Loc: Manhattan
Beach
Crew: Shan,
Dais
Time:
1030-1315
Conditions:
2-4 FT, high tide, onshore, empty, consistent
It’s first light, and I’m sitting in my
car, watching the surf. I want to paddle out so bad, but the surf is terrible.
The onshore wind is strong, and the peaks are a bit sectiony. A half hour
later, the crowds clear out. Empty lineup.
#
It’s 1000 when I return from a haircut and
an oil change. The wind is not as bad, and the high tide has improved the
shape. The sun is out with only a few heads, and the surf is consistent.
I haven’t seen Shan since I cut my toe at
PV, and since he has an open schedule, he comes out to get a surf sesh
together.
It takes a little while to get to the
outside, as the inside is so consistent. I haven’t had a good paddle workout in
a while, so I’m a little winded making my way out.
Even though some fishes can be corky and
difficult to duckdive, this one isn’t much of a problem. Now Ross is out here
too, scoring the rights in front of the brick house. I want lefts.
The waves are walled at around four feet,
but if you’re lucky, all the way at the ends of them are makeable shoulders.
Anxious, I paddle for a left, but I’m too
deep, falling behind as the wave closes out. I get another left, only able to
pump to keep up with the section, unable to crank off any turns.
It’s only on one right that I’m able to get
two little checks off the lip. So far, this fish feels loose. Like it has the
benefit of getting into waves a little easier, but not too easy—I still have to
kick and scratch hard. But performance wise, the fish is more responsive than
expected, unfortunately leading me to the conclusion that this board doesn’t
have the volume nor the flat enough rocker to be the longboard substitute that
I’ve been looking for. What I now have in my quiver is a rippable fish.
Dais shows up, catching the last half hour
of the window before the onshores pick up again. Shan leaves, so does Ross, and
now Dais and I are the only ones out.
The surf gets choppy, and corners are hard
to come by. The inside waves, which are half the size, have better shape. We
trade off on some waves, lucky to get a turn. He shows me his brand new board,
Channel Islands’ Average Joe. It’s 5’6 and over twenty-one inches wide with an
assload of volume, a short board for small waves. Then it hits me . . . it’s
pretty much the board that I’ve been looking for.
We surf until we’re tired from duckdiving
so much and being pounded by the outside sets.
Back on the shore, the surf is completely
blown out. I feel like a fool for having been out there. I still need a good
day of surf to test out my fish further.
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