BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER: Oh, the frustration when swells don’t deliver.

Photo courtesy of Hideki Ueha. Check out his website on my blog list. This pic was taken during the Labor Day swell, which didn't hold good shape. 

     When it’s flat out, I wish for size. Anything, even a closeout will do, but sometimes you get what you ask for.

     Now let’s talk recipe. In other words, every surfer has his/her own recipe/break that he goes to, depending on certain conditions. Windswell, I’m glad to stay local in the South Bay, thank you very much. Windswell gets peaky here, scattered, rippable, and I love it. But how about when it’s closed out and racy? Palos Verdes is my local choice. However, the all time, risk-free no brainer for me, my overall go-to spot no matter what is always Churches, basically the Trestles/San Onofre area. Unfortunately, sometimes the recipe doesn’t work.

     During the Labor Day weekend there was a juicy swell on tap at Trestles, but goddam was it section on section with just too much size for it to hold shape. In the South Bay, the weekend before last, the wraparound ground swell from the south even came in too directly. Mind you, yes, I did see guys getting barrels at the Marine Avenue Tower, but most of the waves were still closing out.

So deceiving to pull up seeing this. 09OCT had decent size swell on tap. Frothing in my car, I rushed the surf only to paddle out into closed-out conditions. 

     This morning, even with a new swell on tap, the waves were dumpy on the inside once again. When you check out the surf forecast and see swell on the horizon, you should be stoked. In this case, as of late, I’d be more stoked to see some two-to-three foot days because I know there’ll be better shape.

This morning's lack of shape at 26th Street. 

     At the same time, just because my recipe isn’t working, it doesn’t mean that someone else’s isn’t. I haven’t been to The Cove in a long time. Have those guys been scoring? I never surf north. Has Rincon been working with some of the westerly angled souths we’ve been getting, and then there’s Malibu and County Line. How’s Venice been?

     For me, “bigger” hasn’t been working. I’m desperate and feening for some rippable shoulders, or if the surf’s heavy, how about some caverns that offer room for a scathing exit.

     I’ll just have to be patient. All things pass. Eventually, my recipe will be spot on again. What’s your recipe?

Session Tracker:

Sat, 03OCT, 26^th St.

Thu, 08OCT, 26^th St.

Fri, 09OCT, Churches/Middle Trestles

Sat, 10OCT, 26^th St.

Sun, 11OCT, 26^th St.

Mon, 12OCT, 26^th St.

Wed, 14OCT, 26^th St.

Mon, 19OCT, 26^th St.

A LAST REFLECTION ON THE KADOWAKI ROCKET: How Changing Fin Setups Can Help

If you live in the South Bay, somehow someway, you will find yourself back to this place. 

     Had I given up on the Rocket too quickly? On Thursday, Oct. 1^st, I decided to take a chance on Porto again, since I had had a decent session at 45^th on Tuesday. I had planned on going back to my Motorboat Too, but I opened my trunk to find that I had a senile moment while packing my car the night before because I had forgotten to bring it, but I did have the Rocket with the FCS JF-1 Thruster setup already screwed in there.

As far as SoCal, the JF-1 fins work well. 

     Even though the surf forecast didn’t call for decent surf, the lineup was much more crowded than Tuesday, and a lot of noobs were present. A Team Costco rider had nearly ran me over. I knew it, just seeing the look in his eye that said, “I have no idea how to turn. Insider beware, I will go straight.”

     Luckily, he ate shit as the wave pitched, and his board was too far in front of me to be a hazard. When he resurfaced, he gave me that kookish smile that indicated he had no idea what kind of threat he actually posed to those around him.

     The surf wasn’t big, but the inside was consistent. I was surprised to see how many local regulars were ditching their boards, but the consistency was a Godsend. Within a half hour, half the lineup left. It was just the 45^th Street usual suspects: Surfing Santa, the longboarder guy who’s a high school teacher, that longhaired longboarder who likes to use those paddle-assist gloves (really, I think this guy’s a decent surfer and doesn’t need them).

