CREW: Solo Bolo
FLAKES OF THE DAY: None
RAN INTO: J
TIME: 1320 - 1430, 1 hr. & 10 min.
CONDITIONS: Shoulder to head high, high tide, most of the bigger sets were walled up and closed, but there were some good shoulders here and there. The smaller sets seemed to have better shape, and there were random clean peaks every once in a while.
J text me at 0550 and told me he was on the way to Porto. I lay in bed all snuggly under the covers. I really didn’t want to get up because I was so warm and comfy, but I rolled out of bed and met him there at 0630. He hadn’t paddled out yet and was in his work clothes. He told me that it was still walled up and didn’t look worth it. We looked at it a little longer, he was right. He also said that he surfed a sunset session yesterday, and that it was the same thing. He left, and I went to the gym.
I made sure to get my homework done in time so I could check out Porto again before school. I drove back down around one in the afternoon. The peaks were really long, but I saw some workable shoulders at the end of them. The lot was full, and there were a lot of people in the water. I could tell that the high tide softened things up a little, so I changed as fast as possible to at least get a good hour in.
Once I made my way to the sand I saw that some of the sets were still closed out. Obviously, the main peaks were working a little better, but that’s where the main concentration of surfers were. I have never really surfed at mid day before, so the crowd was a bit different. Also, there was a lot more talent in the water at that time. I saw guys getting long rides, good turns, floaters, cut backs with follow through snaps and redirection, and boost attempts. It was the same place, different people.
I paddled out at the end of the tanks. I didn’t have to struggle so much with the inside, and I made it to the line pretty quick. It was a typical, beautiful, South Bay afternoon: not a cloud in the sky, the sun was blinding bright, and there were people soaking it up on the beach. The only nasty thing was the water quality. There were a lot of stagnant foam bubbles with green and brown liquid mixed in with them. I did my best to paddle away from those spots.
It was initially a long wait. Most of the sets were walled. I caught two close outs to start things off, and I didn’t expect much for the rest of the session. Into the first half hour, I was finally lucky enough to snag a couple shoulders. I caught a right. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a “clean” right. It was from a peak with a long line, and I was right at the end where the shoulder was. The wave had a head of foam at the top of it that ran with the section, but I managed three top turns before it closed out. Yeah, it wasn’t the prettiest ride, but that was the longest ride that I’ve had in a while. The waves were really unpredictable. In between the walls and small sets, there were random, single, peaks that popped up with good shoulders. I got some little rides off of those.
I have been bitching and griping about El Porto lately, and she tried to help me today. Twice, I was given clean peaks with perfect five-foot shoulders. I was off on my positioning being too far on the outside. I paddled as hard as I could to get into them, but the waves left me behind. I could only watch as the shoulders moved away, open, and uncrumbled. My last wave was a left that I thought was a close out. It actually opened up a little on the inside, but I forgot to pump my board to get to the open section. For some reason I was just depending on the wave momentum, probably because it’s been fast and dumpy lately.
Potential wave of the week, I almost forgot. … A plus sized set came, but it actually had a rideable left shoulder that built up really fast. I was in the prime spot. I paddled and got the slide at that critical moment where I was short of getting pitched. I remember the speed of the drop; it was fast and head high. I tried to point my nose down the line to stay on the face because it was a racy wave. My first instinct was to grab the rail with my right hand, lift the front of the board, and force redirect it. Instead, I relied on my footing to do my bottom turn. I don’t know why, but my back foot slipped off the back of the board. Fuck. It was such a good wave. I was mad that that happened. My feet just didn’t stick, I guess. … Oh well.
I still got a decent session out of it. I was grateful for the rides that I got. It was definitely better than the last couple times I went out, so I ain’t complaining. I expect good surf tomorrow. The NW swell is gonna fade while the SSW swell holds. Hopefully the slight drop in size and minute chance for a little wrap around combo will make some clean peaks. Shan and J said they’re paddling out at first light. I have high expectations.
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