Stepping out of my comfort zone

I made the surf report today! Wohoo!

Some names for the conditions today:

1. "Hold on to your panties" day
2. "Don't get f$#%ing caught inside" day
3. "Freight train" day
4. "OUTSIIIIIDE"

Yep, today (at least for me) was pretty gnarly. Even when I first walked out it looked big from the beach. When I paddled out I realized it was going to be one of those days...

I tried to play it smart - paddle in by the pier, be smart about the waves I was going to commit to and be ultra conservative about where I was going to position myself. The only thing I was thinking about was, "don't get caught inside, don't get caught inside, don't get caught inside".

There was a really nasty set wave that broke really far out. It caught a few dudes by surprise and smashed them on the inside.

I felt like I was pushing my luck while I was out there so after I got enough waves, I got the hell outta there.

Not quite as good as yesterday

It looked close to what was going on yesterday, but definitely was not as good. Lots more closeouts, a pretty strong current and a decent sized crowd kept me from getting my stoke.

I got out about 7 am and paddled out right beside the pier. Like clockwork, I got out no problem. The big, nicely shaped freight trains from yesterday were replaced with big weird closeouts. There were a few corners here and there, but nothing too amazing.

I got caught on the inside once and it killed me. I really need to work on my stamina in the water. Once I get caught inside too long, my session really takes a toll.

Pretty fun day

I think this winter I have been sick more times than I have been out surfing. I'm glad to finally be back and in the water.

Today was also my first time trying out my new 6'3" Jaime Perez Quad shortboard. He's been speaking volumes of the quad fin setup for a long time, so I figured it was high time to try it out.

It's a little nerve racking to be surfing a new board when the guy who shaped it is in the water with you. When I first got out it was a little rough - I have been out of the water for a few weeks - so I was a little rusty.

When you first walked out it didn't look that big, but in the water, the set waves were head high. It took me a while to figure out the right spot to be in, but when I got there, I got this ridiculous right hander. You know, the type of waves that gets your adrenaline pumping for the rest of the session.

So I ended up having a pretty good session. Not all-time, but definitely a fun one. I can tell that summer is getting closer because there were a ton of people in the water. Got cut off twice and had to maneuver around a few people on some waves.

Looks awesome

Still not fully recovered from the flu, but when I checked it out this morning it looked awesome. The high tide started to kill it, but there were nice peaks everywhere. Lots of people suiting up and paddling out.

Hopefully next week will be just as good.

Feel like I got hit by a truck...

I can honestly say that I have never had the flu, until I got it last Thursday. I have been out of commission for 6 days straight - fever, chills, body aches - you name it. Now I know why the Flu can kill small children and seniors: it takes everything out of you.

I'm going to get myself rested up and back to normal before even thinking about getting back into the water.

Like yesterday, but not as consistent

Was thinking twice about paddling out this morning because I felt a little cold coming on and the waves looked really small at 6 am.

I saw Jamie and Guy in the parking lot and they asked me if I was suiting up - that's all I needed to get out there.

Knee to waist high sets rolling through with occassional shoulders. Nothing much to write home about but if you were patient, you would get a few rides here and there.

Started off bad, but ended up being fun

I finally get a pic in the surf report on a tiny ass wave.

When I got out, it looked pretty flat and boring, but I figured that I would paddle out anyway. Throughout the morning it just got better and better. I had some fun rights just south of the pier, but to get them there was a pretty long wait.

I knew they were good because someone in the parking lot told me that I was getting some long rides, haha.

Surprisingly fun

I was the first person out there this morning and from the beach and the pier it didn't look too good. I decided to paddle out anyway.

And boy was I pleasantly surprised.

Lots of fun lefts and rights just south of the pier and I had a few that took me pretty close to the end of the burm. The best part was people didn't show up until 8 am, so that gave me a solid hour of surfing with a handful of people.

When I left it was just getting more and more packed, but the waves were definitely getting more and more juicy. Next week is supposed to be pretty big.

Feels like summer is creeping in

Pretty small this morning. The best bet today would have been a 9' - 10' longboard so you could get all the mushy waves. I started south, then had to go north cause it was so crowded, then ended up going back south when the Venice High Surf Team had to leave for school.

I'm feeling summer around the corner and it feels awesome. Can't wait to surf in shorts!

Kinda like yesterday

Pretty much like yesterday, but I decided to go south of the pier today. Still a little bit of a crowd, but they seemed much more mellow. I actually got a few mushy lefts and rights and had a decent session.

My assessment for my surfing today is that I can be inconsistent by sometimes having good rides and sometimes blowing really good waves. I also realized that I need to work on the middle of my rides - instead of focusing on the big move on the end - so I can get enough momentum to pull off those moves. This realization came from me trying to do a roundhouse cutback and sinking near the end because I didn't have enough speed to carry it through.

I also tried my new fangled O'neill hood to keep my ears warm and prevent my surfer's ear from getting worse. It's actually not too bad until you try to duckdive because it makes your head bouyant. I actually heard that it messes with your balance, but I didn't really experience anything like that today. The best part was that it kept me warmer throughout my session.

Before I took off, I had a chance to chat with Jaime again. He said I was smart for surfing away from the big crowds yesterday. "You get any wave you want when you are away from the crowds," he told me.

Little does he know I just suck at crowd surfing.

Smaller and inconsistent

There were about 30 people out south of the pier when I got there at 7 am. There were 2 people out north, so I ended up surfing there.

Still pretty cold and this morning I did a lot more sitting than surfing.

I also heard some crazy commotion within the big group and someone paddling someone else out of the water. I guess someone got "localized". That's what happens when the waves are few and far between and there are a ton of people in the water.

The next couple days are going to be pretty small so hopefully the tide helps out.

Pretty fun despite the 5' high tide

Paddled out just before 7 am and there were only 3 people out. Good size - a little on the mushy side - but fun corners were everywhere.

Ridiculously cold.

By the time I left, there were a ton of people southside waiting for the tide to drop.

Hung over Saturday, rained yesterday

Saturday looked awesome, but I was too hung over to surf. Today looked good but it rained pretty hard on Sunday, so I didn't want to risk it. Will try to get out tomorrow.

Fun day

I decided to bring the fish out this morning because I was worried that it would be just as small as yesterday. The conditions were actually much better today - a bump in size, but nothing to heavy. The waves were a bit on the mushy side, so my fish was a good call.

Only a handful of people out this morning, but everyone were getting some pretty long rides.