Loc: North
Churches to Middle Trestles
Crew: Bri
Time:
1000-1245
Conditions:
2-3 FT, sunny, warm, glassy, consistent, soft
Call it my compulsiveness, but Bri and I
are driving down to Oceanside to check out a fish that’s on sale on Craigslist.
I should be doing homework, as I have a story due on Thursday, but here I am,
going on a gut feeling.
The guy is asking for $100 for the board
and $60 for the fins. I’m not much of a bargainer, so we’ll see how it goes.
As far as swell, the South Bay is bigger,
but I have to jump on this opportunity right now. I missed out on another
purchase a week ago, so timing is important.
I pull into Del Taco where Jeff, the
seller, pulls in seconds afterwards. If there’s such thing as a surfing
caveman, it’s him. Wearing glasses and a hat over his leathered and weathered,
tanned face, tubble sticks out from cheeks and chin. His hand feels like a
glove as I shake it.
He lowers his tailgate, revealing the
board. It’s the fish design that I’ve been looking for, not hybrid shape but
classic fish with a swallow tail. The board’s a 6’0, big for a fish, but I’m
going bigger because my intention is to obtain a small-wave board for my
quiver. Surprisingly, the board looks smaller than 6’0, not the gargantuan
stick I was expecting.
Jeff goes on, telling me about how he surfs
other spots down south with limited access, and I no doubt believe him, but as
much as I’d like to hear his story, I’m only paying attention to the board.
A year ago, I probably wouldn’t know what
to look for upon inspection. Today, I’m no expert, but a surfer’s common sense
is all I need. I feel the lamination over the black-and-white, checkerboard
deck. It’s not water logged. I inspect every inch of the board, past repairs,
pressure dings. I notice a small chip on the nose where water can get in.
“I put a little finger of putty on there,”
says Jeff.
It’s not there now, but . . . for a
hundred-dollar board, I can’t expect flawlessness. The twin fins are Futures,
the K2 keels, made for a classic ride. I’m no fin expert, but I researched them
online. These are in excellent condition, anywhere between seventy and eighty
bucks brand new.
“Will you take one forty?” I say.
The Test:
We stop in Oceanside, but the tide is a bit
high, making the surf a little sectiony and gutless, so we backtrack up north
and check out Churches.
The waves are decent but inconsistent on
the high tide. A pack of longboarders already rule the main peak, so we wait.
At about 1000, we paddle out at North
Churches, but right now it’s a no man’s land—the peak to the south and a little
north are working better. In other words, we’re in the channel. There’s a crowd
on both sides on this President’s Day Monday. Not overcrowded but crowded
enough for inconsistent surf.
But these are the first shifters that have
probably been here since first light. One by one they begin to leave, opening
the gate for Bri and me.
So my initial waves are rights. What was I
expecting on this fish? I really wanted something similar to Rick’s Zippifish—super
buoyant, voluminous, paddles into anything. But as I catch the right on my new
purchase, I feel like I’m lacking the volume to instantly propel me down the line,
but the twenty-one inch width near the nose gives me such a stable platform
that I can finally walk up to the front of the board and ride that section of
it.
The waves are soft today, with shape that
caters to a longboard, three-feet and lined but holding. I wouldn’t want to be
on any of my other boards right now, save for the NSP that Bri is on.
I have some trouble setting up for a
backhand hack, as the board feels a little skatey and loose. I haven’t ridden a
twin fin in a while.
But when I finally get a solid, three-foot
left, I’m shocked at how responsive the board is as I pump. I pull off a legit,
wrap-around cutback and stall in the pocket upon redirecting myself. Using the
wide nose again, I walk down on it to regain entry, dropping into the face of
the wave.
From here, we paddle over towards Middles.
With the tide dropping, the surf is getting much more consistent, but the peaks
are still favorable for longboards—a little weak but still with potential for
long distance.
And the rest of the session is spent
gliding down rights. Instead of forcing the turns, I pop up, walk the board,
and choose a highline, staying close to the spill of the wave. I love the
feeling of surfing stress free, no expectations, just cruising down the line
relaxed. I even put my hands behind my back and sink into my stance. Unlike the
Zippi, this fish isn’t propelling me down the line, but it still stays on
track, keeping me where I need to be. Riding the waves, I’m high up on the
line, watching the endless shoulders form before me, never too far ahead and
never behind.
So we surf for about three hours. Bri
agrees that the surf was fun but a little gutless. As much fun as my initial
session with this fish was, I really want to test it out in punchier surf. I
can’t wait to take it to El Porto.
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