AN ATTEMPT, 16MAR2012

Location: HB

Crew: Fran-Sowce

Time: 0745-0945

Conditions: Gloomy, high to mid-tide, inconsistent, 4 FT, fast, pitchy, couple windows of good conditions.

     I wanted to surf HB on Wednesday, but I got too drunk the night before. I wanted to make up for it on Thursday, but my sister had me on uncle duty to take my niece to school. I am once again the king of doing favors for others. I am selfish with my time, and I missed Thursday’s last day for surfline’s “gold” rating. I’m not sure if my selfishness makes me a bad person or not, but I do these favors out of obligation.

     On Friday, my school’s surf club is having a beach day, so I plan on surfing HB in the morning and then cruising over there, but I get a text from Francis Thursday night. He asks if I want to surf HB and that he’ll drive. He already bought his one-way ticket back to Oahu, so I don’t have much time to spend with him. So what’s it gonna be? Go to a school social or hang out with one of my buddies?

     Francis pulls up at 0600 in front of my soon to be vacated apartment (God damn, I’m going to miss El Segundo). I throw my DMS board in the back, and we shove off. It’s a gloomy morning with sprinkles of rain tapping against the windshield. In HB, we can’t see any signs of wind, so it’s a good sign. We’re only half way to the water, and we can see explosions of white wash breaking the horizon, good sign number two. However, at the water’s edge, there are only a few heads at River Jetties and to our north. The conditions aren’t as clean as Tuesday. The inside is consistent with small, marble waves; the shape isn’t holding up very well, and it’s a little choppy. Surf syndrome (SS) kicks in. We know it doesn’t look good, but we don’t want to say it. 

 

     “Hey, it’s better than local,” says Francis. 

     He leads the way. Surprisingly, once we’re in the water the conditions are cleaner than how they looked from the shore. I duckdive a couple waves that have glassy shoulders. Francis draws first blood by catching a couple boggers.

     “Needs less water,” he says. He’s referencing the high tide.

     On his next wave, he gets two good turns going left. I only have a couple closers under my belt. “At least it’s not boring!” I say. Maybe I shouldn’t have though. The water goes dead, and we’re hit with a long lull.

     Almost fifteen minutes later, Francis motions for me to paddle further in with him. As we do, the inside waves start to get consistent. From there, some outside sets start coming in. I’m out of position for every one of them. Francis paddles late into one of the set waves going left.

     “I rode the foam the whole time,” he says. It hits me that he’s riding single fin this morning, so he’s dealing with a lot of speed. 

     Again, another lull. We start looking at our watches, wondering if we should call it. Just then, the conditions clean up. It might be from the lowering tide, but even the slight onshore wind stops. This morning still isn’t breaking like classic Huntington. Three different peaks break simultaneously with each onslaught of waves. Guys are backing out, and some are getting some decent carves. I finally catch a right that I get two sloppy turns on. 

     When the next lull hits, we decide not to wait much longer. I’m frustrated, wanting at least one solid ride to end the morning. Meanwhile, Francis is scooping water into the air and volleying them with his palm. His calm demeanor never ceases to amaze me. I wonder if he’s Jesus Christ, and then I make a comparison to him being the male, surfer version of Snow White. He’s just so easy going. I picture dolphins and seagulls congregating around him while he wears his signature smile. 

     We tell each other that we tried to make the best out of things; we can’t score all the time, and we have had our fair share of good days at HB. We head to our ritualistic spot for breakfast: BOB’S HAWAIIAN RESTAURANT.

Coconut syrup???

     Even though we got skunked, it’s a rare opportunity to cruise with Sowce on a Friday morning. He’ll be back on Oahu soon getting barreled out of his mind, and mornings like this will keep the foundation strong in our friendship. He will be missed. Also, Hawaiian-style breakfasts are THE BEST!