***Official 2022 Community Surf Journal***

Mr J

Michael Peterson status
Aug 18, 2003
2,250
1,454
113
Regional Vic, Australia
2 days of surfing with one of surf-skating in between them. Surfing in variable conditions in the open ocean, 2 sessions per day. Some good sessions where my choreographed moves went to plan - stocked. Surf skate day also 2 sessions per day, plus a bit of skate on my surf days.

Figured out how to slide the tail on flat bank on my smoothstar. Early morning in the park is quiet. I had an arvo session when it was so hot that the posse of teenagers were flaked out under the shade by the time I arrived. A late evening session where I hoped to get it quiet, but it wasn't. When one of the skate dads saw me on my smoothstar, he rolled his out and joined me, giving me some tips :) Rest today, surf tomorrow.

 

oeste858

Phil Edwards status
Sep 11, 2017
6,931
17,273
113
San Diego, CA
Another day of low tide fun at one of my winter stand by Spots. I tried to paddle around the inside And out instead of the normal paddle out north of the peak. It almost worked but the current swept me under the pack as a set came in, two guys decided to party wave one in front of me, I should’ve been in the clean but the deeper dude lost balance and swerved towards me. I got popped in the arm and on my board but both were fine. So far the glassing on both my epoxy von sols has been amazing. I made it out after that in time to watch all the loccs send it on easily the best set I’ve seen at this spot so far this winter, pitching off the drop then running down The line. All of them made admirable attempts but got slammed In the barrel. I was up next and…. Got dropped in on by a SBD just far enough down the line to make it impossible To make. SBD’s been all over me this week. I got two fun rights after that with some mellow off the tops, one big float and cuttys. I tried waiting for another big set but got impatient. Got a bunch more fun insiders before the current wore me down and I called it on a racey left against the grain. Been an epic five day run! I’m loving my fish step up
That’s so sh%tty that SBD has been following you around all week and stuffing you on the sets. What a jerk.
 

b.r.

Phil Edwards status
Dec 19, 2003
5,921
3,033
113
Leucadia
www.youtube.com
surfed 7 of the last 8 days, been riding the 5'8 kenson pleasure pig, the flat quad shape loves glassy conditions and that is what we have had for days and days. Picking and choosing reefs around town based on tides and crowds, had some moments where I really felt like a decent surfer in this run, I can even get out of my front zip 4/3 without assistance most days.. yewwwww
 

b.r.

Phil Edwards status
Dec 19, 2003
5,921
3,033
113
Leucadia
www.youtube.com
surfed 7 of the last 8 days, been riding the 5'8 kenson pleasure pig, the flat quad shape loves glassy conditions and that is what we have had for days and days. Picking and choosing reefs around town based on tides and crowds, had some moments where I really felt like a decent surfer in this run, I can even get out of my front zip 4/3 without assistance most days.. yewwwww
and just like that, i just stepped outside and it feels like the wind is up and blowing onshore pretty well.
 

j_mac

Legend (inyourownmind)
Aug 16, 2020
418
1,567
93
Another fun morning on the Twinsman split between solid beach break and small rocky point break. The more I surf the Twinsman in varying conditions, the more I realize how friendly this board is to surf. After a number of good surf sessions over the last week, today around the 3hr mark, I started feeling the intercostals on my right side. It was time to stop and let the body recover even though I wanted to continue.
 

oeste858

Phil Edwards status
Sep 11, 2017
6,931
17,273
113
San Diego, CA
After being on a jobsite and running between vendors all morning, I got the green light from Mrs Oeste for an early afternoon surf. In the car, I had Aipa cont. fish, AO, and Townsend. Quick check of the zone and grabbed the AO for the punchy shoulder-high+ wedges at dropping tide Reef 4.
About 10-15 guys out, but some familiar faces and fun sets coming through. Sat on the far north side of the pack, just inside the furthest guys out. Got some wedge-y lefts that let me do 3 big BS carves, and a few rights that I was just too deep for and couldn't connect past the second closeout section. Got blasted on one I tried to backdoor the closeout section, but otherwise the conditions were pretty playful for the size (HH sets). The cleanest walls were probably the inside right, which I caught a couple of as I was paddling back out.

Man, the AO is gonna take some time to figure out. Very different from my other twins- certainly less fishy. Felt very loose when releasing from turns but never felt like it was going to spin out, if that makes sense. Was hyper responsive to adjustments. Tried to fade a little on big drop, and it just locked in and shot me straight towards the left, and I by the time I recovered I missed the section. Had some good turns and moments but never felt like I surfed an entire wave well. Sigh.
 
