HIGH TIDE PORTO, MON 03MAR2014

Loc: El Porto (45^th St.)

Time: 0800-100

Conditions: 5 FT, mid-to-high tide, consistent

Swell of the Year:

     Yes, as everyone knows by now, that last big swell was effing crazy. Also (let me be humble and honest), I was one of the many who did not paddle out. There are tons of excuses, but don’t let me bore you with those.

     I had surfed Friday at PV when the swell was building, Saturday was out of the question (at least to me) with all the rain, and then I went to meet Rick on Sunday at Porto for a look. I had originally planned to go to PV, but I wanted to say hi to Rick.

     And there we stood, Rick, me, and two other guys. The parking lot was empty, the sky gray, and the water was pure chaos. Peaks breaking on peaks, the furthest out I’ve ever seen. Not one soul was out. I could’ve left for PV, but Rick insisted that we go to the rocks for a closer look. By the time we were done, Rick suggested going to Torrance Beach, but I was already over it. In my mind, my window of surf was over. I needed to get back to my homework.

When the swell dies:

     When the swell begins to taper off and get smaller, everyone comes out of the woodwork, including me. I woke up late, so Porto seemed like the best call.

     I arrived to a beautiful and semi crowded morning. The tide was going from mid to high, which made the peaks softer and inconsequential. There was still some decent size at five feet.

     Of course, I went with the fish. Why? Let me rewind . . .

     A few weeks ago, I pulled out all my boards from the garage and took a close look at their dimensions. I even took off the fins and set the boards on my table, comparing the rockers on each one, and then I had an epiphany: I haven’t been taking advantage of my quiver. My Lost Mini Driver should be for head-high-plus days. The Tokoro I have should be for playful, waist to shoulder high surf, but for peaks that stand up more during a low tide (HB peaks come to mind). My Motorboat Too has been neglected for months. Poor Motorboat, I haven’t used it since I came back from Java last summer. I went online to research once more what this board is meant for: mooshy, small, but rippable surf. Perhaps a good, three-foot day at Trestles. And the fish I just bought on Craigslist turns out to have a lot of rocker. At six feet, it’s still my go to board for big, fat peaks.

     So I paddled out on my fish, a long paddle out. Again I felt out of shape, rear delts burning. The lineup didn’t look crowded from the parking lot, but a lot of other people paddled out with me.

     In the lineup, I saw and greeted two other guys who were just watching it with me and Rick yesterday.

(switching to present tense)

     Feeling like I have the right board for the day, I take a look around. At least 75% of the surfers in the lineup are on potato-chip shortboards, so I’m hoping I’ll have a good advantage over them. But there are other guys on thicker, short, hybrid boards too.

     My first wave is a right, and the peak is so fat that it takes a while for me to set up perfectly for a turn. The shoulder is short, so I practice my backside cutback, but I lose the wave when I rebound off the lip. I’m realizing that the only successful, legit cutbacks I’ve ever done were at PV and Trestles, so my rail-to-rail surfing at beach breaks sucks.

     As the tide gets higher, the surf gets softer. I watch guys on their shortboards scratching for waves, getting left behind with their defeated strokes.

     But I can’t brag myself. I’m getting a good wave count, but not all of my waves are lining up right. I want the lefts, but the rights are working better.

     To end my session, I get a set-wave right. I trim until I’m almost towards the inside, and that’s when the shoulder stands up more. On this wide and fat fish, I draw a quick bottom turn and try to snap the lip. I say “try” because this fish does not “snap.” Too much board, but it still feels fluid and graceful as I disrupt the wave’s face, throwing some water out the back. I connect a second turn. On the last rippable section, I’m already on shallow water, so I bail.

     It’s the perfect way to end a session. Two solid turns on a board I’m breaking in.

     I need to get back to my studies, but from the parking lot the surf still looks good. Despite the tide push, there are peaks everywhere, even in front of the tanks. As much as I’d love to surf for another hour, my priorities call. Time to go to the library and spend the rest of the day with my laptop, but I’m glad that I at least caught it for a couple of hours.