Anyone else get some today...?

[jtran10]

Black Friday swell showed up Saturday AM for us, and was alright. Nice size, great conditions until around 11 AM, but kind of inconsistent. Really dropped off for Sunday AM.

Been in the water a lot, consistently fun but nothing too mind blowing. We'll see what this storm brings this week.

[Ottime]

how big are you talking? no need to ditch the longboard if you're comfortable on it. you'll get into waves earlier and paddle back out faster. if it's bigger beach break with no deep spots to paddle out thru, you may have a bit of trouble getting out.

Depends on the wave. With long period swell, the speed of the wave can be a lot to deal with on a LB, unless you are very good at it. Much easier to learn how to ride a high volume short board, and then negotiate that through a solid swell IMO.

McP, I would look for a full volume or 'big boy' shortboard to play around on, and get used to that in the waist high stuff and work your way up from there. You may even find an egg to ease the transition. A 7'6" egg will have a lot less volume than a LB, but be a lot easier to turn, without much of a loss of stability. The biggest difference will be having less glide, requiring you to be more 'under' the wave in order to catch it. As you move to a SB, you will lose quite a bit of stability, and need to be even deeper to catch, but turns more like a race car and less like a bus.

[Atrain505]

^I'd vote to stick with a longboard while you are comfortable with it. Having watched my wife struggle for years with an egg and then switch to a longboard she went from barely catching anything to surfing head high and a half long period waves. They aren't barrelling but they are plenty juicy. Granted she nose dived a lot at first but at least she was getting into them. Then she figured it out and I've seen her take some super late drops on her longboard now.

But she is also 5 foot 2 110lbs so she needs all the help she can get as far as paddling speed (shrimpy arms). With my own surfing I started on an egg when I was first learning and actually got decent in one summer because I was surfing everyday. But once I stopped surfing every day and only one weekend a month during the summers and none during the winters my surfing regressed. Bought a longboard and immediately improved all my surfing, including short boarding. It reignited the stoke and for many years now I am surfing as much as humanly possible living 5 hours away from real surf. I guess the point is, if you are only ok to begin with, and you are not in paddle shape, I found with myself and witnessed with my wife that sticking with a longboard can be a very good thing to improve your surfing and confidence in all types of waves...then progress to a shortboard. There is no doubt a shortboard is way more fun when it is waist and up. It's been a while since I surfed a longboard in head high and up conditions but it was always ridiculously fun as well...like 95% instead of 105%. Basically the long and the short of it is with a longboard you will spend more time standing up on waves and that equals more fun and quicker learning at the beginning stages.

If you are going to surf everyday for a month or more then I definitely agree with Ott. No matter what it will be a blast.

[P_McPoser]

Thanks for the advice guys, will report back in early Jan.

[Ottime]

Yeah, and I just suck at longboarding more than I suck at shortboarding. Anything more than chest high and I feel like I am trying to keep the nose up, and slowly get the thing turning. But I do get out 3-5 times a week most weeks, so the arms are in decent shape typically.

[P_McPoser]

Yeah, at my arm fitness I am a big fan of low tide and walking halfway out

[Tectonically_Neglected]

Wintery conditions yesterday: massive side/ offshore wind, 3degrees C, and chest+ lines rolling in. So much fun!

I'm getting better: at the beginning of the year I'd hardly catch a wave in conditions like this, due to me being to scared (waves seem pretty big when you're lying on your stomach ;-) ). I couldn't find the right spot to wait for waves or didnt dare paddle in closer to shore. Yesterday I caught a few really nice peelers, carved down the line and was close to a mini cover up.

To get an impression:

http://surfed.nl/sessions/2014/141203/
photo creds: Surfed.nl

PS Surfing is so fugging cool.

[thewon]

looks fun, TN!

[jtran10]

Dawn patrol this morning at the spot on the cliffs closest to my place (piggity, if you're around you'll know the one). Surprisingly easy paddle out through the inside, but just as I thought I was clear a big set came through and added 5-10 minutes to the paddle. Ugh. Not much of a channel at this spot, so as size keeps picking up through the weekend I think I'll need a new spot.

