STAYCATION SESSIONS--TRESTLES : WED 8.10.2011 MOR

Crew: Al, Kevin, Francesca (guard duty)
Ran into: Julian Wilson, Coco Ho, and some other pros that I don’t know.
Conditions: 3-4 ft+, onshore wind, inconsistent, high tide, overcast to warm, crowded.



Wake up to this:


    I shift the whole night. The surface in the back of my wagon is so hard I’m uncomfortable. I still manage to get some sleep. At 0530 I wake. I look outside and see the cloth trimming on the RV next to us swaying. I hear a tapping sound on the roof of my car. It’s from my surf board. The wind is already up before the sun is. I take a piss and sit next to the cold firepit for a look. Old Man’s and Churches looks crumbly and blown. I hoped for clean and glassy conditions, but instead it’s gray, windy, and cold. I start to doze off in my chair. There’s no need to rush it now. By 0545 I’m cocooned in my sleeping bag again. About an hour later, I see Al stepping out of his tent for the first time this morning. We discuss the morning’s conditions and decide to suit up regardless. Kevin’s lagging, so Al has us go without him. The crowd’s a little thinner from the unwelcoming conditions. We walk along Middles. Nothing is breaking. We walk by Lowers; it’s crowded as hell. We continue walking and Uppers doesn’t look so appetizing either, so Al says, “Fuck it, let’s just paddle out right here.” It’s another Lowers session. Competing for one peak is not my ideal surf sesh, but we came for good waves. Al and Kev go right into the thick of the crowd while I do my vulture technique to scavenge for scraps. Al surprises me with his first couple waves. He inserts himself into the lineup and gets waves all to himself. He’s a big guy is what I’m thinking. I guess no one wants to fuck with him. I wait for the peak to shift, but it’s more inconsistent than yesterday. After a couple waves, I find myself at the main peak. I notice a guy paddling out in a neon green Nike 6.0 wetsuit. Hmmm, that guys looks like Julian Wilson. Two chicks paddle up, and one looks like Coco Ho. That would be funny if the pros were out here, I think to myself. No one is crowding them, but the more I look at the guy in the neon wetsuit, the more I’m believing he’s Julian. His accent is Aussie, and as I drift closer there’s no doubt that it’s him.



Wave Hogs:


    I have the hardest time getting a wave at the main peak. I sit and wait for the outside wave, I paddle for it, a couple other guys paddle for it, and I’m surrounded by guys popping up just as I am. What happened to my wave position? I’m just not aggressive enough. Lowers is the only spot working, so this is what I have to deal with. The wave scatters everyone, and there’s only me and another guy left on the outside of the line up. Just then, another outside wave approaches. We both paddle for it and pop up. I look behind me; he’s going left. This right-hander is a legit Lowers wave. This isn’t one on the side, this is a plus sized jewel that I so happen to be in the way of. On the way down the face, surfers are everywhere trying to make their way back out. No one’s in the way, and I want to crank out some good turns in the company that I’m in. I get two solid bottom turns, nice and steep, that set me up for two good top turns. I’m a little rusty, so my turns fall short just under the lip, but it still feels like I’m carving well. I catch the wave to the inside and paddle back to my usual spot just south of Lowers. Al paddles up, and I say, “Dude, there are pros here.”

    “Yeah, I know. I saw Bethany Hamilton.”

    “What, she was here!?”

    “Yeah, but she paddled in earlier.” I’m shocked that I missed the opportunity to see her surf. I inform him on Julian and Coco’s presence in the line up. He drifts closer to the main pack, and Coco and her girlfriends are right next to him. Al looks at my direction and gives me a smirk. A little later, Coco is sitting right next to me. I’m a bit star struck. I want to say something, but no one has bothered any of them since their arrival. I go with the grain and give these surf stars their space as well. A wave appears, and I turn to paddle for it. I look towards my inside, and Coco is on it. I pull out gladly. I just pulled out of Coco Ho’s wave . . . FUCKING AWESOME! One can say that I’m exaggerating or that it wasn’t really her. However, her surfing shows that it’s her. They have professional photogs on the beach, and they’re fixed on Coco as she blows the tail then whips back around for some face-gouging cut backs.

    A set wave pops up at Lowers, and Julian has the peak to himself. He’s going right, so I have to paddle over the wave to get out of his way. I sit hoping for the next wave to swing wide, and it does. It’s a smaller wave more towards the inside, and I I’m in prime position for it. I turn around and start paddling, and then I notice Julian paddling back out, but he’s turning around trying to paddle for my wave. Fuck, I’m thinking. This is Julian Wilson right here, and he’s on my outside trying to take my wave away. I HAVE TO CATCH THIS WAVE! The pressure’s on. I start kicking and scratching to claim this one for myself. I’m one weak stroke from missing it, but I somehow pop up before the wave can pass. Julian looks back and sees that I’m on it; he pulls back. Holy fuck . . . I’m so fucking stoked. Not only do I pull out of Coco’s wave, but Julian Wilson almost drops in on me. Unfucking believable.

    The morning session is only two and a half hours. Al tells me that he’s about done. We catch a couple more then get to shore. We wait for Kevin who vents his frustration to us when he comes out. “There’s so many people out there,” he says. “How do you miss a wave when it’s coming right to you? These fuckin’ kids just paddle around you to take the fucking wave.” Shit . . . I feel his pain. But despite the crowds and lack of options for different peaks, I’m satisfied with the morning’s waves. Best of all, I got to surf in the midst of the pros for the first time. It’s funny how some of us try to be nonconformists and go against the grain of popular culture, but when we see the stars who are associated with the things that we follow, we can’t help but be in awe and feel the need to get a piece of them.



Doin’ it right:


    After the surf session, we change and head to my favorite spot for AYCE sushi. The lunch special is twenty bucks, and we devour a variety of different sushi for almost two straight hours. When we get back, we buy some ice cream and eat it with cookies. Kev leaves, and Al and Francesca have to visit their aunt in Temecula. I’m invited, but I opt to stay behind to write and do an evening sesh. The wind’s a little strong, the overcast is back, and I’m due for a nap. Lying down in the tent, I hear little kids playing with the sound of the ocean in the background. My eyes are getting tired. Today is a good day.