6‘3 X 18 ½ X 3/8 : SUN 12.26.2010 MORN

CREW:  Shan
TIME:  1200 - 1245, 0.75 hr.
WATER:  High tide, onshore howling, shoulder to head high, choppy, consistent

    After one of the best Christmases in my life, I had a hard time getting up to surf early the day after.  My brother gave me the most awesome early birthday and Christmas gift:  an intermediate level short board by JSS Industries!  I couldn’t wait to try it out, but it still lay against the wall, unwaxed, and unleashed in the early Sunday morning hours.  Shan hit me up at about 1000 and told me he was going to check it out.  I waxed my new board up and met him at Porto by 1145. 

    It looked terrible out there.  I’m not sure what the morning looked like, but if there was no wind that morning, then we definitely missed the window for good surf.  It looked like a long paddle out because of the tide.  The inside was a little consistent, and the waves were feathering out pretty fast.  There were still some shoulders, but it was just really messy.  Some guys were out there, maybe about six heads.  We decided to give it a shot anyway.  When I got there I saw a short boarder try to make it out.  By the time I got to the sand, he was walking back to shore, defeated from the inside.  The lifeguard truck pulled up and talked to him.  I asked him what they said, and he replied, “They said to stay away from the jetty because the current’s strong.” 

    I grabbed my new board.  It felt so light in my hands.  I did my usual ritual before entry and walked out as far as I could.  It was hard to time my paddle out.  I just wanted to get out there already, and I couldn’t see over the waves once I got in.  As soon as I got on my board I sunk it, but not as bad as my brother’s short board which was even smaller.  I felt the difference of being less buoyant and having to paddle harder to get to the line.  On a good note, I duckdived the waves with ease.  In fact, a set wave broke right in front of me, and I duckdived it to textbook:  I didn’t even feel the wave; I went under and out the back, completely unscathed.  I went the whole session without losing my board.

    The current started to take us north right away.  Shan said our best chance was to fight the current and stay in front of 45th to catch the left.  I didn’t agree and felt that fighting the current was a no win situation.  But slap my knees and call me ashy, he was right.  The best wave of the day came, and it was all his.  In the mess, a walled section came with a left shoulder right where Shan was.  He caught it really late, and I thought he was going to get pitched.  As he dropped in he let out his trademark, “Woohoo!” then again when I saw his head silhouette from my view.  He almost caught it all the way to shore.  Another left came, and I caught it really late, too.  Unfortunately, I purled it hard.  I wasn’t used to that board yet.  I caught a more forgiving right, but the conditions were not favorable for testing out a new board.  Once I got on the face I tried to pump but bogged out.  All my rides were like that.

    Shan finally made it back to the line, and the winds got even stronger.  The few surfers out there called it quits.  I caught a couple more waves, but they were already feathered out by the time I popped up.  It was just a bad day for surf.  After forty-five minutes it wasn’t worth it anymore.  Sometimes just one wave can make the whole session.  That day, Shan got that wave.  Even though I didn’t get the wave of the day, I was really happy to have duckdived that set wave.  If I was on the Merrick,  I would’ve gotten worked.  It was still good to get out and try to get the feel of my new board.

    Last night Klaude came over.  I told him that my brother told me that it was “up to me” if I was ready for that short board.  Klaude replied, “So what are you waiting for?”