AT TIDE’S MERCY, WED 26OCT2011 MOR

Location: Newport
Crew: Khang, Francis

Time: 0700-1100, 4 hrs

Conditions: sideshore wind, high tide, 4-5 ft, less consistency as tide rose.

            I believe every surfer does the same: keep a close eye on the surf forecasts during a flat spell. On this occasion, Wednesday brings in the new swell from the SSW. Obviously, surfing in the South Bay is out of the question. Tuesday night is filled with calls and texts back and forth with Francis and Khang, figuring out which call to make. I haven’t surfed Trestles in a while, and HB sounds like a guarantee. Finally, we settle on Huntington. Stirring things up, I get a phone call from Cosmic John. He tells me he’s driving from San Fran to the OC tomorrow, and we should meet for lunch. Because of this I motion towards surfing in Newport because Cosmic will be in the area. Another major factor affecting this swell is the huge tidal swings. Low tide is around 0200, and high tide in the morning will be over six feet around 0900. Surfline warns its viewers of things being drowned out early, but I have the day off, and I haven’t surfed since Friday, so I’m optimistic that this risk is worth it.

            I wake up at 0500 and put on my wetsuit. I used to do this a while ago, and it’s a habit that I’m trying to pick up again; it saves time but sucks if you get skunked or have to take a shit before leaving the house. I load up the whip, and Francis shows up right at 0515. After crossloading his stuff, I get a text from Khang saying that he’s a little late. It’s no matter. The dark atmosphere lets me know that we have a lot of time before sunrise. 

            We’re on the road at about 0530. With only one board each, all of our equipment fits with room to spare. Usually a drive like this is drowsy, but our sense of energy and stoke for this dawn patrol keeps us awake and aware. We reach Newport in no time and find parking with ease. As soon as I step outside of my car I feel the wind blowing hard—bad sign. Francis has to piss, so I follow him to shore for a look at the water. I can’t make out the waves, but the ocean is definitely alive. I can make out the whitewater, and it sounds fast. The wind isn’t quite onshore but more sideshore from the north. So far for clean conditions. 

            Once we start our walk on the sand, the sun is giving signs of light behind the horizon. There is decent size, easy 4-5 ft. Unfortunately, the tide is already too high. I don’t know this spot well, but the first break we see has two big waves breaking on each side of the jetty, and its waves are breaking close to shore. Moving towards the next break, the shape isn’t holding at all. We are forced to surf where the crowd is. Surfers occupy both jetties, so we sit in the middle with a couple stragglers. Surfline’s right about the swell, but the early morning window just sucks from the tide. I let a couple waves go after they just explode on the sand. The smaller waves hold the shape a little better. I catch a couple closeouts to start things off. My first decent wave is a fast right. It’s walled, but holds shape before it crashes down. I try to do a critical top turn on the lip that’s folding, but by the time I stick the landing I’m over shallow water. I’m forced to bail; waves like these are dangerous. We’re all going through the same thing while watching both jetties. In particular, I keep watching the left. The set waves are refracting off the reef. The guys paddling into them either scratch out or can’t make the sections, but there are shoulders at the end that should be makeable somehow. On a smaller wave, I catch my first left. I have to pump on the low line to escape the crumbling section and make it to the shoulder. Once I do, I’m able to get one turn with a little tail slide to end the ride (Barney tail slide). I’ve been working hard on my frontside turns, and the feeling of arching my tail down with speed is still an unfamiliar but exciting sensation that I strive for every time. 

            The tide’s only getting worse, but the conditions are still manageable. Khang takes off to surf the right-hander off the jetty. Only one surfer remains by the left at the south jetty. Francis says, “I’m gonna check it out,” as he paddles away. I sit in the middle sharing waves with a couple groms. It’s almost 0900, and I wonder why these kids aren’t in school yet. 

