Venice Pier Surf Blog

Surfed on Saturday

2009-10-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

It was foggy but glassy on Saturday morning. Unfortunately I had two things going against me:

1. I haven't been surfing
2. It was a little mushy

You know it's bad when the dude beside you gets a ton of rides while you sit there struggling to get a good ride.

It's time for me to buck up and purchase a new 3/2 because my spring isn't going to cut it anymore. I've been checking them out online, but they're still pretty pricey.

Surfed yesterday afternoon..

2009-10-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

..and it sucked.

Surfing in the morning is definitely the way to go. Yesterday afternoon was onshore, windy, messy, steep takeoff. Aside from size and warm weather, probably the worst conditions to go out in.

But before I start surfing in the am, I need to get myself a 3/2. It's just hard to swallow spending $300 bucks in this economy.

Trying to get back into it

2009-10-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

Surfed yesterday and today to try to get some of the swell everyone was talking about.

I played hookie from work yesterday at around 2 pm and got a few decent rights Northside, but my best ride was when I paddled over to the south. It was pretty sick.

Unfortunately, that was the best and only wave that came through.

Today, I tried to get some surf in while I was playing volleyball at around 10:30. The high tide really mushed things up so my shortboard didn't do the job I wanted it to do.

I paddled out in trunks because I was too lazy to change into my wetsuit. I think everyone thought I was nuts. It wasn't too bad as long as I kept moving.

Finally got a good day in

2009-09-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty good day to go out and surf. Weather is still awesome, water temp is good and the waves were nice.

Got a few lefts and rights just south of the jetty.

Lots of people out and a lot of people saying how good it was yesterday. I think it's time for me to stop being so lazy and surf during the week.

Weekly surf post

2009-09-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

So sad, all I do now is surf on a weekly basis. To be honest, I don't even check the surf report anymore - I just go out and roll the dice.

Today didn't look like much from afar, but when you got into the water it didn't take much time to figure out that there was a ton of juice rolling around.

Reportedly, there is a pretty big swell coming in tomorrow. Total waste of information on me because, well, I only surf once a week now.

Sad.

Finally got back in the water

2009-08-29T12:22:00.001-07:00

After a few week Hiatus, I finally got back in the water. Conditions kind of sucked, the water looked like it had oil in it, but the weather was great.

I am out of shape, but I need to start getting back into it so when the season starts I am ready to rock.

If you're a big Kelly or Andy fan, you should see this video

2009-07-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Watched the US Open of Surfing over the weekend

2009-07-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the first time I ever watched a live Surfing competition - the US Open of Surfing. It was a pretty awesome event because there were a ton of booths, events and people. You honestly could have spent the whole day people watching.

But the surfing was worth it. With the huge swell that rolled through, the heats were serious and competitive. I saw CJ Hobgood make it out of this ridiculous closeout wave.

I also got to see all the greats surf as well. They had an expression session where Tom Curren, Kelly Slater, CJ Hobgood, Rob Machado, Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, Yadin Nichol and Michel Bourez did as many arials as humanly possible with a jet ski. It was ridiculous. I must have put 500 photos on my wife's Nikon over the weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HthGZsDaZtk

Nice day to be out in the water

2009-07-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

Summer is the best time of year - great weather, easy times and families hanging out. Surf wasn't awesome, but still fun.

Been surfing but not posting

2009-07-11T20:50:00.001-07:00

Been doing sunset sessions with my wife's cousin who is visiting from the Philippines. Nothing too great in terms of surf, but the weather has been awesome.

Had a pretty good session this morning too - we went out at around Lighthouse and there were some fun waves to be had. Again, the weather was awesome so I was just happy to be in the water.

Finally surfed

2009-07-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

Finally got in the water again today. Pretty cold and closed out. I just like the fact that I can get in the water during a long weekend.

Crappy

2009-06-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

I thought today would be awesome with the higher tide and smaller size. It was, but unfortunately the best place was right beside the pier and there were a few guys on it as early as 5 am.

Had a crappy session - couldn't find the corners, felt like I was paddling slow and for the most part just couldn't get in the groove.

I am a sad, sad amateur

2009-06-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

So I surfed yesterday and today - and the conditions were pretty much the same:

Big
Closed out
Strong northbound current

For the most part I was the only one out both days. It took me a while to sack up and even try to go for anything, but I figured the small to medium sized ones by the pier were the best ones to get.

At best, I would just make it down the face to see the wave close out on me.

Today, I had a hard time getting out and staying in position with the current and rips. If a few big sets were to roll through, the entire beach would flush like a toilet. On one set I ended up on 28th just trying to paddle out.

I decided to give up around 7(ish) and some of the better local guys paddled in. They definitely showed me that I am still a sad amateur. Those guys paddled in and split a peak. A few waves later, one guy got barrelled on a big closeout.

I guess I still have a lot to learn with this surfing thing.

Decent performance considering the crappy conditions

2009-06-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Only a few people out early today - Brett, myself and another dude were out there at about 6 am.

The tide was low and it was pretty dumpy. You could, however, get the smaller ones if you were lucky. I actually moved right beside the pier (north side) and got a handful of short rides.

My shoulder is still shot from volleyball, so I am not sure if I will be in the water anytime soon.

Nasty water, size, but crappy anyway

2009-06-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Haven't been in the water for almost two weeks. I decided that today was going to be the day - I even brought out the fish to make things interesting.

Unfortunately, conditions were kind of crappy:

Stormy
Onshore winds
Dirty water
Closing out (but crumbly)
Waist to shoulder high
Strong current north

There were a bunch of dudes out with longboards, so it didn't make me feel so bad that I brought out the fish. All could get were tiny little sections I was too scared to hit the lip on because they were pretty thick.

