Time: 0800-1000
Conditions: offshore, consistent, 3 Ft.
Board: Catch Surf Skipper
Just
call it a hunch, but if the forecast is calling for a slight bump in WNW
windswell with a few south swell reinforcements, I bet on a fun local session
this morning.
Everything
was prepacked the night before, and even though I had planned on waking up at
first light, it just didn’t happen. I woke up with the wife at about 0700, made
her coffee, drank some water, gave her a kiss, and headed towards Porto.
Already
at 0730 my secret parking spots were gone. Also, Tuesday is street cleaning on
Highland Ave., so street parking was super scarce. I cruised past 26th
St. and got a glimpse of a set coming through. It looked like it was dumpy
around three-to-four feet; it looked…fun. There was a pulse. There was a pulse
of surf, and…I…was…not…ON IT!
The search
for parking became desperate. I found two spots on the hill, but some
constructions workers literally beat me to them seconds before I arrived. I was
pissed. I even honked my horn and threw my arms up in their direction.
After
trying to calm myself down, I focused on more parking. I kept missing and
missing and missing, and then…FUCK YES. PARKING!!!
I tried
to calm down, to tell myself to take my time. The hardest part of the morning
was over. I needed to breathe, relax, put on my sunscreen at a normal pace, and
just change into my wetsuit without being over eager. I was like a Soldier
fresh from deployment who hadn’t been with a woman in a year who was about to
get the pussy.
The
wait was excruciating, but I finally grabbed the skipper and locked my car. Could
you imagine if I lived in Hawaii? No wetsuits. It would be so much faster and
easier.
Now I
needed to make a clutch decision. I was right by Tower 34. Should I walk
towards 30th St. Tower to see some of the locals I haven’t seen in a
while or walk closer to Rosecrans where some of my other friends like to surf?
Waves
were coming in everywhere, but they looked a little fast, sectiony, and dumpy, especially
right out front. One surfer was already there, and he hadn’t sold any of his
rides. For whatever reason, I decided to just paddle out right there. At this
point of my surfing life, I can’t adjust my life and schedule to everyone else.
Of course, for planned occasions, yes, but just on the everyday sesh? No.
I
chose the Skipper because I had a feeling that today’s waves would be more for
pulling in, and I wasn’t wrong. The waves were fast and just a little hollow
because high tide hadn’t kicked in yet. It was barrel practice day.
I just
kept pulling in, channeling my inner Mason Ho. Over and over again I was
getting glimpses of the tube. On one solid pinch I even had both hands out in
front of me like I was presenting an invisible bowl. I traveled as far as I
could before getting crunched and munched. I’ve progressed and picked up new
habits that actually make closeouts fun. Back in the day, this would’ve been a
disappointment.
And
then, because the Surf Gods let it be so, the shape got just a little bit
better. All of a sudden, the shoulders became more defined. Man, I swear, it
was the most fun I’ve had locally in a while. This one wave I just pulled in, two-hand
stalled, waited, waited, and waited, and then the lip started curling over me. I
doggy doored it and punched through, but I was trying to maintain my balance in
the white wash. Next thing, I was tripping in ankle deep water. No, it was not
a legit in and out, but gawd damn did it feel great, invigorating. Nothing
wasted today. Everything worth it. From that moment on, the session had already
been paid for.
Then
this older chick paddled out. We talked for a little bit, and then in the
middle of conversation another sweet gem came though. The old me would have
pumped down the line and cut it back, but not the new and improved me, Matthew
the Aging Surfer, not at all. Nope. It was so natural to, once again, two-hand
stall, slow it down, see the shoulder curl and start chandeliering over my
head. I wasn’t deep but it was legit shampoo action. Same thing, I tried to
doggy door it. I was leaning back hard on my tail to hold my balance as I
punched through. Ahhh, I almost held it, but I fell on the inside again. Still,
IT FELT SO GOOD! I never, ever, ever thought I’d ever come close to getting
barreled, and a day like this, to come so close and at least get some coverup, a
day like this is HUGE for my progression and to just enhance my love for this beautiful art.
It’s like I’m opening an untapped dimension in my surfing.
I
ended up drifting towards Rosecrans, where I got my biggest closeout bomb of
the day. A guy who had seen me on it said, “Well that was kind of scary. It was
like a perfect shot when you were under there.”
“Yeah,”
I said, “but I didn’t make it out. It was still fun to pull in, though.”
Little
by little, a few more people paddled out, but it wasn’t crowded at all. There
was still enough room for everyone, and after two hours, when I left, the wind
was still good. The waves were still breaking, and I ended up leaving a bunch
of rides on the table.
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