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Kento

Duke status
Jan 11, 2002
68,682
20,891
113
The Bar
For every yin there is a yang. Been on such an adrenaline high for two days, gonna have to come down. Ribs still hurting from that fin shot yesterday, probably should not have gone today as paddling was pretty painful. Only made worse after having to muscle through 4 separate sets on the way out. Friends heard me cussing and knew it was me. :roflmao:

Surfed my usual 6'6" which was right call but should have disregarded nearby ocean report. Wore my 4/3 and water was not the 59 as advertised. My testicles noticed this right away as they shriveled up towards my esophagus. But it was a good reminder how fucking beautiful that 5/4 Hyperfreak is. Yes, some water gets flushed into the hood and down the ol' torso when pummeled but night and day - I forgot how cold I must have been all last year. Anyways, got a few waves that were pretty fun (sets were still a few feet overhead) but then nolibos burned me on a trashburger left, went in, and then waves turned to absolute sh!t. Just backing off, not breaking, current pulling out hard on top of it. Got one left that actually wasn't completely horrible and in. Tide was about to drop and waves probably getting better but ribs were killing me and, meh, there will be more waves in extreme near future.

Went up the coast later mushroom hunting. For first foray, not horrible. Good day. Beat to sh!t and nursing a few coldies.
 

bluengreen

Michael Peterson status
Oct 22, 2018
1,763
4,641
113
SF x Encinitas
6-8 foot lowtide GLASS at sunset. Grabbed the 6'8 Blackbird without even checking it. I'm kinda stuck between pointy and not pointy boards right now. After riding my fatty 8'6 all week, it was a bit of an adjustment to be on the narrow, rockered-out Blackbird. Probably close to a 25 liter difference to boot. Anyway, 6'8 seemed like the right board for the conditions.

Looked so small compared to previous days, I didn't even check it, just jumped in and started to paddle. Ocean had it out for me today, my friends.

20 minutes, a million duckdives, and a nausea-inducing ice-cream headache later (forgot my hood), I made it outside. Got a quick right, slightly fumbled my footing on takeoff but recovered for the bottom turn and got a slash before it shouldered out. Back out quick and the sets kept rolling in. Left rolled through. In early, stayed high and pumped down the line, off the bottom it got frothy which threw off my top turn. Got stuck in the lip and sucked over the falls. Rolled, stuffed, and pinned to bar. Surprised by how worked I was getting, but was in a small wave mentality, so thought I could fight to the surface. Energy kept dragging me down. Finally pushed off, took a big stroke and found the surface 8 feet above me, as I gasped for air. Looked up and a dredging bitch of a wave was right there. But this was just the beginning.

Came up from that one and a 15 minute set commenced. I was in the impact zone getting pounded on that bar and watching dudes get SHACKED 10 yards in front of me. After 10 minutes, I was pushed in pretty far. I started yelling STOP! at the relentless motherfooker ocean. Finally back outside, I caught my breath and more sets started rolling in. Another right came my way. In early, I get a big pump and come off the bottom as hard as I can. Haven't ridden a board with a tail this narrow in a while, and I can feel my toes hanging off the the edge and the board feels twitchy, so I ease up. In to the lip for a mellow turn, then back down to do it again. Feel more stable pushing hard this time, project into the lip and put some torque into it this time, driving the board through the lip and the fins out the back. Belly in to the beach and take in another spectacular sunset. What a run of waves and weather we've had. Major respect to OB. I surfed at the peak of the swell Tuesday, Saturday, and today. Today was by far the worst beating. This place will light you up on an average day.
 
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nolibos

OTF status
Oct 24, 2019
193
390
63
Central California
For every yin there is a yang. Been on such an adrenaline high for two days, gonna have to come down. Ribs still hurting from that fin shot yesterday, probably should not have gone today as paddling was pretty painful. Only made worse after having to muscle through 4 separate sets on the way out. Friends heard me cussing and knew it was me. :roflmao:

Surfed my usual 6'6" which was right call but should have disregarded nearby ocean report. Wore my 4/3 and water was not the 59 as advertised. My testicles noticed this right away as they shriveled up towards my esophagus. But it was a good reminder how fucking beautiful that 5/4 Hyperfreak is. Yes, some water gets flushed into the hood and down the ol' torso when pummeled but night and day - I forgot how cold I must have been all last year. Anyways, got a few waves that were pretty fun (sets were still a few feet overhead) but then nolibos burned me on a trashburger left, went in, and then waves turned to absolute sh!t. Just backing off, not breaking, current pulling out hard on top of it. Got one left that actually wasn't completely horrible and in. Tide was about to drop and waves probably getting better but ribs were killing me and, meh, there will be more waves in extreme near future.

Went up the coast later mushroom hunting. For first foray, not horrible. Good day. Beat to sh!t and nursing a few coldies.
Just for the record: Kento's "NO!" sounds a lot like "GO!"
 

