugh. I see Ray, and Ross, and Kurt. There are only locals out today, with the odd new face. It is "crowded" in a sense, but we all know each other, more or less.
I get a right where I pump, bottom turn, carve, bottom turn, and snap off the top. The wave mushes out, and I am stoked from head to toe.
The paddle back is long as hell!! I see Ross catch a long right, and he is getting held up on the inside too. I wonder what is going on. We both look at each other from a distance, and communicate non-verbally: This paddle back out sucks for a small day.
I get another right, and immediately bottom turn to a snap. However, I dig a rail with too much weight on my front foot. I think I didn't bottom turn hard enough for the turn that I was trying to do, and so I lost it. I make a mental note to myself: set yourself up for a long, hard carve by compressing your bottom turn.
Ray snakes one of the other locals. They playful jeer at each other. Ray is notorious for telling people to go, and then snaking them on waves that he tells them to go on. This day was no different.
I get yet another right, and bottom turn, snap. Then I bottom turn, snap. And then another bottom turn, snap. I get three turns back to back to back, flowing through each one, staying in the pocket. I didn't have to think about it at all. I just did it because the wave allowed me to. I am so stoked, you can call me John Stoketon.
There are two girls out today... Never seen them, but they aren't really going for the right waves. They go for the smaller waves and don't catch them. Then, they get caught inside on a set wave and eat it. One of them, Rhea, catches a small wave, but gets to take it all the way. Her pop up is good, and she is able to stay with the wave. I compliment her on the wave.
The next wave is, you guessed it, another right. I get two cutbacks on it just trying to stay in the pocket. My body finally understand why these moves are done - to stay in the pocket. I know my head always told me to do it, but my body is finally doing it without my head thinking about it.
Ross is catching a lot of waves from the Brick House too. He is keeping his arms in the water because the air temperature is too cold compared to the water. He catches a final right and runs up the beach to head for work.
The last wave I catch is a right. I bottom turn hard and get a floater. I stick it, and try to do a cutback. I dig a rail, much like I did earlier, because I have too much weight on my front foot. I blow the wave, right in front of Bruce as he is leashing up.
He throws me a shaka, and asks where it's good.
"Right over there," I point.
"I see that, but why is everyone out of position and paddling towards that spot all the time? Current?"
"Long rides, maybe?" I say, laughing "I was there the whole time, and it was super fun!"
"Cool! Have a good day Klaude!" he says.
I remember when I was first starting to surf, Bruce was an intimidating person. Not only that, he had chewed my ear off for doing some kooky shit in the water. But now, after years of surfing here, he is one of the coolest people ever.
As I walk back, I see Mr. Mike getting changed from his VIP spot.
"Fun day huh?" I say.
"Yea!! Super fun! You know, it was a bit crowded, but good thing we all knew everybody out there huh?"
"Yea, that definitely made it a lot more fun," I add.
Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!
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