All good though - it's always good to be in the water anyway.

Surf on Saturday

2009-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of venicebeachsurfers.blogspot.com. This was taken on May 13, 2009.

Surfing on Saturdays around summer is always fun. Lots of people out, but the vibe is relaxed and pretty easy.

Unfortunately, the surf was too small for the board I brought. A longboard would have been perfect. Maybe I should get a foamie again?

Had a pretty fun session today

2009-05-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

And it would have been more fun if I wasn't so hung over. Decent amount of people out, but not so many people that it wasn't fun.

Glassy, warm air, nice shape. The set waves were the best ones today because they were about shoulder high. Unfortunately, they only came through once every 10 minutes.

Brett also showed me a cool website: http://venicebeachsurfers.blogspot.com/. This guy takes shots of surfers from the pier. He must have an awesome lens to get the shots he gets.

I actually have one shot from last Friday and hopefully he lets me use it on my blog.

Late posts for 5/8 and 5/13

2009-05-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Late posts for the last two times I surfed:

5/8 - Was definitely fun, but the better waves were by the pier. I waited patiently for the crowd to thin out then moved over when there were only a few people over there. The crazy part was some dude called me out in the water.

"Are you going to take this left or are you just fronting? I asked you a question!"

I was in total shock. I have been surfing the Venice pier for 8 years and haven't been hassled like that. The guy wasn't even one of the regular locals. He was just some dude in the water.

5/13 - Some fun rides but was a little too crowded north side. I ended up moving south side for some fun, but closeout sets. There was a little commotion on the beach. At first I thought it was a beached whale or something, but when the paramedics came out I realized it was a person.

It was only later that I found out someone had a seizure while he was surfing. Luckily, some guys were paying attention and pulled him out of the water. Hope he is doing okay.

Not quite as good as yesterday..

2009-05-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

...but still pretty fun.

Now I know why my body has been so wasted every day at work - the potato chip. It's definitely challenging and a good workout.

Lots of people this morning - sun was out and the waves were pretty good. I know that summer is coming when some of the local boys run off a visitor from the water.

Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good.

Fun but a little on the mushy side

2009-05-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Damn this potato chip is hard to surf.

Pretty good conditions today: a little bumpy, some size, a little mushy and a decent current going south. Weather is starting to warm up, so there are more and more people starting to come out.

The waves today looked menacing as they would build, but would back down and give you plenty to work with.

Tomorrow should be much better because the tide will be lower.

Unfortunately not as good as yesterday..

2009-04-30T10:21:00.001-07:00

I woke up extra early today because I thought it was going to be just as fun as yesterday. But it wasn't =(.

Surfing a potato chip requires more juice than what was out there. There were a few set waves that would come through, but you had to be closer to the pier to get them.

After about 30 minutes I moved north side of the pier and started getting some funner ones.

My wetsuit is disintegrating into wetsuit fumes every time I get into the water. Time to look for some that are on sale.

Tomorrow will hopefully be better.

Unexpected!

2009-04-29T09:22:00.001-07:00

Wow, I thought today was going to be a normal day at Venice, but it was actually really fun. Conditions were glassy, peaky, waist to shoulder high.

On top of that, not too many folks out. I was surfing with Jaime south side, and Brett was on the north side with another guy just north of him.

I'm still feeling a bit goofy on my new board, but when I get on a good wave, it's pretty fun. My wave of the day was actually one off the pier that I thought I wasn't going to make, but did. Was pretty awesome.

As it got crowded later in the morning, I moved farther south. There were peaks up and down the beach to take off on.

Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good as today!

Pretty Good Session

2009-04-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Pretty fun today. I checked the report and it said that the wind was going to die down and the surf should be a lot cleaner.

It really was and the icing on top: no one else out there except for me and Nathan. We pretty much had whatever wave we wanted.

I'm still getting used to the 6'1" pintail quad I just got. I realized today that I can't be a "lazy paddler" with the board (you know, when you kind of paddle and just try to time it so you don't have to paddle that much).

I need to step it up and go strong for each wave.

Gnarly SSW

2009-04-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today's surf report:

Definitely a SW, where it was only breaking South of the pier
Head high, head +
Closing out

There were a few of us out in the morning, but as one of the twins said, "It's too f$%^ng walled!"

I don't think tomorrow is going to be much better unless you go to a point break or a place that will hold up.

Another sub-par session

2009-04-16T10:21:00.001-07:00

So the conditions today were much better than yesterday: semi-glassy, less size, more peaky. Unfortunately, my performance was still sub par.

I also realized the wisdom in staying committed and why I landed on my fins yesterday because i did it again today. Basically I was backing out too late and would get pitched over the falls. Today was much worse because my fins hit the small of my back and my butt, so I've got nice bruises to show my wife this morning.

So today I feel beat up, exhausted and semi-defeated. The next few days are going to be pretty small so maybe it's a good reprieve from my sub par performances over the week.

Argh such a bad session!

2009-04-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

So I thought today was the day. Tide seemed right, size seemed right, etc., etc. Unfortunately, when I got out there, the wind was already blowing onshore making conditions kind of dumpy.

On top of that, the current was pretty strong southward. On my first wave, I actually had to get out, walk north of the pier about 20 yards just so I could get back to where I started.

I did figure it out after a while and didn't have to do that the rest of the session.

Here's how bad my session was:

I was constantly paddling for position
I was always late dropping in
I kept getting beat up on the inside
My board flipped over a few times and I landed on my skags

The conditions weren't that bad. I just sucked.