Mr Doof

Duke status
Jan 23, 2002
24,855
7,752
113
San Francisco, CA
Saturday - Got to shore and found it blocked by SFFD and Park Rangers. Talked with Friend #1 about going south, and he had kid volleyball tournament to go to later so he could not. So I went south to some San Mateo County spot. Had less than great time on an older 7'6". The few good waves I got were the smaller ones. The bigger waves were problematic due to me not knowing the spot well, competition from other surfers (skill and athleticism) , poor judgement, and the odd cliff bounce wavelet.

Sunday - Using south bound current, did the paddle-out from north end of beach and did the "drift and hold" with some degree of success and failure (why paddle to the peak when you can drift to it and then try to hold position). Took different 7'6" than the day before. Should have brought the 8'6" if only for the confidence inspiration. Did get an early "ice-breaker" wave but then had a tough time getting back out and then took a while to catch the second wave, which was a short ride (shoulder hopped it after the guy biffed it on the drop). Eventually drifted to the emptier large wave part of the beach and got a little haired out. Kept telling myself that since the horizon wasn't breaking, it wasn't that giant, and any fall wouldn't be that bad. Eventually set myself about 10 meters north of where this one guy was...he had caught two pretty hefty waves so I figured he can keep the pick of the litter and I can get the leftovers. Didn't work out too well for me, and after sprint paddling away from another bomb, gave up the fight and let the drift continue, and before I knew it, was coming up on the water treatment plant. Realizing getting in would only get tougher if I kept going, when a smaller set moved through, went for the 2nd wave of the set, missed, got 2nd chance on 3rd wave and at the end of that, ripped into myself for being such a wuss earlier. Got back out, went for a big one, missed that, but nabbed a follow up wave due to luck and determination. As I was bumping along through the rip, thought about kicking out and going for another, but recalled how hard I was gasping after the last sprint and how nice it is to finish on a high note, so turned towards shore. Was a long walk back giving myself plenty of time to go over what went right and wrong...should have focused on the 'right" part.

Monday - Went out at max high tide on the Scott Miller 7'6". Bit more of a fuller nose on this one and a bit more mass to it as well. Smaller waves allowed for much easier paddle out through the rip. A much better day for me, mainly because of lots of rides. Lefts maybe holding up better in the NE winds, but best ride was a right. That started with me being in the right place for a change, not having to sprint paddle to get into position or wonder if that person is going my way is great. Took only about 5 strokes to get into it. Super smooth take off really helped as well, so did minimal amount of spray in my eyes during take-off. Straight down, bottom turn, semi-stall on the wall, then speed run for the exit, and......and no punishing rest-of-the-set to my face. Energy levels seemed to drop quick (where is the muscle/energy recovery?) so did the drift and hold thing again. When I got to a certain point, came in, walked back up the beach, paddled back out, and this time just did the drift thing. (Man, I really need to start drinking the blood of healthy young Olympians.) Caught a few more, got caught by a few, and by the time I got out, was well and truly tuckered out. Came home, ate, did some yard work, took shower, ate some more on the couch with cat on the lap, suddenly it was dinner time. A good day indeed.

Energy kept dragging me down. Finally pushed off, took a big stroke and found the surface 8 feet above me, as I gasped for air. Looked up and a dredging bitch of a wave was right there. But this was just the beginning.

Came up from that one and a 15 minute set commenced. I was in the impact zone getting pounded on that bar and watching dudes get SHACKED 10 yards in front of me. After 10 minutes, I was pushed in pretty far.
So.....it doesn't happen just to me.

PS

Saturday

 
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Tarab_ish

Legend (inyourownmind)
Nov 14, 2018
355
848
93
Wow what a week. Didn't drive or look at anywhere else, mostly surfed the same section of the same beach

Tuesday:
Gigantic, overloaded, big unbroken peaks coming in from way out at sea. determined to get a big outside one, paddled around for two hours without catching anything, took off on one right, caught inside, absolutely blown in.
Wednesday:
Really good. Caught a ton of fun drops, mostly short walled corners. Paddled down to where there were longler-walled ones and caught one good one that peeled forever. broke my leash trying to line up another.
Friday:
surfed more of an inside sandbar, undergunned on the step-up. couldn't find a barrel but some fun corners. Brutal paddle
Sun:
Undergunned on the 6'6" again. Paddled out to a kinda crowded peak, but immediately a wave came a little outside and straight to me. late drop, bottom turn and the whole section in front of me is heaving. Impossible to barrel dodge. Short barrel but really open. Kept trying to line up waves deep, taking off behind the peak on rights, then pump through the barrel. On one of them I did four(!) pumps in the barrel before it clamped at the end. Mostly got shut down and only made a few good ones, but absolutely one of the best surfs of my life.
Mon:
Super clean again. Softer feeling. Did a few high line soul arches on lined up walls. probably looked stupid but felt great. Was exhausted and tried to be selective.

Taking today and tomorrow off, more coming. Arms were falling apart: shoulders hurt, elbows hurt. But the best paddle shape I've ever been in. feeling very stocked and fortunate.
 
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