*** Official 2024 Community Surf Journal ***

[slipped_disc]

After reading through the longer daily driver thread, watching a bit of sunset, and pulling up to some chunky, textured waves, I opted for a longer board today, my Chris Gallagher round tail with some AM2s.

Only one other guy out and ended up being a blast. Felt nice to have a little more board even if it was HH+.

 

[Oceanslide]

Gone for 10 days in Fiji. Warm water, warmer air, but monsoon season SUCKED. Lots of wind, but ended up surfing all 7 of the main breaks off of Viti Levu. Got one of the 3 best barrels of my life with 4 witnesses, but the rain and crappy weather prevented any photographic proof. Probably for the best. Still got some fun hoots and good times. Overall, would never return to Fiji in February if I have a choice in it. Not awful, but had many better trips. Sick of the rain storms, squalls, winds, etc. Only got a minor reef rash on the arm and had a great 4 person session at Restaurants before the crowd figured it out.

Surfed the Sandbar at home today. UGH. Bad call. Nasty brown water and jumbled up sets which the south wind ruined. Had 45 minutes solo, however, and 30 with 4 other guys after that probably questioning why I was out in the first place.

Good to be back. Now let this freaking rain end.

waaaaa…poor me in Fiji for 10days in warm paradise! FU, S! I have a cast and out of the water for some time.
BUT, the skiing in Mammoth the past few days has been pretty damn good.

 

[Bob Dobbalina]

I surfed a very crowded sheltered spot around the way on Monday. Probably one of 2 spots available., Solid, lots of paddling to get out.
Pretty much paddled for 2 hours and got one.
2nd year in a row of getting skunked on a birthday session.


Didn't surf again until today. 11:00-1pm or so, Mid Beach. Really fun. alternating between playful little ones and folding, hollow wedges. Probably 3-5 ft with a few overhead sets. But it varied by which sandbar you were on. I haven't been clicking with my daily driver lately, so I dug out an old faithful 6'4 round pin that I've had for 12 years or more just to try something different. It did the trick. Nothing crazy but it felt different enough to be a challenge.

The highlight was getting a set and turning what would have been a great little barrel into a pocket ride to tube dodge.

 

[Maz]

Small'ish beach break yesterday, and it was ok but marred by a run-in with an absolute neanderthal. Thankfully he realised he was being an idiot and paddled in.

Same spot today and it pumped. Only playful and soft, but so many waves and not many crew. Chatted with a good colleague in between waves. So fun.

 

[b.r.]

jumped out during a mid morning window, jumbly mixed swell with a few bigger sets than i expected, sat under the small outside crowd and got a few fun ones on the 5'10 kenson ppig. beach break might have been the call, but the minor crowd at the reef was too tempting.

 

[r32]

Flawless day. Absolute perfection everywhere. Small but fun surf everywhere. The kind of day you live for.

 

[b.r.]

After work Friday. Sunny and almost warm. Kind of a funky wind but not at one corner of our zone. Cleanish waves for the lb and a minor crowd. Caught 10 and headed home.

 

[Retropete]

Pic below is from day before but surfed just South of this spot today. Rolled up at 9am after getting stuff sorted. 2 guys walking back into the virtually empty carpark as I arrived. Grabbed my board and walked down to see not a soul out. No one to the Nth and 200 metres down the beach a sole head out there.
So I walked down and paddled out there to keep him company.
Nah...hell no! Straight out the front and had a blast with long shoulder-head high plus glassy right handers until I tired out.
Was weird surfing solo tbh it's so rare. Apparently there was quite a pack on it for the early. Guy from way down the beach came back into the car park as I was getting ready to leave. We were both perplexed and equally happy about the solitude.
Felt like cruising so rode a 6'8" McNeill entity swallow tail with S wing 520's and a nubster which felt great.

 

[bluengreen]

Went hulling on the Vaquero at Cardiff this morning. Perfect boar for the conditions.