Maybe tomorrow I can do better.

Snuck in a lunchie

2009-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Conditions for a lunchtime session looked ripe today, so I snuck out of work at about quarter to noon.

When I got out there, the wind was already onshore and there was a lot of texture on it. Just south of the pier there looked to be a decent section on the bigger waves.

Positioning was a little tricky because you had to sit deeper than usual and although the waves looked like they were going to bomb, they backed off at the last minute.

Once you got the hang of it, there was a little section between the peak just south of the pier and the second one just south of that. Unfortunately, it was tough getting speed because the angle of the face wasn't super steep. I actually wish I brought out my fish today so I could get a little more speed at takeoff.

Regardless, it was fun and worth going out.

Tide < zero

2009-04-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

...which means everything was pretty much closed out.

I was the only one in the water at 6:30 am and I think everyone was pretty much surfed out from the weekend. Even when people started to show up at 7:30, the only people that were there were newbs.

Oddly enough, I felt that I had a much better session in comparison to my session on Saturday when conditions were amazing. I think my performance isn't as good when there are a lot of people in the water (especially with guys that are 3 times better than I am). I also think I don't do as well when I get stuck on the inside a couple of times.

Today was pretty much:

Drop in
Get barreled
Get pounded into the sand

I had a few rights off the pier, but nothing to get excited about.

It should be pretty awesome at about 10 am.

Pretty darn good

2009-04-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Surfed both Friday night and Saturday morning.

Friday night pretty much sucked because it was just crappy windswell and there was a lot going on in the water. It was hard to stay in position, you had to wait for plus sized sets to get anything remotely surfable, blah, blah, blah. The good thing was you could feel a lot of energy in the water.

Saturday, well, saturday was pretty epic. One of those days you wait the whole year for. Slightly offshore, shoulder to head + sets, good shape - it was fantastic. I didn't want to get out of the water, but my body was so taxed I had to get out.

I heard today was going to be just as good. Why do all the good days happen during family holidays?

It's all good though, I had my fill from yesterday.

So sad that I was unable to surf today

2009-04-10T11:01:00.001-07:00

I did get to surf yesterday and Tuesday, however.

Tuesday was decent, but I had to bring out the fish. It was fun"ish".

Yesterday was super fun. Good size, good shape. I was just out of practice and shape and it took me a while to get my timing back.

I'm sure today is pretty awesome, but alas I can only imagine surfing from my office. Sad.

Brought the fish out

2009-03-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

I brought the fish out today and it took me a little bit to get used to it. There were a lot of people so I had to post up north side halfway between the jetty and the pier.

I had a few fun rides and surfed for about 2 hours. It's been a while since I've been out there that long but it was definitely fun.

Better but not better at the same time

2009-03-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

The conditions today were awesome - glassy, nice weather, good shape. Unfortunately, everyone knew about it so the street parking was full by 6:30 am.

I got a few decent rides but nothing fantastic. I ended moving northside after a bit to beat the crowd, but the waves were crappier.

I really need to start bringing out the fish. Too mushy for the shortboard.

Good-ish

2009-03-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well got out early this morning before the sun was out. Had a few equipment issues (my zipper wouldn't zip up), but got out at about 6:15 am.

My first wave was pretty awesome - totally held up for a while. After that, however, it seemed like the tide started to come up and the waves became pretty soft.

Got semi-crowded at 6:45 am. I ended up paddling closer to the pier, south side and therefore got crappier waves.

Hopefully tomorrow will be more awesome for me.

Pretty small and mushy this morning

2009-03-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

I think I would have had an awesome session today if:

I had a longboard
I surfed south side
My name was Paul

Cause Paul was killing it south side.

I spent most of the morning session shooting the sh!# with Brett. Would get a wave here and there, but it was too mushy for anything.

Today is one of those days I wish I still had my old school foamie long board. That thing would catch anything.

Disappointing!

2009-03-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

While yesterday was heavy, this morning was just weak and depressing.

I got out at about 6:30 because I thought the tide/swell size combo would make it perfect. Unfortunately, it made it mushy and weak.

It actually started to get a little bit better as the tide dropped. By the time I left at 7:50, it was getting to be pretty good - but still very inconsistent.

Maybe Porto would have been a better call this morning.

Heavy this morning due to the tide

2009-03-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Some heavy "ish" this morning due to the 1 ft. tide at 7 am. When I walked out, there was another dude who originally turned around to go home but changed his mind because I walked up.

First thing he said to me was "it's heavy".

I got a few corners but they weren't much in terms of shoulders. I didn't sack up and tuck in either because I wanted to keep my head attached to my shoulders.

Bigger cleanup sets were head(+) high, smaller sets were about 4 ft.

By the time I left there were only 2 other guys out. There was someone southside who got a pretty good one and split the pier.

I'm not sure if I am going to go out tomorrow morning if the tide is going to be low. It will be better at about a 2-3 ft. tide.

Skunked again!

2009-03-12T10:53:00.001-07:00

Damn, tried going out 2 days this week and no surf.... I thought the swell would have been here by now. Hopefully tomorrow will be much better.

Yesterday

2009-03-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

Late post for yesterday:

More size
Choppy
Decent weather

Started north side, moved south, then back north. I couldn't seem to find any good corners either.

But, as always, I was glad to have surfed anyway.

Surfed this morning

2009-03-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought I would be able to get some of that windswell that was mentioned in the report for this morning:

5' sets
0-1' high tide

But unfortunately, mother nature just wasn't churning out too much butter this morning. The conditions were glassy and the weather was nice, but there just wasn't enough juice in the water to get a lot of rides.

