12/31/05 Marin surf check

[hop]

With the stories of epic deluge coming in from local sources as well as freshies' Tahoe thread, I decided to wait until the tide started to go out before checking the surf. The newly discovered cam (thanks Agent 00X) hadn't been updated but all sources led me to believe that if I could make it out there, it'd be decent.
Numerous mudslides and superpuddles made highway 1 a bit interesting but I finally made it out to Muir.... only to be stuffed by a big flood zone. CalTrans said it was about waist deep in the middle. I contemplated paddling out but decided I'd better check the actual surf before committing.


I took the back route to the beach and checked it out. Pretty fair out there, with some sets coming in at head high give or take, and some semblance of regularity and shape to the waves. Two guys were already out so I observed the situation.

I was about to head back to the car and suit up when I noticed that one of the guys was struggling a bit. Seems he broke his board and snapped his leash and was getting thrashed pretty bad and sucked into the rocks while trying to get back to the beach. His pal didn't notice the situation so after deciding that guy was 1. definitely trying to get in and 2. definitely not succeeding to get in, I called out to him to pick up his buddy. He did and they were both able to get back to the beach after a bit of a struggle. They were trying to get to the beach right where a depression in the beach was funnelling all sorts of backwash out to sea so I bet if they had paddled parallel to the beach out of the undertow they wouldn't have had a problem.

I never did paddle out...didn't feel comfy heading into that chocolate milk solo.

Edit: Another good reason to let things settle was the amount of large woody debris in the surf zone. There were a couple of bushes out there but what I was really worried about were the railroad ties.

[Agent 00X]

Whoa! Pelican Inn must be kinda damp.

muircam had me thinking surf for sunday but high runoff/flood zone canceled that.

Glad the guy in distress made it to the beach OK, parallel to the beach probably would have been an easier return to the beach.

[Agent 00X]

Cosco Busan oil spill cleanup at Muir 11-12-07: