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| I couldn't even surf until dark, but I came close. |
Loc: San
Onofre, Churches, and Trestles
Crew: Khang
Conditions:
overcast, glassy, 3-4 FT+, inconsistent
I wake up at 0439 with only four hours of
sleep. The plan is for Khang to meet me at my place by 0500 so we can convoy
together. After brushing my teeth, I shoot him a text. He’s not going to make
it on time.
My car is already preloaded with all my
goodies, so I make myself a cup of coffee, kiss Bri, and head out the door. The
clock reads 0502 at the start of the engine, and it’s sixty-eight degrees
already. It’s proving to be a warm summer so far.
It’s nice being up this early for the
thrill of a legit dawn patrol. I have a long drive to San Onofre, and I hope to
be in the water within the hour.
When I reach Churches, I give Khang a call.
He’s still at home.
Surfline had pumped this swell up to be a
good one, literally fair-to-good conditions according to them. Even
Magicseaweed had a forecast of four-to-six feet for the morning. However, the
surf isn’t macking like I had expected. There are only a few heads out, and the
lullometer is all the way in the red because everyone is just sitting and
waiting. The gray, overcast sky doesn’t help. Some people park next to me, get
out to check the surf, and then leave. A set approaches, and it looks decent.
Easily three-to-four feet. I whip out the Motorboat Too and anticipate some
powerful backhand snaps.
In my 3/2, the water feels warm, even
though it’s barely past six in the morning. A pack of surfers sit at the top of
the wave while a scant line of surfers sit at the last peak on the southern
end. I sit in between. Lines start coming in from the outside, sectiony and
walled from corner to corner, stretching across the whole break. The set waves
are big, a legit five feet. Surfline was right about the size but not about the
quality. Plenty of surfers paddle for waves, but the waves are so wide that
they can’t get around them. I try to get down the line too, but I keep falling
behind.
I go in and swap out my Futures Black
Sticks for Khang’s AM2’s, a bigger set of fins. Upon returning to the lineup, I
feel how the board has more drive. I’m able to crank some single-turn rides,
feeling more rooted and more grip at the top of my snap.
I haven’t had a watch for a few days now,
so I don’t know what time it is when Khang shows up. All I know is that the
tide went from low to mid already, and the extra water has brought on another
massive lull. Sets still show, fewer and far between, but when they do, they
have some size and power. Khang and I trade off waves until about 1100.
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| My favorite San Clemente spot for post-surf fuel--La Tiendita. Khang opts for the torta. |
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| Khang told the lady that I had just graduated, and she hooked us up for four more donuts for free. |
#
After lunch, we come back and chill in
front of Churches. The sun’s burnt off the marine layer, turning the day sunny
and bright. Even the air is hot, so hot that Khang braves the conditions by
trunking it. He suggests I do the same, but I refrain and use my torn 2/2
short-sleeve full. Upon paddling out, I’m burning up. Around us, guys are in
full suits and booties.
Khang decides to paddle towards the main
pack, but I remain in the middle of the wave. With the tide going low to high
again, the afternoon is much more consistent than it was this morning. I
connect two-turns on each wave, even passing up some to make sure the guys at
the bottom of the wave get theirs. I can see Khang paddling for waves, but it’s
so crowded where he is. He has to compete with so many longboarders. Even a
grom snakes him on a good right.
At about 1700, the incoming tide brings in
another lull. It also brings in the cloud cover just like this morning.
After saying my goodbyes to Khang, I head
to Old Mans and paddle out. I expect the surf here to be much better than
Churches. It’s consistent, but the waves are so soft that I can’t get into
them. I even sit deep and still no. Other longboarders stare at me. I’m the only
shortborder. Meanwhile, the longboarders are killing it. Maybe if I had my fish
I’d have a chance, but I don’t, so I do the “paddle of shame” in.
I skip Churches this time and head straight
to Middles. The plan is to surf Lowers when the sun goes down, but Middles has
some decent peaks working here too. The crowd here is sparse, so I barely have
to pass any waves up. For a change I get lefts. They’re not long, but the
sections stand up. I pump and set up for one nasty carve. I feel so strong on
my frontside turns that I’ll put my Layback Snap on the shelf for a while. It
might be too early to start doing that. I’m probably not ready.
I suffer a tremendous wipeout, purling on a
right and landing into a thick mass of kelp. I’m so entangled that I have to
take the next wave on the head.
I feel the length of the day finally come
over me. Because of the long days, the evening/afternoon session lasts forever.
There’s still some daylight left when I get back to my car, but I punch out.
I’m done.
#
After dinner, I walk to the empty bathrooms
and brush my teeth with only the sound of my toothbrush bristles breaking the
silence. I miss my warm bed. I miss my woman. I miss my friends. I miss hot
showers and dry feet, clean of any sand. I miss my tiny studio apartment. But
being out here, car-camping it, I learn to appreciate everything I have at home
and home itself. I love surfing, but I’m still incomplete and unbalanced, and
I’ll keep myself away from home for a night just because I miss it so much. I
walk back to my car with the cool ocean air on my face and arms, the only sound
now the rustling of leaves and the rubber from my slippers. Being truly alone
sometimes can be healthy too. There’s no bullshit out here, just me paying
attention to my quiet thoughts and letting my mind function freely.
My wetsuits are hanging outside next to my
car. My sleeping bag and pillow are laid out. My right hip and lower back ache
from today’s purls and wipeouts. Even though I miss home, I know that when this
trip is over, I’ll look forward to doing it again.
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| Biggie's Burgers in San Clemente. Burger combo with drink is under $8. I'll be back. |
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| Five-star accomodations |
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