I had one or two, ummm, "decent" rides (if that's what you want to call them).

On a good note, I saw Ronnie at the pier this morning. Nice and upbeat as usual. He said he might be in the water tomorrow.

Did you know that he was in that Dogtown documentary?

Lunch session yesterday

2009-02-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

Hit a quick lunch session yesterday at Porto. There was definitely some size; roughly about shoulder to head high. Some closeout sets maybe head +.

The only issue was that the tide was low and it made getting out pretty difficult. I actually got caught inside twice during the session.

If you got to find a corner, you would be in for a pretty good ride. They were pretty elusive thought because of all the water movement.

Cool video I found on YouTube...

2009-02-16T22:27:00.001-08:00

Did an afternoon session yesterday...

2009-02-16T17:29:00.001-08:00

...and if it weren't for the awesome weather I would have said it sucked. 1-2', mushy, lots of texture and cold water made it tough to catch waves. There were a few here and there, but definitely conditions for either a longboard or a fish.

Now I have to wait for the rain to clear before I head back into the water.

Got a surf in before the rain

2009-02-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

Really cold again today, the surf was glassy, but the size was smaller. The waves were a little tricky to get into because they were mushy for 80% of them.

It took me a while to get it dialed in:

You had to paddle parallel to the peak because it moved pretty fast southward
You had to take off sideways
You had to drop in just as the wave was breaking

I finally figured it out after about a half an hour and then got a few good rides. Lots of waiting though, but it was still fun.

It's raining now so no surf for a while.

So glad I went out today

2009-02-12T16:20:00.001-08:00

Freezing cold this morning. I actually was going to bail out at first, but when I checked it out it looked pretty good.

Not super glassy, but there were a lot of peaks here and there. I posted up just south of the pier and got one as soon as I got into the lineup. Since most of the waves were mushy, the rides were steep in the beginning and then it would die down at the end.

I tried going for the lip at the end of the rides, but since the waves were so mushy, there wasn't much left to hit. The best strategy was to drop in late and deep and just try to pump through the wave.

My best wave went from the pier to about Catamaran.

Not a ton of people out either; I saw Nathan and some other folks but there was plenty of waves for everyone.

Got a quick surf in!

2009-02-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Tried to get a surf in today before the rain started to hit. I almost got in the water before the rain started, but it sprinkled as I was driving over to Porto.

The bigger sets were shoulder to head high and mostly closing out. There were a few corners, and if you got into them they would give you a decent ride.

Unfortunately, 30 minutes for a lunch session isn't enough for me to get warmed up and used to the conditions. I got 3 waves in, but definitely nothing to be proud of.

At least I got some time in the water though.

No go!

2009-02-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

I guess everyone had the same idea I did - try to catch some surf before it started to rain. But alas, no enough size and a ton of onshore wind made it just a dream.

I saw a bunch of folks just checking it out and turning around, including Brett.

So it looks like another 4 days of surf videos.

F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-r-r-r-r-r-e-e-e-e-e-z-z-z-i-n-g

2009-01-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

My feet are still thawing out from this morning. Sun was out, but the wind/water/sand temp was pretty darn cold.

Got out at about 6:30 and most people were south of the pier. I figured I would try to get a few northside. Waves were a little mushy because of the tide, but the bigger ones had enough push for a decent ride.

Saw Brett this morning and we were just sitting around most of the morning. After he left, I got a decent ride every 10 minutes. My last wave took forever. The good news is that wave was my first to split the pier! Kind of silly, I know.

It's probably going to be awesome around 1 or 2 pm today.

Didn't have as good a session as yesterday

2009-01-21T10:56:00.001-08:00

I thought today the swell would have backed down a little, but it seemed like it picked up just a hair. In fact, it felt like a mix with another swell.

My guess is that there is a storm brewing off the coast that is screwing things up.

Almost everything I rode today was closed out. Head high sets for the closeouts, everything else you had to take pretty deep. I was a big whuss and pulled out of most of them.

The bigger sets had really long tails, so the shoulder was really tough to get on. I thought I would be slick near the end of my session and paddle pretty far south, but that didn't work either.

On a side note, it was just me and the ocean from 6:30 till about 7:15. Too bad the surf wasn't any good =(.

Much better session today

2009-01-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

I decided to surf Venice today and it was definitely fun! I got in the water at about 6:30 and I was by myself for a bit and then just one other person until about 7:15.

80% of the surf were closeouts, but there were definitely some fun rights just south of the pier if you were patient. The waves were moving North to South pretty fast, so your best bet was to start paddling south when you were going for a wave.

Wave of the day for me was a long medium sized one that took me to Catamaran.

The size was shoulder + with some head high closeout sets. When I left the beach it looked like the tide was going out and the surf more punishing.

Damn, feel like a loser this morning

2009-01-19T09:22:00.000-08:00

I woke up extra early this morning to get some surf in.

Yesterday, I spent some time on the dog beach in Huntington and saw how awesome it was, but unfortunately did not bring my board. This morning, I was excited to catch some waves for sure.

I checked out Venice at about 6:15 and it looked closed out and kind of small. I made the judgement call to go to Porto because yesterday it looked like it was going off. As I was backing out of my parking spot, I saw Brett and he warned me that Porto would be big and closed out.

...and he was right. When I got there at 6:50, there was one dude suiting up and a lot of people checking it out. I figured, "screw it" and suited up as well. The dude that suited up headed towards the Jetty and it looked like it was going off.

My eyes may have been deceiving me, but it looked head high +, maybe DOH with some of the cleanup sets.

So, after seeing that, I decided to walk southbound and just watched the surf to see if it was worth even going out. There were big lulls between sets, but the distance to the break was pretty far out, so it was conceivable that I would get caught inside.

To make a long story short, I ran out of gas on the inside. I must have been 10 feet from where I needed to be and just couldn't make it past the break. It looked damn good too from where I was - perfect little peeling shoulder. I think if I made it outside, I would have gotten some awesome rides/punishing closeouts.

Ah well, maybe next time. I could have been biting off way more than I could chew, but at least I tried. I saw a couple of kids with boogie boards and surf boards make it out about 300 meters farther south. It may have been a bad judgement call for me to paddle out so close to the entrance of the parking lot.

Maybe if I paddled out where they went out I would have made it.

SoCal Lake this AM

2009-01-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

Lake Venice, Lake Santa Monica, Lake Sunset, Lake Topanga, Lake Malibu. 8 am this morning was definitely not what I expected in terms of surf.

I just kept on driving until I saw something. I ended up stopping at Zuma. It was my first time there. I couldn't believe how clear the water was! I could see the sand underneath me.

Unfortunately, the surf sucked. 1' waves for the most part.

When I got back to Venice to play vball, it looked like the swell was slowly peaking its head. Maybe tomorrow the surf will make it happen.

Does anything below 1 foot count as a wave?

2009-01-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Thought I would try to get a head start for this weekend's surf by paddling around this morning. Unfortunately, there were .5' waves. I got 3 - .5' waves, so I guess that can count as 1 wave.

I also just realized that the swell this weekend will be WNW, so Venice should hold up.

Another decent session

2009-01-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Got to sneak in another lunch session this afternoon and it was pretty fun. I think the conditions were better yesterday, but I had a few tiny sections.

The dude I surfed with got 2 pretty long rights though. My only wish was that it was me who got those rides.

Ah well, at least I got to get in the water.

Surfed Porto and finally back in the water!

2009-01-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

I didn't post the last time I surfed on 12/24 and 12/27. I got sick after the 12/27 session and on top of that I missed some epic sessions on 12/25 and 12/26. People were using words like "all time".

I hate it when I miss those types of days, but you know, Christmas.

I am feeling better and decided to do a lunch session at Porto. My office is about 15 minutes away and this was my first time trying it out. Session was pretty good; I had a few good lefts and rights, but it took me some time to figure the wave out.

Porto is a little more forgiving than Venice, so I just have to adjust to what it is doing.

I'm thinking of trying to get another one in tomorrow! (fingers crossed)

Worse conditions, better session

2008-12-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

The backwash/deflection combined with the high tide made the surf kinda crazy today. You had to ride the beach break and time your paddle so that you stood up just as the wave was on the "bounce-up".

The end of the ride you were practically standing on the beach.

Hopefully tomorrow will be much better.

Worse than yesterday

2008-12-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Yep, nothing much today. Smaller, less consistent, cold. I just had one memorable right.

Better than yesterday

2008-12-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

I brought the fish today. Apparently the tide was at a +6 yesterday morning and it was at +5 today.

I had a better session, but the spot I was surfing wasn't as good as the south side of the pier.

I think tomorrow the swell will die down a bit.

Disappointing

2008-12-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

I thought today was going to be awesome, but it really wasn't. Glassy, waves were breaking late, but not very consistent or peaky.

On top of that, I felt like I was out of surfing shape.

I did have one nice right that went from the pier to about half way down the berm.

That's about it. Hopefully tomorrow will be much better.

Really out of shape today, kind of out of shape yesterday

2008-12-04T12:37:00.001-08:00

Pretty decent conditions today and yesterday. Overcast, glassy and some shape. Yesterday had better shape, though.

Unfortunately, I am out of shape. I haven't surfed for about 2 weeks so my timing was really off yesterday and today I figured out that they were breaking fairly fast where I was lining up.

Been hanging out south side, but someone told me the jetty has been pretty good.

Tiny and closed out

2008-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

Nothing much this morning. Water temp was cold, air temp was warm, waves were small, blah blah blah blah blah.

Glad to be back in the water after 2 weeks of straight working.

To make things worse, someone in the water told me that last Monday was awesome. Sucks that I missed it.

So good...

2008-11-03T09:32:00.001-08:00

Today is one of those days a regularfoot waits for all summer long. Nice NW rolling through at about waist to head high + and tons of rights to be had. What made it even better was the fact that there were only a handful of guys out early in the morning.

Had a bunch of rights and a few lefts. The current was pushing pretty strong south, so I thought my best strategy would be to walk back in front of the take off point and paddle from there.

I think this is the best time of year for me because of the rights and because of the minimal amount of people. My last few sessions have been pretty good, but I feel that I could be doing so much better. I think I need to keep my feet farther apart and I really need to start trying to get more speed before attempting to hit the lip. I also think that I am forcing it a little too much and should let the wave dictate more of what I should be doing.

Today was awesome!

2008-11-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty awesome. A little on the heavy side, but there were definitely some shoulders out there to play with. I got out there fairly early (about 7:30) and there were only about 4 people out. Slightly overcast but warm. I actually had my 3/2 on instead of my 4/3.

As it got a little more crowded, I noticed this barreling peak just north of where I was (I think it was between 29th and 30th street), so I decided to paddle over. I figured this is my chance to try to get barreled on a bigger day.

