Loc: Palos
Verdes
Time:
0900-1200
Crew: Bri
Conditions:
1-3 FT, glassy, kelp infested, cool, clean.
There are a couple things going on.
First off, it’s spring break, but I still have an assload of homework to do.
Two, Bri has three days off, and after my last camping trip, I have to make
quality time for the little lady. Three, there is no surf, at least according
to Surfline.
We drive the coast on the way to PV,
glancing in between houses and streets, looking at the tiny, textured surf.
Every sense tells me that we’re due for a good skunking. Even Torrance Beach
looks like shit, and with PV around the bend, well, we pretty much know how the
conditions are going to be over there.
However, this very hour, to be here at this
very moment, is planned. The tide is about to bottom out, and with the tide
push, there is a chance that some cobble stone magic can happen.
As we pull up to park, there are some other
surf vehicles there—a good sign. It’s a little overcast and grey; the sun
hasn’t burnt through yet. We step off the trail for a little look. There are
just over a dozen surfers, and the surf, well . . . it looks small but
rideable. Best of all, while the other beaches are choppy and onshore, the cove
is providing some protection from the wind. Adding the kelp on the ocean’s
surface, the water’s conditions are super glassy.
I didn’t even bother packing my Motorboat
Too; I brought CC’s Zippi Fish that she let me borrow.
As I’ve said before, I don’t surf as much
as I used to because of school, and this morning, making that low tide,
cobblestone dance, and then paddling way out to the lineup, my delts were on
fire. The locals at the main peak just sort of watch and stare for a moment as
we secure our positions, and then they look away. There isn’t much to be
territorial about today, especially since it’s small. Besides, they are all on
longboarders, what kind of threat do I pose on a Zippi? We are also sitting
wide of them to the north.
With the tide still low, the waves come in
a little walled, but there is potential. They are just so clean, and even
though they aren’t even three feet, I’m able to connect some sections for some
long rides. It’s into the second hour, once the tide fills in a little, that
things begin to pick up.
Did I mention it is clean? God damn, it’s a
true score, to surf somewhere where the water is glassy, especially when the
whole South Bay looks like crap. Bri wipes out on about half of her waves, or
she pops up too slow, still using her knees. I try to silence the dickhead
within me. I’m just an impatient, shitty teacher, and I’ve learned a lot about
myself in surfing with Bri. Sometimes you have to just let go because if I go
into drill sergeant mode, then I could possibly kill her stoke, and that’s not
what I want. She does get some quality waves too though, and every time she
paddles out she gets a little bit better.
Despite being entangled in kelp and having our
fins run them over, losing momentum, the rides are really long. How shall I
describe it? It’s just cold and glassy, so glassy like even the fish aren’t
moving; the ocean is just so still. So when these waves come in, they just
break so clean. I do nothing critical, but trim the fish, play around with the
different lines, practicing some slow front side cut backs, and just standing
tall and looking down on the shoulder forming in front of me. I manage to walk
the nose on a couple of rides, turning around and ending up regular foot before
falling.
My best ride is one of the few three
footers that roll through. On this Zippi I’m unstoppable. It’s way too big for
me. I could easily use the same thickness and go down 5’7 at least and still
have enough volume. I catch one of the biggest lefts of the day (which again is
not that big), and being on this Zippi is like driving an SUV on the freeway; I
just feel higher. As the section is about to close in front of me, I climb the face,
attempt a floater, and drop back into the wave with more momentum. I finish the
ride with a finishing carve, all the way on the inside. Mind you, this was a
slow wave, but . . . hey, surfing is all about fun, right? I was stoked after
that wave and for the few I caught after.
The sun comes out, and now my piss-filled wetsuit
is turning my piss and ball juice into stew; it’s time to go.
We head to the best Chinese Restaurant in
the South Bay and experiment by ordering the salt and peppered pork chops,
which is officially now my new favorite dish at Seafood Town. Sorry, Beef Chow
Fun, you take the back seat now.
Splurging is good, but to splurge after an
exhaustive, long, three-hour surf session? I feel the salty fat after each bite
crunch and dissolve, and then I stuff my mouth with some rice. Salt and
peppered pork chops, the now official ritual after surfing PV from now on. Not
a bad to score like this on a day when there isn’t supposed to be surf.
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