Loc: 45th St., El Porto
Time: 1000-1100
Conditions: very, very light texture, 2-3 ft.,
uncrowded, consistent, decent shape
Board: Skipper
With
the news pumping up abundant offshore winds and red flag warnings, I had a
feeling that the wind would be prime for whatever surf the South Bay had on
tap. Of course, there are the people to consider who will/are affected by the
wildfires to come from these red flag warnings and conditions. My condolences
go out to them, but here in El Segundo life can’t stop for me, so I’m going to
hit the beach like I try to do as much as possible.
High
tide can be a bitch. It’s right smack dab around 0800, so the decision has to
be made to either go at first light to catch it on the upswing or after high
tide to catch it going down. Habitually, my body is more prone to wake up well
rested around 0700, which works out because that’s when my wife wakes up, and
I’ll also have about seven hours of sleep, which is awesome for me.
I
scored parking at my usual spot. As much as I’d rather surf Rosecrans or even
26th St. to see all the locals I know, it’s hard to beat free, easy,
prime parking. I’ve also come to realize over the years that sometimes you have
to lone wolf it. I can’t organize my surf schedule around other people. I miss
some of my buds, but I have to also hit it in a fashion that’s convenient for
me.
I
couldn’t exactly tell what the surf was doing. I had brought my Puddle Jumper
with me, but I opted to go with the Skipper. One, because the Skipper is fun,
and two because if it just happens to be too small or even dumpy, I’ll still be
able to catch waves on it.
Once
I made my way into the El Porto parking lot, everything was just so wide open.
Not the parking, necessarily, but the sky. It was just so blue without a cloud in
it. Also, the heat coming from the offshores just made the air feel stale, like
the desert meeting the ocean. I know that description sounds dreary, but it’s
not, not with the cool ocean right there. For 1000 the conditions were freaking
awesome. There was only a light texture on the water, but even better were the
waves. Sure, they weren’t big, maybe consistently two feet, but there was
actually shape.
Typically,
42nd was packed, but over by the rocks I made my stand. With only a
few people out I was able to scrape into everything I went for. No mini barrels
today, but I was getting down the line easily. Actually, I struggled in a major
category—turns! I should’ve busted out the Puddle Jumper. That was my bad. I had
so many rights that were perfect setups for single-hit backhand snaps, and
going rail-to-rail on the skipper is not easy. Those full rails just make it
hard. So, even with open canvases there wasn’t much I could do.
A guy
paddled up to me and said, “Man, what is that you’re on? A Beater?”
I explained
that it was the Skipper and that it’s fun but I can’t turn on it.
“Well
you’re still making it look fun,” he said.
And
that’s how the rest of the session went. I was barely out for an hour, and I had
such a good fill that it was all I needed.
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