Time: 0750-0850
Conditions: 1-2 FT, offshore, inconsistent.
Board: Zippi
Bri and I have this new routine where we’ll
dawn patrol the surf, but if the surf is shit then we’ll go for a run instead.
When we reach the Porto lot, there are scattered one-foot lines breaking over
the low tide. It’s definitely a run morning.
When we begin our run, Bri takes off in
front of me. I figure I’ll catch up to her later, but she leaves me in her dust
for about a mile. It’s when we’re about to make the right to get onto the
Manhattan Beach Pier that I catch up to her, but when we leave the pier, the left
turn back onto The Strand just shoots her through it like a boomerang. Yup. My girlfriend
runs faster than me.
She leaves for work, but I’m still stoked
at the idea of catching a wave or two, so I circle my cheap ass around for free
parking like I always do.
A few locals who I’ve talked to a couple of
times are watching the surf by the stairs. I walk past them with my blue Zippi
in hand. The tide’s already softening up the surf, not offering much for the
few beginners who are out.
My mission is to milk it. Even though it’s
small out, I know that I’ll catch something. My first wave bogs out, even on
the fish. There’s a little bit of backwash making things funky. Some of the
sections are racy, so I can only pump and mess around with some baby floaters.
One of the local guys on a longboard with
red trim paddles out. He has long hair and wears gloves, the kind with the
webbing that helps you paddle faster. I’ve seen him ripping it in front of the
tower before. Since I don’t want to compete with him, I paddle just a little
south towards 42nd.
A small wave comes my way. I turn and go,
and there are two Japanese groms standing in my way on the inside, so I pull
out. I shake my head at this. Behind me, I hear them speaking Japanese. Another
one sits off to my left, and then the other two corral me in. I don’t know what
it is about surfers from Japan, but they always seem to do this.
On this empty day, I’m ganged up on by
these groms. One of them watches me on his inside as I pop up on a left. I’m on
it first, but he still snakes me and goes anyway. “Fuck you!” I yell. Fuckin’
kids. Motherfuckers. How are they gonna snake me on an empty day when they can
sit anywhere else? I’ll give it to them, though. They’re good. They’re tiny, so
the small waves are maneuverable for them.
I don’t wait to see if he heard me because
he’s just a little shit. I don’t wanna be that guy blowing up on a kid. One of
his friends paddles further away though. I sense that he knows his friend is a
dick.
Just when things seem shitty, I paddle
south and catch a small two-foot wave. It lines up and gives an open rippable face.
I pump about three times and get one good wrap to end it. My stoke meter is
filled. Session done.
Leaving the water, again, it looks like the
surf is getting better. I could move my car from the street cleaning and pay
the meter for another hour, but I already feel fulfilled. Having put in a good
run this morning and caught a nice wave, and all by 0900, I think I’m ready to
carry on with the rest of my day.
Fuckin’ Japanese groms. . .
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