     Going back to volume, the Rocket had me paddling into waves with ease, but the difference this time was the extra pivot I had with the thruster setup. I did feel the loss of speed when driving down the line, but going left I actually went rail-to-rail on a wrap. Backhand right, I finally got that solid snap that I had been feening for.

     I surfed for about an hour and a half and called it a morning when the tide slowed things down. I was stoked. Changing out fins setups can really change your surfing experience. That being said, I have more appreciation for this board. Still a bit too much volume for me, but with thrusters it’s definitely more rippable.

     If you’re curious about volume recommendations for your ability and body type, check out this useful link from Channel Islands.

http://vol-app.com/ChannelIslands/

I moved my car into the main lot just to get a shot of this. It's funny how people give you that look like, "You're late," but I had already surfed?! Anyway, another successful go out for local surf. Windswells are just great here in comparison to the wrap-around energy from the south swells. 

Session Tracker:

01OCT, Thursday, El Porto, 45^th St., playful windswell, consistent, wave buffet.

02OCT, Friday, El Porto, 42^nd St., solid windswell, 3-4FT, crowded, got bitched out by Manny A. for “not going” even though he fucking back paddled me. I just didn’t want to snake him.

03OCT, Saturday, Manhattan Beach, 26^th Street, playful windswell, dumpy, uncrowded due to marathon, blew a perfect wave on my MB Too, could have used my standard short.

THE MAGIC NUMBER: How much volume does your board really need?

When you're broke and can't buy custom, you're lucky to have friends who can. 

     I’m sure you’ve been there yourself at one time or another, or maybe you’ve seen someone else on the wrong board. Think back to that tiny day of surf when you saw that one guy struggling on a potato chip, unable to paddle into waves. For me, I recall ten years ago, asking my brother to let me borrow his shortboards. Oh, what patience he must’ve had not to give me a surf lecture. Instead, he just smirked, and handed over a 6’0” C.I. board. If that smirk could have talked…

     So I went to the beach, paddled out at the tanks at Porto, and just kept getting pitched over and over again. Perhaps that was a different case of using the wrong board for my experience level, but it still relates to how much volume we actually need per the conditions as well as our experience levels. After struggling on my Motorboat Too, which has the following dimensions: 5’9,    19 ¼, 2 3/8 @ 27.9 L, I wanted to sample something with a little more meat, so I borrowed Klaude’s Don Kadowaki shaped Rocket.

Not the most classic of conditions, but at least it's something. Churches not faring so well on the high tide. 

     On Thursday, Sept. 24^th, I went to Churches to catch a short-period south swell. I was stoked to see energy in the water, but the tide was already about to top out, despite getting there by 0700. The surf was about 4FT, decent Motorboat Too conditions, but I was so eager to try the Rocket that I plucked that board out from the two, which is 5’8, 19 ½, 2 11/16. I don’t know how many liters it has, but I’d guess it to be at 30.

A major must-have for me for soft and small days: quads

Let the Rocket trials begin...

     I fluctuate between 160 – 165 lbs., so immediately upon duck diving the first set, I was caught off guard with how corky the Rocket is. It reminded me of a few Zippi Fishes that I had sampled in the past. Aside from getting worked a little, I made it out to my favorite peak at North Churches and caught a few waves. The thick rails were hard to get used to at first. My turns were a bit sluggish, and I lacked that snappier release that I get with my other boards. On a positive note, I was popping up and getting into waves with ease. If anything, I was able to get down the line on it with minimum effort, but I felt like I just had too much board.

     In the afternoon, I swapped back to the Motorboat Too. The conditions had deteriorated, but the size was still there. In the choppy conditions, I felt much more comfortable on my older board.

I got impatient waiting for a set, so I just went ahead and snapped a pic. Not only does the weather look hot, but it was just as worse as the heat in the South Bay. #merciless. Summer, you're kicking me ass. Are you ready for wetsuits yet?

