 |
| Surfing this again. |
Loc:
Manhattan Beach
Time:
0640-0935
Conditions:
2-3 FT windswell, scattered, fast, sectiony, short
Board:
6’0 Lost Mini Driver, quads
I’m going through East Java withdrawal
syndrome. . . I had forgot to mention that when I woke up to go to Jalama last
weekend, the first thought that came to mind was how I was so tired that I
wasn’t looking forward to riding my moped that early. What moped? I’m back
home.
This morning, the old ritual of loading up
my car and driving to Manhattan Beach just isn’t the same. Bri and I were
spoiled in Java. I mean, how easy was it? Wake up, put on some boardshorts,
strap the boards in the rack, start up the moped, and you’re at the point in
three minutes. After the first session, come back, shower up, eat breakfast,
nap or read, eat lunch, digest, repeat surf session, dinner.
Driving over the Chevron tanks by the smoke
stacks, I take a gander at Porto and see some clean windswell peaks coming in.
Still looks small, but based on the current surf forecast, I’m grateful to see
something out there. There’s a free parking spot on 45th, but I pass
and head to my local break to get my local card stamped.
Fridays are the worst for street parking,
but a space is open on the Thursday side. Score. The surf looks smaller here,
only a few people are trickling down through the strand to the shore. I figure
if I catch a few waves and say hi to some familiar faces that a paddle out here
will be worth it.
I brought the 6’0 Lost Mini Driver because
I was expecting the surf to be tiny, and I was hoping that this big board could
work as a semi groveler for me. Surprisingly, the low tide and windswell is
producing some punchy three-foot peaks, so I don’t even need this much board.
The water’s warm as I enter, and my 3/2
feels just right. With the surf consistent with the low tide, there’s a barrage
of inside waves to work through. I walk out as far as I can and get my first
duckdive in, the official welcome-back christening.
I’m not sure how pre-Java Donny Duckbutter
would have viewed this session. I bet he would have had a lot of fun. Call me
lame, but . . . it’s just so hard to get stoked here after my trip. There’s a
current pulling south, and I don’t have a problem paddling against it. I go on
the bigger waves and practice pulling in. On one, I get devoured whole before
the whole thing shuts down. The shape just doesn’t look carve worthy. All I can
really do is pump for distance.
Within the first half hour, Roy comes out.
He paddles up behind me, he asks how the trip was, and I give him the short
version: sand-bottom point, lefts, double session days, ate really well. Stocky
John’s out. Costco Kim, Toru, Vietnam Vet Mike, and a bunch of other regs are
out, too.
As the tide fills in more, the peaks start
lining up a little better. I get a check turn on a left and set up for a
finishing carve. With the quad setup on my Mini Driver, I push as hard as I can
on the tail, and then my fins just break loose and skip, and then I fall
backwards. Not sure if this is a good thing, but I just feel like I should’ve
brought a different board out.
Towards the end of the session the surf
gets soft, but it is still breaking. Now I’m burning up in my 3/2. For sure
need to make a run to Quik and get some new gear since I had donated all my
Hurley gear in Indo.
My whole session I surf like shit. I’d like
to say I’m at least trying. Roy is ripping. Ross, who is further north by 30th
street, is also getting hoots on his waves. I wonder how I used to feel so good
on this board before. I miss my brother’s 5’6 Dumpster Diver that I was using
in Indo. I have too much length right now. Something short and fat would do
well. Hopefully when I sample Klaude’s Neckbeard, I’ll be able to fill that
void.
Another void that will need time filling is
being back home. Even walking back to my car in the hot SoCal sun, surrounded
by pristine South Bay summer conditions, I still can’t help but shake my head a
little. This is surfing right now. Two handfuls of short windswell waves. I
don’t even feel I have the right to call myself a surfer. Give me one set wave
at Choco Point, and that would be better than the whole three hours spent here
this morning.
The routine of rinsing, drying off my
board, changing, and driving back home just doesn’t compare to the moped
experience. Although, it is nice to listen to the radio again.
Back then I used to walk out of the water
with Bri, look around at the Manhattan Beach homes, and comment on how lucky we
are to be here. I didn’t feel that way at all walking back to my car. I just
felt like I wanted to go back to Indo.
I know I sound like a spoiled asshole right
now. A whiner. Eh, I just need more time back home. Cali’s not Indo, and I had
a fun trip, so it’s really easy to miss long pointbreak lefts, three-turns
minimum. I need to be humble and appreciate what I have here.
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