Unfortunately it was pretty fast and heavy so getting barreled wasn't so easy. Every ride you would pull into would just pound you to the ground when you were done. I was unsuccessful on most attempts to get covered up. I did, however, go on some big ones. My motto for today was "go big or go home". I had a few fun lefts and a quick right section. The lefts I tried hitting the top of the wave and it would just pitch me over the falls and into the laundry cycle. I think they looked good though (haha).

Since I was out of the way, I didn't think too many people noticed but a semi-newb longboarder told me that I was getting into some good waves. Another dude said I was on fire when I was on my way out.

It's definitely nice to see the surfing is paying off in some way. Unfortunately, my goal of getting barreled is still out there. I'll just keep doing it until I get it.

On a side note, I had one funny wave where I went right and my contact popped out. I had to surf (since it was a good right) and try to make sure I didn't lose my contact at the same time. It must have looked stupid.

Today and last Saturday

2008-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was typical Venice - closed out with a lot of push. Hardly any long rides to be had aside from what was going on north side of the pier.

Today was so foggy I had to go on the pier to see how the conditions were. A little mushy with the high tide, but there were some fun ones out there.

Not quite as good as the past 2 days

2008-10-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

A lot more lulls this morning than the past 2 days. I think the tide was a bit higher or the swell backed off just a hair.

All morning I tried "pig dogging", but failed miserably. I kept thinking in my head, "Lean into it and face forward" and "pig dog it".

Neither of which helped at all.

Much like yesterday

2008-10-22T09:31:00.001-07:00

Another morning with pretty much nobody out north side. When I first got out there it was just me and Nathan sharing the fun lefts and rights.

There was a period when it became heavy as well, but it didn't last too long.

By the time I was out of the water at 7:30, there were about 5 people north side and about 20 people south side

Fun to Heavy in 0.4 Seconds

2008-10-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

So walking a mile in your wetsuit at 6 am sucks. Walking a mile in a wet wetsuit sucks even more. I thought I would be slick and run hot water in my suit before I put it on. It was pretty awesome until about 3 minutes into my walk when the hot water became cold from the air temperature....

Now on to today's session.

Great conditions when I first got out at about 6:45. Glassy, good size and shape. There were only two other people out north side (the guy who takes the venice surf team out and someone else). They left a few minutes after I got into the water.

The rest of the session - I was by myself again! It was pretty sweet for the first 45 minutes. Got a bunch of lefts off the pier. I had a few weak attempts at doing some backside snaps but I really don't think I did them well. For some reason I wasn't timing them right or going high enough on the wave.

I even tried a backside tube, but I felt like I was just sticking my ass on the wave. I should really try to pivot my body more so it is facing forward instead of sideways.

Around 7:30 - big massive sets rolled through that pretty much closed out the north side. The nice lefts pretty much disappeared.

Hopefully my string of luck continues tomorrow morning and nobody is out for another half hour while I am out there.

Pretty fun today!

2008-10-20T14:26:00.001-07:00

This ride felt better than it looked in pictures. Ha!

Actually what made it fun was the fact that I had the pier to myself for about 20 minutes. When I first got out it was Guy and his wife and they left right after I got there.

Fun lefts off the pier, some rights. Probably 1 out of every 4 waves was fun.

By the time I left there were only about 4 people northside (including me).

Why did it look better after I got out of the water

2008-10-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

2-3 feet, cold water, warm weather. It's half way between summer and winter. I just didn't like the 2-3 foot part. Kinda mushy too - it made me wish I had my fish today.

Monday is supposed to be a little bit bigger, so hopefully the report stays true.

Freezing cold and small

2008-10-14T11:00:00.001-07:00

I was optimistic this morning - unfortunately the tide and small size didn't help my optimism.

There were a few people out, but there were no waves to be had. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I think I am going to bring the fish out with me.

Report from Saturday

2008-10-12T17:04:00.001-07:00

So glad I brought out my 4/3 on Saturday, because it was freaking cold. Air temp was cold, water was cold. It's definitely not Summer anymore (at least in the early morning).

The conditions were much better than it looked from afar. There was a little bit of wind (side wind) that made it seem like a cold Hawaii.

The NW proved to be pretty fun - I got a bunch of long rights Northside and when it got crowded I moved Southside and got a few more.

Still fun today but more people

2008-10-09T10:43:00.001-07:00

So the NW is starting to hit this morning. There were a few rights to be had North Side in front of the first lifeguard tower. Unfortunately, there were more people and they saw the exact same peak that I did.

Hopefully the NWer this weekend will be as good as I hope it will be.

After my session a photographer that I have been seeing on the pier lately came up to me and told me that he had some pictures of me surfing. Of course I thought to myself, "sure pictures - bet they're $5 each or something".

But, to my surprise, he gave me a set of prints for free. He didn't even say that I could get more for a fee. Kind of weird. He had a bunch of prints for the different people he had been taking pictures of.

Score!

Good day today

2008-10-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today was definitely the best day so far. Why? Because there was hardly anyone out! I actually had the north part of the pier to myself for about 20 minutes.

Good weather, glassy, good size. Today you wanted to take the set waves because they had the most juice.

There was a guy who had a sick barrel off of the pier today as well.

Decrease in size, more shoulders out there

2008-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Tony getting a pretty long ride.

A little bit smaller today, but the set waves were still close out crushers. I got out at about 6:30 and there were already 4 people in the water. Most of my longer waves I was just trying to make the section. No crazy anything at the end of the ride.

A few guys by the pier were getting some sick barrels. One dude even air dropped on one.

Weather was nice, glassy conditions, no wind. Should be good all day.