Had a couple fun drops, but it seems like my local gets overwhelmed over 6' or so, and closes out too quickly. Still a fun morning with offshore conditions. Yet again we're at the start of that swell where I realize I need a board for more critical, and larger, waves.

Biggest positive this morning was getting back into the headspace of more size, thinking about every move you make in the water, etc. Sounds like I'll have to sit Friday out when we get DOH (skill + equipment), but I'm off work so thinking I'll go check out LJ Cove and watch the action.

[Piggity]

^Nice, those reefs are a lot of fun. Glad you're scoring. Looks like S winds on Friday, usually means a lot of action at scripps. So if the cove isn't doing it's thing then drive up the road and check the action south of the pier, best barrel of my life there during a similar storm many moons ago. If it's a windswell/groundswell combo with S/SE winds then the barrel action will be perfecto at the right tide. I'll continue to miss out, 10 months dry docked and counting.

[Ottime]

I'm only on drydock for a week or so. Damn old man's back. Surfed Monday in lumpy, basically crappy, head high surf and over extended on a bumpy top turn. Surfed one more wave in, but knew I was done. Next day surfed popped to 9-10'@14-15s from 290^. A 12-14'@17s from 290^ rode in over that today. Watched Middles for maybe 5 minutes. One plus set came in during that time. Shot a few pics, which I hope to find some time to sort through. Best guess right now is t was a 15' peak. Scotts would have been significantly bigger, and more powerful and lined up. Mavs must have had some bombs today. Oh, and glassy as fuck the past two days. South winds come up for us overnight. Swell could increase. Almost tempted to drive to Monterey and visit the aquarium, just so I can get a view of Lovers and Boneyards. everywhere else up here will be total Victory at Sea. Hope no one drowns.

jtran, what is your biggest board? A decent 6.6 will get you into DOH, even some plus. Doubt you guys really have a need for much bigger, unless you are searching out the peaks in PV or R. Overhead. Still, not even sure how big those get. Looks for something 2L (or more) bigger than your standard shortboard. Round pin, and bigger, stiffer fins help as well. I was out last week on my 6.6 in 10-15' surf, fairly clean, and very glassy. It felt fine, even on the bigger drops. . And so much easier to turn than my 7.6.

[jtran10]

jtran, what is your biggest board? A decent 6.6 will get you into DOH, even some plus. Doubt you guys really have a need for much bigger, unless you are searching out the peaks in PV or R. Overhead. Still, not even sure how big those get. Looks for something 2L (or more) bigger than your standard shortboard. Round pin, and bigger, stiffer fins help as well. I was out last week on my 6.6 in 10-15' surf, fairly clean, and very glassy. It felt fine, even on the bigger drops. . And so much easier to turn than my 7.6.

My everyday board is a 6' 2" hybrid quad (Rusty Piranha) that I surf almost everyday here. Besides that I have a 7' something old guy board that a friend who moved away gifted me, and my log. The Piranha needs replacing soon as it's fading and likely not 100% watertight anymore, so unfortunately that's where my board money needs to go I think.

[Ottime]

How much money do you plan to spend. There is a factory board place in OC that makes and sells for about $300 a piece. No idea on quality.

Don't really know model boards, but if you can swing two boards. Sell the 7.0. Unless you are a big guy, it likely serves no purpose. Foam distribution would be wrong for bigger powerful surf. Maybe ok in lumpier softer stuff, but would feel corky in juice.

Anyway, if you have liked your Rusty, get something like that. Could even go shorter, wider, looser a bit. Then something 6.6-6.8, tighter tail, more volume, thruster.

How good of condition is the 7.0? Or looked for something well used. You won't get many days on your step up board typically, except maybe in a real good winter. Anyway, they last longer in my experience. And if you only use it once or twice a week, it can dry out between sessions.


