Summer is HERE!!!!

Summer announced itself in my world today when for the first time of the season I got a chance to paddleout with not wettie. I got so stoked to trunk it for the first time of the summer that it didn't even matter that the ocean was not producing the waves I was hoping for. Either way the session was pretty fun until that stupid yellow flag with a big black dot on it came out.

That has to be one of the things that really kills a summer surf session. I see that flag up and feel like a pirate who just got the black dot and realizes its over.... What is it about blackballing a section of the beach that they always choose the portion where the waves are breaking the best. Oh well, its the predicament that OC surfers are destined to deal with, that's why we must make those early treks to join the dawn patrol or wait until its too big for the swimmers and just right for us.

Having this trunked session here at the end of June gives hope as we go into July and August. I don't want to see a wetsuit again until September, but maybe that is a little too hopeful. Here is hoping for warm water and a great tan ;-).

Until next time...praying for surf.

204 Traditions

I know it has been quite some time since I really had a post about surfing, but I have been pretty busy these past couple weeks. Anyways..its not like I haven't been in the water, but I have been doing more instruction and surfing giant life rafts rather than surfing my boards and trying to really get waves. I just can't seem to justify surf camp as something to write about, now if there comes a day when the surf gets too good to resist and we make an early paddle out...then I may have some writing to do, but for the most part I will only be making entries concerning times when I get out there on a board of my choosing and shoot for some real waves.

Today, I got back to my roots from last year and make the trek on down to San Clemente for some 204 waves. I met up with Nick, who had gotten there before me, and brought the single fin down for him to try out. On my way..while I was chillin' in all the 405 commuter traffic..I got a phone call from Nick telling me that he was told there were no waves and that I shouldn't expect much when I got there; fortunately for us, when Nick checked the waves himself things had changed, the tide had gone out, and the waves were up. I rolled into the beach parking lot hopeful that I would be blessed by some fun sets, as the summer before had done so often. I hopped out my truck and peered down towards the beach to see head high sets rolling through. Nick and I met up and walked on down towards the shore, still seeing some fun sized waves, but noticing that things looked a little walled up. Regardless, we paddled out and found very quickly that we were in for a fun day. After a few waves, we were talking about how much we wished there was a camera around for Nick's first wave where he made the drop into a barrel, but missed with his back foot...his face was priceless. I had one where I had committed so much for the wave that I was already to my feet, and then realized it was going to wall up on me, so in trying not to go over the falls I sat back down and looked over the edge. Nick was laughing at the face I made, as though I was thoroughly frightened to go over edge and eat it.

All in all, we had a fun day out at 204, but no San Clemente session is ever complete without some Pedro's Tacos afterwards.

A couple fish tacos later, I was on the road headed back to Newport. I got more than just a good time tonight, I got a renewed passion to surf all over again. I hope this feeling never goes away.

Until next time...praying for surf.

I'm Back At It

It has been far longer than I care to admit since the last time that I have posted anything on this blog, but I really want to make an effort get back at it. Truth is that I really need a buddy to go surfing with..I am just so much less inspired to bring my camera when I have to paddle out on my own, plus with the small wave conditions lately I haven't had much to show.
Regardless, I am back with a post. This one isn't much. Nothing really all that cool, but I have a couple new drawing from my classes.


This one is just something that I came up with trying to draw a person that is a bit more realistic than the normal stick figures.
Looking at this one a little more closely I noticed that for once its obvious that the surfer is a goof troop. I guess when you ride with the right leading even the little drawing will result in that.


This one was another combined effort between Darrin and I. I had originally done the surfer boosting an air, when Darrin grabbed the page and added a lone spectator checking out the action from the beach.


Next week begins another summer of surf camp working at Salty Groms. I am really stoked to be back out there and in the water everyday. While I am stoked to be working that job, I still need to hold down the fort with a second job and I have a class over the summer. Needless to say I will be pretty busy this summer. Let's just hope that as things get going I can find a groove and find some joy out of this summer.
I am looking forward to getting out in the water as often as possible for the summer. Let's hope that I don't neglect the blog again.

Until next time...praying for surf.