Friday, Saturday and Today

2008-10-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wish this was a picture of me, but it was the dude beside me who took this wave.

Friday was the first day of the swell and it was probably the best day over the last 4 days. I probably should have taken the day off and surfed all day that day. Good size, good shape, glassy, off shore, blah blah blah. It was awesome.

Saturday was stormy, big and closed out. Lots of folks despite the crappy conditions. Lots of gnarly locals too - there was a dude who dropped in on a local and everybody was screaming at him to "get the f@#$ outta here". Pretty nuts. That's why I stay away from that part of north side when it is crowded.

Sunday looked better, but I wasn't in the water.

Today was big and closed out again. The only good thing about today was that there were only 3 people in the water when I first got out till about 7:30. It was me, Nathan and someone else. Despite the big ass closeouts, you could pick which ones to take. When Jaime paddled out it just seemed like everything was big and closed out, not just the set waves.

Wave of the day goes to Nathan today because he took a sick left south side. Total props for him going balls out on that wave.

Almost good

2008-10-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

The conditions were almost perfect today - good size, good weather, glassy. Unfortunately 90% of the waves were closing out.

I started out just north of the pier and just tried to get some sort of a corner. But like I said, 90% of everything was closing out.

Random news for the day - I saw the older brother from that show Prison Break in the water. I don't think he was trying to blend in too well because he was wearing a black/neon green wetsuit. He looked like he was having a tough time paddling around.

As the crowd filled in I moved south side and I was trying to get this barreling right that was breaking right in front of the first lifeguard tower. My last attempt I almost made it through, but missed it by about 2 feet.

Everyone got a little beat up today because there is some juice in the water. I bet it's pretty good right now with the tide.

Waa-wooooooooo

2008-10-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

This morning was another "waaa-woooo" day. I started early and posted up just north of the pier - got a few small lefts, but nothing too exciting.

As the crowd started to fill in I moved farther north.

And... that's all I have to say about this morning. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Waa-woooo

2008-09-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

That is the sound that is made when Debbie Downer would say something on SNL. That is also the sound that is made when the surf sucks.

Small and mushy today. The only reason to be in the water was, well, to be in the water. The weather was good this morning too.

The end of the week looks to be promising, however. There is a NW coming in. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Late post from Saturday

2008-09-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Got an early start Saturday because I thought it was going to be awesome. Unfortunately, it was mediocre at best.

There were a few set waves, but there were also a ton of people up and down the beach. I got a few lefts off the pier, but it got too busy. I moved north, then it got crowded. I moved south and then caught a few more waves.

I think this week is going to be mediocre again because of the weird tidal swings.

Better than yesterday

2008-09-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

I woke up extra early this morning despite going out for happy hour last night. Yesterday's session showed a lot of potential despite the mushiness and small size.

When I got out, it was pretty foggy. I thought I was going to score some waves all to myself. Unfortunately, everyone was thinking the same thing.

At 7 am the waves were kind of sucky, so I was just taking the insiders. I had a few semi-decent lefts that held up.

By 7:30 the set waves were starting to come in and they were about shoulder high. I tried grabbing a small section coming off the pier.

I figure that by 9 am it was going to be pretty good. Tomorrow should be really good.

Today and yesterday

2008-09-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

Went out this morning and it was almost as good as yesterday. Peaks up and down the beach.

I tried to stay away from the pack and was just north of everyone. Saw a few people in the water I haven't seen in a while.

It was just a little smaller than yesterday.

I think it is going to get worse this week.

On a side note, I started using silicone ear plugs. They're pretty cool because you shape it to your ear.

I have to do some research on how safe it is though.

Ear Infection; 2nd session at Topanga

2008-09-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I joined a few friends at Topanga on Wednesday night. Was okay - still a lot of people. I saw a few guys get some super long rights.

The bad news is I have another ear infection. The worse news is my surfer's ear is getting worse. Apparently on a scale of 1 to 10 it's a 7. I have to figure out a way to keep it from getting worse.

My doctor says that I have to wear ear protection all the time now.

Man, do pro surfers go through the same thing? It kind of sucks.

First time at Topanga

2008-09-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

So I bit the bullet this morning and went up to Topanga to surf. It's a pretty fun spot - nice rights that are easily makeable. It's sort of like Sunset, but with more shape for a shortboard.

There was a significant crowd, so I posted up as far north of everyone as possible. I got a few sections, but couldn't seem to beat a certain section that would close out.

I accidentally cut someone off this morning too, so if you are reading this I apologize - I saw you at the last minute.

Sorry for not posting lately. I have surfed the following days since my last post:

Monday, September 1 - It was okay. Had to post up just north of the pier
Tuesday, September 2 - Same as the 1st
Friday, September 5 - Decent
Monday, September 8 - Big slabs and mostly closing out. There were a few quick lefts if you manned up.

Good weather and the waves were so-so

2008-08-25T10:07:00.001-07:00

Actually my session today was better than my last two from last week. (It was so bad I couldn't even write a post about it.)

This morning was decent. Some 1-2 footers with decent shape but the rides weren't too long. I can't wait until we get some swell in the water again.

Surf post from yesterday

2008-08-07T11:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was kind of fun - sort of - not really. The low tide provided some waves, but the shoulders were very rare and the end of the rides were gnarly (see: pic).

Last Saturday

2008-08-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

Full, but fun. There were a lot of people out and the surf was 3-4' with some occassional shoulders. I posted up in front of the north side lifeguard tower and got a few lefts and rights. Unfortunately, I had to do some maneuvering to make sure I didn't run anyone over.

Only a a few souls out

2008-07-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

After a week off from surfing I paddled out Saturday and today.

Saturday: big and closed out. I didn't catch a thing. Some guys north side were getting barrelled and pounded.

Today: small and closed out. If you took the smaller ones they were pretty good. As the tide filled in, the bigger ones became more makeable.

Not as good as I thought it would be

2008-07-18T14:04:00.001-07:00

Yeah, nothing much really. Just a peak every once and a while just north of the pier. Surfed a little bit with whiffleboy and then a few people showed up later. On a more interesting note - it was warm enough to trunk it again...

At least the weather is nice

2008-07-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

So today is another day of small surf.

Weather was good though - so good, in fact, that I was burning up in my wetsuit.

And... that is all I have to say for today.

Post for last Saturday

2008-07-14T10:19:00.001-07:00

Saturday kind of sucked. I thought the water was going to be warm, so I trunked it. I thought the waves were going to be decent so I brought the quad. Neither were true and I ended up freezing my butt off while trying to catch tiny closeouts.

I decided to sleep in today because I needed to catch up on my rest. Might go out tomorrow though.

Closed out and low tide

2008-07-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

I got out this morning at about 6:30 and there wasn't too much to be excited about. Low tide, fast, hardly any shoulders. The ends of the rides were pounders too.

I posted up North of the pier and got some rights... but like I said, you got pounded at the end of the ride. I had a few where the board got sucked out from under my feet and got turned around. I thought I was going to land on my fins for sure, but was lucky enough to escape.

Good weather, decent conditions

2008-07-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Low tide this morning made the surf a little tricky. You had to put yourself in good spots to get anything even remotely close to a ride.

I saw Brett and Ronnie when they were leaving and they both gave me the "ehhh" hand sign.

I ended up paddling out in front of the First North Lifeguard tower and got a few rights and lefts. They were a little gnarly so they were tough to get into.

Pretty fun

2008-07-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to me. I thought today was going to be a normal day, but it was actually pretty fun. There were peaks up and down the beach, so you could have picked other places aside from the pier.

I ended up surfing north side and had a few lefts and rights. The waves were slow to start and slammed you at the end of the ride. That was probably due to the low tide. When I left the water, it softened up a bit more and a lot more people were coming in.

Most of the waves were waist to shoulder high with occassional head high sets rolling through.

Mushy but fun

2008-06-26T09:14:00.001-07:00

Knee to waist high this morning with the occassional shoulder+ sets rolling through. It was pretty mushy when I first got out, but as the tide started getting lower, it started to get better. Got a few lefts and rights this morning that were worth thinking about at work.

Not too many people either, considering the water is warm. I probably could have trunked it this morning but it was cold on the way to the beach.

Leaving for Vegas this evening, so I won't be hitting the water till Monday.

NW + SW = FUN

2008-06-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Pretty good stuff this morning. Tide seemed like it was going down, but the shape and size was perfect for some fun surf.

I posted up right in front of the first lifeguard tower North Side because the pier had about 10 people by it. There were lefts and rights, but the lefts were actually more makeable than the rights.

Tomorrow conditions should be pretty much the same as today. I'll try to be out there ass early!

Yesterday

2008-06-22T09:27:00.001-07:00

Weather was awesome, got a chance to trunk it and spent most of my morning by myself northside. The only thing was almost everything was closing out. Got a left every once in a while, but could only get turns on the small to medium ones.

If you don't surf closeouts, you won't surf

2008-06-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Very chilly water temp this morning and the low tide basically made everything close out. The only place that looked even makeable was just north of the pier. Unfortunately there were already about 10 guys out when I got there.

I started out north side, but wasn't patient enough to wait my turn, so I ended up getting out and going south of the pier. I tried getting into a few lefts, but you definitely would get tossed into the spin cycle.

Tomorrow will probably be worse because the tide will hit bottom at about 6:00.

Funny I got a sequence on the report

2008-06-17T09:43:00.001-07:00

Weird that of all people I got a sequence on the surf report today. There must of been 6 other guys in the water when this was taken, but I guess my timing just worked out.

Surf slightly smaller today, with the plus sets still rolling through. Sun is out and the weather is warm, so it was definitely worth going out. Most of the sets were closeouts and the best place to be (as with every summer) was just north of the pier. I ended up posting up right in front of the first life guard tower and tried to get some scraps (occassional lefts and some rights).

Some big ones out there

2008-06-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Report from last Saturday:

I actually ended up surfing up by Bay Street in Santa Monica and the surf was, well, crappy. Hard to find a shoulder and tough to get any type of ride. It was funny too because an older lady told me, "It's not the wave, it's the surfer!"

Huh?

Report from today:

Some gnarly sets rolling through today. I posted up north of the pier this time, but couldn't find much of a ride. This was probably due to the fact that I kept going for the big monster ones. I had one pretty crazy left that I dropped in to - most likely the main reason I dropped in was because everyone was hollering for me to do it.

Smacked my head on the ground as I was trying to get out of the water too. Good times.

South side was a bad idea

2008-06-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Surf today was knee to waste high with 85% closeouts if you were not just north of the pier. I started out south side and got one decent ride the 30 minutes I was out there.

When the crowd left on the north side of the pier, me and 2 other guys snuck over and got some better waves. Unfortunately, I could only stay 15 minutes because I had to get to work.

Closed out

2008-06-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

95% of everything today was closed out. Was really tough finding any shoulders so for the most part I just dropped in and tucked my body.

There was also a pretty strong current going North. Walking waist deep you could feel the current take you towards the pier pretty fast. Today would have been better at a point break.