How can I not try my hand at freelancing when I have beach access like this? Who needs a million-dollar home at the beach?

 

Tried a different sushi spot, Sake 2 Me in Cerritos. 

    This test run wasn’t given in the most ideal conditions, though. I’m looking for a board that will work in 1-2 FT surf, and that Thursday just had too much size.

     Over the weekend, I switched between both boards respectively. The Saturday session was small and inconsistent, so it didn’t count because the surf was that inactive. On Sunday, the shape was better and the surf more consistent. On the Rocket, I still got down the line well and landed a bunch of floaters, but I still had a hard time adjusting to the thickness of the rails on my turns.

45th Street. Back to my roots. Don't you love the wind swells here? Usually a something-for-nothing trade off. 

     This morning I paddled back to Porto and surfed 45^th. There was a small windswell with scattered peaks. Even though the surf looked like crap from the hill, I was pleasantly met with a barrage of good waves. The session became a wave buffet.

     I had planned to be a lone wolf and keep to myself, but I was so stoked that I even had to talk to Mark AKA Surfing Santa who’s been surfing here as long as I can remember.

     “You’re getting into a lot of waves for being on a shortboard,” he said.

     And he was right. I somehow managed to be in position for some 3FT rights. Just like the prior days, I got down the line no problem, but even on the open faces where I’d usually crank a bank-hand snap, the board, once again, bogged down on the turns. My snaps off the top were weak; I was tossing out thimbles.

     Now I’m not knocking the board. Don’s the man, the King of 26^th Street, and everyone in the South Bay knows that, but I just think the dimensions are wrong for me. I wish I could sample this board just a hair wider at 19 ¾, an inch or two shorter, and no thicker than 2 ½ inches. I’m not sure how many liters that would come down to, but I’d like to guess that 29 would be my magic number for a groveler.

     Until then, I’ll still be on the Motorboat Too. Regrets? If I could order this board again, another liter would help, and I’d want a five-fin setup, which I really feel like I’m missing out on, especially on the mooshier days. Craigslist here I come. I’ll be on the lookout for another groveler candidate. Dumpster Diver, where are you?

Sessions Tracked:

Churches-9/24: 3-4FT

26^th Street-9/25,26: 1-3FT

El Porto 45^th St.-9/29: 1-3FT, hot, consistent, red tide

I can't praise San Clemente Public Library enough. Without their excellent facility and free wifi, I'd be forced to sit inside a Starbucks. I'm truly blessed to have freelance work that allows me the opportunity to work where the surf is. Always grateful. 

WED 23SEPT2015

Loc: Manhattan Beach, 26^th Street

Time: 0800-0910      

Crew: Bri

Conditions: 1-3 FT, variable wind, high tide, backwashy

Board: Motorboat Too

     What the fuck? I know that the primary swell is from the south, but how about a little wrap-around energy? I should have known it was a bad sign when barely any of the regulars were out. I spotted Oscar south of the tower, and so was the guy who had run over Bri one time. He was on his Costco foamie. I didn’t want to surf by him, so I moved us in front of the brick house.

     That one short stocky dude who helps coach the surf team was doing well on his funboard. Foam, maybe that’s what I needed. Even Bri struggled on her Hopper, which is blessed with volume.

     After a wave, she came back and said, “I just noticed this now.” She pointed to her deck. A line was going across the nose. The deck had a slight crack in it. It was flexed. “I think I nosedived it inside.”

     “You mean purled,” I said.

     One of the set waves was worthy for a pull in. It closed out from the backwash, but it was fun just to get gobbled by a wave that size.

     A squad of grom bodyboarders paddled out. I caught a left, a good one, and one of the kids was standing right in my line, filming me with his GoPro, so I had to kick out.

     “My bad!” he said.

     Last wave to go in, I wasn’t expecting much, but I paddled into a right that actually had a shoulder, at least a single hitter, but I didn’t even get a chance to wind up for the snap because my fiancé snaked me. Fuckin’ A. I guess that’s what marriage is about, letting someone snake you on your wave.