Total Victory at Sea today. Looks awesome. Would not doubt a few find some in the deep nooks and crannies. And PG could be having a very good day.

[jtran10]

ott, don't really have a number in mind. thanks for the tips though. I should start swinging through the local shops more frequently to see what they have used for sale. This local place generally has a ton of boards, but condition can be iffy: http://www.coconutpeets.com/

[Ottime]

And if you don't already have some basic fiberglass skills, find some. A little skill can make your bigger, less used boards last a long long time. My 8'4" is going on two decades and still rides te same as she was designed for.

[Tectonically_Neglected]

Another winterish surf session @ 4degr C and strong SW winds that added to the wind chill! Still got some super nice shoulder - HH walls. Super stoked as I made more progress today and did my first (kinda) real cut back (I know, I'm still way, way kook but having a ton of fun all the same :-) )

Even got caught on film today!
http://www.surfed.nl/sessions/2014/141214/
(Pics courtesy of surfed.nl)

(I'm the guy with the white sleeves/ red legs wetsuit)

[Ottime]

Sweet. It is always fun to get a few pics. I learned a while back that I always hold my hand like a kid playing guns. You guys are hard core. And who gives a shit about how much a kook you are. It is about having fun.

[supermodel159]

Lots of waves down here, but dirty water from the recent storm runoff.

[Ottime]

^^^^I know a few folks who headed your way to avoid the storm surf here last Wed/Thur/Fri. Another solid swell is hitting right now, but byt the looks of the buoy winds last night, fully expect more storm surf today.

[supermodel159]

^ Those days were all good surf-wise. Likely they scored.

[jtran10]

Really fun weekend down here. Surfed Friday and Sunday (rain Friday) and still not sick, so hopefully I win!

Friday built all day and then the wind shifted at like 3:30 to blow straight offshore. Glassy, offshore, 6-8 feet I'd say (not as big as predicted) on Friday from 3:30 through sunset. Just me and 2 guys out. The SSW windswell really helped break up the groundswell, and there were some great waves. Just had a handful but my confidence is growing enormously every time I get out and it's above HH.

Saturday I took a look but it was unruly and did some family-time stuff with the GF and her dad. Spent a good 20 minutes watching people try to get out of the water at Garbage at a medium-high tide. Yikes.

Sunday AM session was glassy, a bit more of a crowd that kept me away from the more known breaks, but my spot was shoulder-head high still, and lefts for days. One of those sessions where I felt like I got the most/best waves out there of the 15ish surfers spread across 100 yards at my spot.

If the wind isn't to bad heading out in just a few mins once I'm home from work. Old WNW falling while new WNW builds in.

[jtran10]

My last post disappeared I think?

[jtran10]

I guess not, but it's not showing up for me in my browser. I can see my last two posts in the TGR app though. Anyway...

Yesterday I think may have been the biggest day for swell yet this past week down here. Surfline called it 5-8 again, but it was definitely bigger than last week's 5-8, and had more power at about 17s rather than 13-14s.

Paddled out last night with some mild offshores (love these storms, we never get offshores at 4pm!) and got one wave, but mainly got worked. Took a few clean up sets on the head, didn't make a drop on a set wave and got sent straight into the pit, and then it got dark and I was still in need of a wave home. Ended up having to ride the whitewater in since I didn't want to be out alone in bigger surf in the dark. Hadn't been worked like that yet in my short surfing "career". Putting the power of the ocean back into perspective.

Had a couple hours this morning to head out, but ended up sleeping in. Tide too high, S winds, some wonky windswell mixing in.

Should get real good again this weekend.

[Ottime]

Yup. Tomorrow looks solid. Light winds, long period and deep water swell likely in excess of twelve feet. In fact, things look to be good right up till Christmas at least.

[jtran10]

May try to pull off the morning ski, afternoon surf tomorrow, but not convinced Baldy is worth the time. Still haven't done that combo yet since moving here.