Mother Nature is just looking out for you

Today I experienced one of the things that I've always wanted to do. So, for some background, I had a really long weekend chalk full of class and a crazy quick trip to Santa Barbara (and no surfing, what the heck!!), all to be followed by an insane Monday that started at 4:30am and wasn't over until almost 2:00am after some birthday celebrations for Greg. So anyways, I was really looking for some time to just relax and surf the new board I had just gotten before my crazy weekend. I had a paddleout yesterday that didn't really yield anything to be excited about. Today though, today was different. I made an attempt to go surf earlier in the day, but because I didn't feel like riding my bike and couldn't find parking I decided that I would have to make a second effort later today. Well I can't tell you how good of a decision that was.
Finding a place to park the second time around wasn't looking any better than the first try, but after a few minutes I found a spot for a quick sweep in. I really hate parallel parking, but it went off without a hitch, it was just too easy. I should have known that something was going to go down. Even putting on my wetsuit was surprisingly much easier than I could have imagined. I haven't had a such an easy time with a wetsuit since last summer during surf camp when I was using it every day. Yet another sign that all was right with the world. So I grabbed my board and headed out to check the conditions to find that there were quite a few surfers out in the water, but I didn't see any waves. Once I got to the water's edge and was slipping into the top half of my wettie I started to see just why everybody was out. The set came in and waves were clean!! I found myself getting ready to paddleout into the cleanest biggest waves I have seen at Jetties since I moved to Newport Beach. The ocean had spoken and I was there to hear what it had to say.
The paddleout was nice and easy, the next thing I knew I was right in the middle of the lineup with half of Newport. Even with so many bodies in the water I managed to grab a couple fun rights, but I kept hope alive that I would find that left I so longed for. A couple minutes later I saw a wave coming in and I was the only one in the right place for it. I started paddling for the wave and as it got closer I saw an opportunity for going left. Paddle, paddle, paddle, I had the wave and snapped to my feet. I know I always have a tendency to lean too far back from my snowboarding experience, so I made a point of leaning forward to make sure I didn't ruin my chance at this wave. I hit the bottom-turn and my nose was going under. I know what its like to go face first and I can't say that its my favorite thing to do. A quick little adjustment of my weight brings the nose out of the water and I am making my way down the line on a clean set wave that Jetties had gifted to me. My "little adjustment" slowed me up on my journey down the line, which set me back right under the crest of the breaking wave. I looked to my right and realized that I was having a new experience; there was water falling down and I was covered. Covered, but not submerged. Without meaning to, I had found some shade and spent a couple seconds in the green room. I always watch videos where people are getting shacked and there are shots from in the tube, but until you really feel it for yourself there is no way to explain the feeling on being barreled.
I don't have any picture, but I wish I did. Story of my life though. My best waves never have evidence. I need some homies to photog my adventures. Oh well, that's the way things go sometimes. The Panda board did its job, and the third time taking it out found me with some crazy surf stoke.

The experience is crazy. All of a sudden I have that crazy surf stoke again. The stoke you get after catching your first wave and then all you can think about is where that next one is coming from. You always remember the first wave, and I am sure I will never forget the experience of the first time I got barreled. I always thought it would be cool to get shacked, and it is, but it happened so fast I feel like I need so much more in order to get that feeling back. I'm an addict. And I love it.

It was hot out there today, but the ocean tried to help me keep from getting a sunburn. How nice of Mother Nature to be looking out for me like my own mother does.

Until next time...praying for surf.

There is a Panda in the water!!!

So...yup...its 1:30am and I super hopped up on Monster Energy Drink so that I could finish a paper that I have due tomorrow. Unfortunately, my day tomorrow starts at 4:30am and isn't done until 9:45pm. Oh well. I owe a post from Friday, but didn't have a chance to write anything. I made it so far as to upload a couple pictures onto the Flickr account, but didn't have that opportunity to give the blog some love. So...seeing as how I cannot sleep right now anyways. Here is some love to the virtual world.

Last Thursday I decided to make a new purchase of an actual shortboard. I have a fish, and a big @$$ single fin, but still didn't have anything that could really perform in Newport as things get bigger. I made an investment in a 6'0 roundtail shortboard. I am super stoked on the dims and its buoyancy for my weight. Oh...and by the way, the board has the Enjoi panda logo on the bottom; so expect that it will forever be known as the panda board. The stoke level on the panda alone is pretty lofty, but I guess that would be quite a long story to explain. Try to understand its all a joke, but if you need to know that story don't be afraid to ask. Maybe that's a rainy day post to explain everything. Anyhoo.... On Friday I made the time to give it a paddleout before my crazy weekend with school on Friday and all day Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the set waves were actually pretty fun even though the report said that everything would be pretty shabby. The first waves I paddled for on the new "Panda" board was awesome, it caught the wave and accelerated down the line so smoothly I couldn't believe I hadn't been working with performance boards before. Needless to say, I have been itching to get back on that board for another go at what I think may become the go to board, unless its just too small.

I guess there really isn't that much to say, but I felt as though I owed the post and wanted to share my stoke on the panda in the water.

I guess I forget that not everyone may understand what its like to live where we are at. Here is a taste of home...

I basically pull out and round the corner to this view. It's really hard to complain about anything when this is practically your backyard.

Until next time...praying for surf.