Anyone else get some today...?

[Ottime]

Damn. I keep forgetting it's closed both ways. Maybe a bike in from the north? It'll never be this uncrowded again. I did a trip South to Monterey a few weeks back with the intention of getting the river mouth on the new puddle jumper. That whole park is closed due to the river flooding and wiping out the beach. I thought about making the blind rush, but family en tow made me think twice. Nothing will slow your run like your wife getting busted.

We went to the road closure at Gorda, south of Plaskett. There was a Caltrans dude stationed there and a sign that said no bikes no peds. I imagine it is the same at all closures. Maybe a stealth 4 AM mission. The climb to Nepanthe would be a killer.

[Ottime]

Jackstraw, to better answer your question, no, they won't enforce it. The town manager even said so. No penalty for breaking the ban. It seems this response is codified in some shark incident response plan. The 1 mile/ 4 day thing is laid out in the plan. You can enter the water on the far side of the San Lorenzo River which is one of the sharkiest places in town near shore as there is no kelp bed and the water is deep just off the beach. No to mention that a shark could cover the entire distance in a matter of minutes, not days.

Anyway, the ban sounds more like protection against a getting sued by a tourist.

I think it sucks the amount of money and resources that were spent today just to get people out of the water.

Surf classes will remain suspended. And the Junior Guard classes won't have water time. But we have two southern hemi souths and one tropical sse arriving tomorrow. And it is my birthday. I'll be surfing.

[jackstraw]

Yeah, when I read a mile out, it was like yeah, no shit...sharks live in the ocean! Close the beaches? Obviously the shark doesn't like the taste of fiberglass or plastic and didn't eat the kayaker either.
The beauty of SC is that kelp bed to keep those mistaken identity accidents at bay.

[PowerWhore7]

meh, there could be shark bitten body parts floating around the line up and I still wouldn't miss this swell...Trestles is fucking lined up and has been pumping all week

[BS720]

Is that the river mouth that's pretty sharky for some reason?

That's a good question. I've probably been out there ten times, and I've never seen a shark, dolphin or seal. Lots of fish, though. There may be fish in the river now, but normally it's a tiny stream, so wouldn't think there's lots of food moving around the mouth in the traditional definition of river mouth. Where you sit in the lineup when it's head high is probably 6' deep and gin clear to the cobblestone bottom. I've been out at least seven times just me and the sharks. Weekends are different.

HBD, OTT. Get some today.

[Ottime]

Surfed county line this early morning. Too low of a tide but I got barreled. Twice. Was actually pretty damn fun, chest high to slightly overhead, clean, hollow and fast. Then the crowd showed up. Figure it was the shark scare, so I got out (water was freezing, and after two hours I noticed I was shivering), drove home, grabbed the longboard, and hit Cowells. Plenty of folks out, but generally really uncrowded. Surfed for two more hours. Got five over. Not a bad morning.

Drove past the lane on the way home and that also looked less crowded than expected. Yay shark ban!

[jackstraw]

meh, there could be shark bitten body parts floating around the line up and I still wouldn't miss this swell...Trestles is fucking lined up and has been pumping all week

Yeah...but...you're...a...KOOK!

[PowerWhore7]

^^after yesterdays performance no one would argue that fact lol

[Ottime]

I had a short window this morning. A few too many beers last night made that a little shorter as I missed my pre dawn wake up. Made the call to stay local and not drive up the coast looking for something working on the low tide. I imagine it might have been killer at county line, but, well, I made a call. Headed to cowells with the lb. Perhaps the best long boarding waves I have ever surfed in my life. The biggest set waves were just a hair overhead, with a nose ride curl peeling for 200 yards, then it would back off, set up again about shoulder high and reel for another 50 yards. After this, the wave backed off a bit, but if you wanted to, you could ride another 100 yards and eventually catch up to the left hander beach break, cut back, and ride the left for twenty five more yards. Unbelievable.

And with teh Shark Ban, the lineup was not empty, but nearly everyone out there knew how to surf well. Usually you share a Cowells wave with 2-9+ other people, but you just try to avoid them, and the 50 other folks road blocking the trim, and line up the good sections. While there were some drop ins today, most people were playing by a different set of rules, and rarely paddling once someone caught the peak. Throw in plenty of waist to shoulder high sets, and there were maybe five of us waiting* at the peak. I very much enjoyed my last wave in cruising an overhead section on the nose for the length of a soccer pitch, with not a person anywhere even thinking about joining in on the wave.

*after you paddled back from the inside, the wait between sets was between -1 minute, to maybe 4 minutes. There was one terrible lull of 8 minutes today. Insufferable.

[Ottime]

Damn. I keep forgetting it's closed both ways. Maybe a bike in from the north? It'll never be this uncrowded again. I did a trip South to Monterey a few weeks back with the intention of getting the river mouth on the new puddle jumper. That whole park is closed due to the river flooding and wiping out the beach. I thought about making the blind rush, but family en tow made me think twice. Nothing will slow your run like your wife getting busted.

I had a friend try to get into Molera yesterday. They got stopped 100 yards from the beach and sent back. Report is that entire area was flooded out from this winter and the river is now super wide. Asilomar was good and calm yesterday. I'd guess Spanish Bay would have been on fire.

I've never seen sharks at Molera, but they are reported to spend a lot of time just south of Pt Sur. I surfed the beacj just north of Pt Sur once. Not a foot print on the beach. Got home and learned there have been two surfer fatalities there. It was an excellent wave, but I never went back.

[jackstraw]

I had a short window this morning. A few too many beers last night made that a little shorter as I missed my pre dawn wake up. Made the call to stay local and not drive up the coast looking for something working on the low tide. I imagine it might have been killer at county line, but, well, I made a call. Headed to cowells with the lb. Perhaps the best long boarding waves I have ever surfed in my life. The biggest set waves were just a hair overhead, with a nose ride curl peeling for 200 yards, then it would back off, set up again about shoulder high and reel for another 50 yards. After this, the wave backed off a bit, but if you wanted to, you could ride another 100 yards and eventually catch up to the left hander beach break, cut back, and ride the left for twenty five more yards. Unbelievable.

That wave is unbelievable. That would be too big for me. I'd like to be out there when it's smaller, but still breaking for miles...with all the other kooks because I am full kook. Getting a new board this week. My kids picked out and 8' 4 pin tail. New suit too...they are my nemesis, but this is a flexy 3/2, so hopefully I can get out of the damn thing. I've only been in trunks last several times in the water...which hasn't been much in the past several yrs.

[Ottime]

You probably would be fine. It is ultimately a very gentle wave. Most of the wet waves were chest to head high with just a few bigger. Easy enough to paddle through for the most part.

If it were not for the shark ban there would be plenty more kooks in the water. There were several people over the past two days who were very new to surfing. I even had one person not figure out where to paddle as I was coming down the line. I was coming close to her, but around her, when she jumped off her board sending into me. Minor bumping of boards and I continued on my way, but she full on kook panicked.

Today there was slightly less kookiness, but it was there for sure.

I've got to be home by 6:55am tomorrow. Plan to be in the water by 5:10. First light through the fog.

[jackstraw]

Ott, you're underestimating the level of my kookiness.

My kids rip...not me.

[Long duc dong]

It has been pumping all week in Orange County. I got a late morning session at 36th in Newport. Fun, but a bit bouncy with the tide coming up. Surfline was reporting that the water was 70, that is not true, I would say mid-60's.

[PowerWhore7]

Saw a shark breach at Old Mans today, 6-8ft white...kept surfing like a kook though

[Ottime]

Swell was pumping as I got out at 7:30 this morning. My window got extended to 7:55, so I head north and got some barrels again. Fun morning on the 6.0. That thing feels so small and easy to turn. Head high waves; some reeling. Decent conditions, but even at first light it could have used a little more water. This entire swell would have been insane on the afternoon full tides, along the north coast, except for that demon wind. Oh well.

SJ, huddge kooks surf Cowells. I know it can get heavy in winter and even near shore on a big south, but that wave is so gentle, I've never been out on a day and think I see people in over their head. It really is a perfect beginner wave. And a lot of fun on the right long board. I ride a log out there. 9.3, 30#, D fin, nearly no rocker and kind of narrow. Not a nose rider, but that would be super fun. Anyway, any day you paddle out, there will be a very good chance you are not the biggest kook out, no matter how kooky you may be. It is good like that.

[Ottime]

Smaller today, but still fun out there. Thigh to head high (lots of swells backing off brings variable conditions). Still found a barrel this morning. Fun run of swell. Might still get some tomorrow and then that is it for a while. Headed to NYC and then Maine. Would be cool if y'all could churn up some east coast tropi swell.

[Long duc dong]

Still fun today in Newport, but things have dropped. Surfed from 930 to 1230, lots of fun for the first hour and a half, then the tide started messing with it and things got warbly. It was sunny, and I just stayed out, looking for one last good one for 45 minutes even though conditions were deteriorating. I surfed 56-68, there was a strong current. The water is about 64, it has cooled down since the middle of last week. I love how consistent the swell is here. After learning to surf in Santa Barbara I appreciate summer swell.

[Ottime]

64 sounds amazingly toasty. I wore a hood and gloves today. King of wish I had put on the hooded r3.

Still found a barrel today even with the smaller swell. Wondering what will be left tomorrow.

[jackstraw]

Stoopid warm water yesterday! 69-70 degrees

[Ottime]

Are you on the Cape? I'm planning on bringing a 2mil suit for ME, but won't need that if it is 70F water.

Have these rain makers been bringing y'all any waves?

[jackstraw]

Are you on the Cape? I'm planning on bringing a 2mil suit for ME, but won't need that if it is 70F water.

Have these rain makers been bringing y'all any waves?

No, cowhampshire. It was blowing onshore, so with a combo of that and the currents it just was super warm yesterday. It could be different today. We've had little longboard waves recently and maybe a bump the end of this week.

[jtran10]

Heading down to La Fonda area over Labor Day for a surf/wine/taco trip with some friends. Will have 5 nights in SD prior to heading further south; should have ample time for some sessions there as well. Psyched!

[jtran10]

Anyone know if there's anything worth surfing generally in August at Gold Bluffs Beach (Prairie Creek Redwoods SP)? We're going on a 10 day biking/hiking/camping road trip to the north coast, up to Eugene, over to Bend, then back to SLC.

We've got a night booked at Golf Bluffs Beach, and two in Jed Smith Redwoods (just inland of Crescent City), but otherwise won't really be "on the coast". Could bring a 4/3, booties, gloves, and boards if necessary. And I guess we could drive up the 101 to Eugene instead of the 5, but adds about 1.5 hours. Worth it?

[Ottime]

LaFonda is fun.

I surfed a few times on a road trip up 101 in CA/OR. If I were to do the same trip again, I'd leave the gear at home. Never found quality surf and only got in the water to use the gear.

I don't know Golf Bluffs or Crescent City well, so I can't answer specifics. But if you don't get detailed info, I'd go based on my first comment. OTOH, if you leave the gear at home and see a good wave in front of your camp spot, that would kind of suck. Good luck on the research.