The usual characteristics of a beautiful day were all there: sun, no wind, warmth, blue sky, etc. I was in Santa Monica running errands, so I checked out Bay St. at about 3:00 P.M. The tide was at about mid level, and there were two little peaks in front of the life guard tower. There was one guy on a fun board getting some good rides. I was really close to suiting up and paddling out, but I just couldn’t. The waves were just too small, maybe two feet, tops. I took a close look at the mountains, the Ferris wheel on the pier, and the crowd of beachgoers. I turned around and drove off to El Porto.
The scene there was just as nice. There were a lot more people in the water, but the surf wasn’t much better. It was a little bigger, but walled and closing out. I could’ve easily went home, but the weather was just too beautiful. Small waves weren’t enough to keep me from getting wet.
I paddled out in front of the tanks to get away from the crowd, and it looked like there was a little peak there. I shared it with two other guys. The water was cold as hell. I didn’t expect that because it was so warm. The water was so glassy. The peach and orange colors from the low sun gave the water a gold and honey-like appearance. The water was so smooth and silky, only disturbed by the strokes of my arms. There were a bunch of seagulls chillin’ in the water nearby. At first I thought of it as a spectacle, then I thought about them pissing and shitting, and all that stuff floating into my mouth. Maybe the joke was on me.
Of course, the waves were small, but I tried my best to only pick those out that had a little shape to them. I caught some rights that actually opened up. The tide was going down, so it was really shallow. I milked them for what they were worth. Before they closed out, I tucked myself under the curl, grabbed rail, and enjoyed whatever open face there was. I caught some lefts that actually opened up a little, as well. The round, soft, and smooth shoulders formed, and I pumped my board hard to get as far as I could. There was no rough paddle out. I merely walked back to the line up for another ride. My wave count was high, and even though I didn’t get a lot of fun rides, I got enough to make the session worth it. The crowd was leaving, and it was just me and another guy out there by ourselves. The sun was down, so I ended up calling it a day.
Tiny and small. My expectations were low, so they were easily exceeded. Little waves can be fun, too. When things seem impossible, you can always try. In the end, sometimes it works out.
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