OUT OF TUNE, TUE 30JUN2015

Loc: Manhattan Beach, 30^th Street

Time: 0640-0830

Crew: Bri

Conditions: 2-3 Occasional 4 FT, consistent, crowded.

     There’s a left by Marine Avenue that’s working, as well as a peak in front of tower 26^th. The waves are breaking in the same place, which will make things difficult because some longboarders are sitting right on it. Even though the faces are familiar, I’d rather not have to battle it out, especially after the difficult time I had here on Sunday.

     Bri and I paddle in front of the brickhouse, but more people show up, so we paddle further north.

     There’s an older bald guy on a blue fish that’s doing well in front of the 30^th Street Tower. I hate sitting on people, but, not only is his spot good, it’s the most vacant compared to the other breaks. With patience, I wait for him to catch a right before moving into his area. As soon as he does, an outside wave pops up. The surf has only been three feet, but this roguer is a solid four. I have to duckdive the lip. A couple guys hoot. Don K. paddles over towards me with an ear-to-ear smile. “This is the spot,” I say.

#

     Unfortunately, the rest of the session is hard to remember. I recall peaks. Baldy on the blue fish was pulling a conveyor belt action, catching wave after wave, the good ones, too. I struggled. Almost all my waves were sectioning out and racy. I pulled in on my backhand a lot, expecting the pinch. On one, my line was too high. I saw the curl was lower on the face, so I got pitched when the lip curled, awkward wipeout. There was a set right though, and I believe I got one snap, my claim to fame.

     Bri was doing so friggin’ well. I swear, all the smaller waves had good shape, and she and that Becker Board were just in tune, catching long rides to shore.

     Don came over and, of course, caught some good ones. He asked me if the guy on the blue board snaked me. I said no. He said something else, but I didn’t understand because I had my earplugs in. I took them out and said, “Did you just say that guy snaked you?”

     “Yeah,” said Don. “I was wondering if he was doing that on purpose. There was pause. Both of us bobbed in the water. Don peered out into the open sea before speaking again. “Because it looked like he knew how to surf,” he added.