            I join Francis at the left, and the other guy there leaves a little after I show up. The waves off the jetty aren’t that clean. It’s all about the refraction. The wave’s disagreement is evident, as the take off seems very fast with a section that already has a head start. I’ve always been uneasy surfing right next to piers or big rocks; it’s eerie to me. Also, the sight of the sets forming in the open ocean approaching the rocks gives me a sense of feeling trapped. In this case, I paddle out to the very tip and catch a set wave. It’s so fast. The refraction causes a great deal of white wash, and I’m almost submerged in foam while feeling for my board. Once I make it to my feet it’s a wild ride: the speed, the momentum, the sound of the crashing water all around me, and yet there’s still the open face that I’m trying to get to. I now know the challenges of the other guys I watched in the morning. I manage to draw a good line to avoid the spilling water, but I’m already near the shore before I can reach the shoulder. So these waves at the jetty are too fast for turns (especially for this Barney), but they’re still really fun. Khang paddles over and says, “I need to get in on some of this.” He says that the right at the other jetty was fast. 

            So for about an hour we have this left all to ourselves. A grom on a funboard joins us, but there are enough waves to keep the rotation flowing. I have to give the kid credit. He was probably only in middle school, and yet I know some grown ass adults that would opt to sit this one out. It’s about 1000 when a fresh crew of three surfers invades our area. Hmmmmm, the spot has waves, but I don’t really feel like competing for them. I tell the guys that I’m paddling back towards the middle, in which they follow my lead. “We milked that left for what it was worth,” says Khang. I concur. 

            Unfortunately, the next half hour is the tide’s max in height. The waves are breaking too close to shore. There are three groms cranking out some nice turns on the right, but we don’t want to invade their fun zone. I paddle around the north jetty to the next break, and the waves there are even worse. The fellas shift over to where I am, and then we end up walking back to our original break. Now it’s about 1100, and the tide is draining back out causing some very choppy conditions. Khang and Francis get their last waves while I struggle to get one that explodes on the sand. I can’t say that we’re exhausted. We hoped to score, but the conditions weren’t prime. However, we did make the best of it, so much that we invested four hours despite the backwash. We milked it, and it was worth it. 

            Back at the car I have a missed call. Cosmic John is in the area. He just got here literally as we were ending the session. I give him a ring, and he tells us to meet him at the café around the corner. Khang spots him first. He’s wearing a straw hat, shorts, t-shirts, some awesome shades, and he’s barefooted. I yell out at him, and he gives an enthusiastic double shaka and says, “Heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy!” We shake hands through the car, do a rough greeting, and introduce Francis while a couple cars have to drive around us. Cosmic introduces us to his young apprentice Jordan who’s come along on his drive from San Fran. We turn the car around to park while they have to walk the remainder. The scene is truly that of Master and apprentice. Despite the red light at the intersection, Cosmic John walks across paying no mind to the street. Meanwhile, Jordan stops abruptly, furiously hits the walk button then finally shuffles along to catch up with the Polarity Therapist. 

            In the café we congregate by the entrance to do proper greetings. I try to ensure that Cosmic gets a good intro with Francis, but that appears to be happening on its own will. I end up talking to Jordan a bit which somehow leads to a conversation about PC gaming and Battlefield 3. The two old Asian ladies at the register keep asking if we’re going to buy something, and it’s obvious that they’re perturbed. After we buy our sandwiches, we all sit and engage in some morning conversation. Cosmic gives me the details of his Philippines fundraiser event that’s happening next month in San Fran. I tell him that Lauren and I will be there, and he’s delighted to hear it. He says that Clay Marzo, Jamie Sterling, and Rusty Long will be there. He also tells us about some of the things to be raffled off like surfboards, a GoPro camera, and even two tickets to Fiji. I ask him about the area because I’d like to take Lauren out somewhere nice to eat, and he says, “Don’t worry, you’ll be eating with us.” His reply actually makes me nervous. I don’t do well around celebrities, but . . . if I never get out of my comfort zone I’ll never learn anything. 

            Breakfast ends with a positive vibe. Cosmic’s goodbyes are with hugs, firm handshakes, and huge smiles, embracing all of us as if he’s known us for years. Once the three of us are in the car to take off, Cosmic returns to drop off a little something from up north. His kindness and generosity blows our minds. He didn’t have to turn around, come back, and do that.

            During the drive home, Khang and Francis talk about trying to get the days off to make it to the fundraiser event. Cosmic’s energy is so positive it’s contagious. I’m happy to have a free spirit like that in my life and happy about how the day’s events lined up. If we surfed somewhere else the day would have ended on a different note.  I’m glad it ended on this one.