 

[tcureton]

Had planned to surf Brevard yesterday. Truck all packed ready to cross the state with the Bomdia in hand to try and hunt a couple “bombs.” Kids sick as sh!t fighting a cold and wife up all night-bailed on it, such is dad life. But I got a nice little suprise here in west Florida this morning. Shitty wind swell but was better than expected and was a beautiful day. Beggers can’t be choosers. 3 hour session and the RNF96 was a little machine. 1 board quiver for here. Have yet to find anything better for here…but I am getting more tempted to try a manta

 

[sh3]

waaaaa…poor me in Fiji for 10days in warm paradise! FU, S! I have a cast and out of the water for some time.
BUT, the skiing in Mammoth the past few days has been pretty damn good.

Love ya, J!

Surfed a late-morning to mid-day session today to let the tide start to drain, and man did it pay off. What a beautiful day! Warm weather and glassy conditions up north at the __ of all places, and didn't surf any of the normal spots. Surfed the Burger and was actually pretty stoked about it. Had to pull myself back from being a hog, but the others out there were largely just floating around. Hour-and-a-half non-stop. So great. Man I love this surfing life.

Edit for my own OCD brain: Surfed the Tomo Ob1. The 5'9", but with bigger fins than normal. it worked really well - kinda' surfprised me. (probably gonna have to switch most of the boards to the larger AM2 fins)

 

[bigglesworth]

Nothing more exciting than a new board session with decent waves.

Just got a Kazuma O'ama (tuned a little for softer surf). As a treat, and I generally do this, I cracked open a new pair of 7mm excel booties for the occasion. Life is short, right?

Some fun frontside hacks in head high waves (or at least my version of a hack). For fins I went a Retodd special: TP1's with a YU rear. Drivey but still loose and free. Backside I haven't gotten a great feel for it yet, but it was one of those days where it seemed to be all rights, save for one nice left that stood up, except some doofus burned me. Oh well.

I asked someone the time when I got out the water and I'd been out for 3 hours. Must be fitter than I think!

 

[santacruzin]

fun day of waves. surfed the AO.

lost my key while surfing, noticed when I paddled out. Key was not in the leash cuff.

paddled up to my buddy and told him he wa s giving me a ride home when he was done surfing.
glad I didn’t have to hoof it for the spare.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

This winter has not sucked

 

[b.r.]

Yesterday after pulling weeds for a couple hours, it looked like it was still glassy after lunch, I was a little tired from the yardwork so I grabbed the 7'2 kenson twinzer and took a little walk, saw 2 guys from SDSU surf team days that I hadn't seen forever (national champs 1987!) made it down to the spot I was hoping would be good and it was fun as hell, not too consistent but the sets were glassy head high and peaky, took turns with a friend on a kneeboard, got some great turns in whipping the twinzer around sitting on the tail, board goes fast down the line and had a lot of fun,, 2 hours later the wind put a little texture on it and it was time to go have a happy hour in the jacuzzi with the wife.

 

[santacruzin]

This winter has not sucked

So many highlights! surf bud and I were just talking about all our scores this winter. seems like everyone here has been getting some. Stockage all around

 

[Kento]

Envious of all you, maybe not Northern_Shores.

My Sunday morning window, which is the only time I have to surf these days, actually coincided with decent conditions and a rising medium tide. Started out pretty fun for the first half hour with some SH-HH peaks that barreled, although a little slow and very warbly. Sunk my arm in practically to the elbow and still outran this one right. That was funny. But regardless got a half-dozen funnish waves.

And then the window ended and it turned to current-filled dogshit. With even more backwash, waves had no idea themselves when they would or would not jack. On top of it, still trying to fit that square peg in the round hole with that Senate and paid for it. I need to face it that modern fat-railed boards just suck at chipping in frontside in hollow waves late at even a slight angle. Board bogged on one drop into what was a good wave, whipsawed and hit me in the calf. No blood but fat charlie horse and am pissed because I was planning on running this afternoon. Just have to ice and see how it feels I guess. At least got a decent backside hack into an oncoming section on the last wave in. It says a lot that my roundpin is looser than my "HPSB" - I think I need to go by ProofLab or somewhere and start board-hunting.

2023 rains turning the sand from creating Oxnard on meth-infused steroids to basically a larger and more powerful but shittier version of bad Tamarack but with more current has not eased my overall frustration.

I need a vacation. Down in SoCal in May for high school reunion. Pray for surf... and no May Gray (that would be insult to injury).

 

[Kento]

As an aside, doing cost-benefit analysis of even bothering to check it anymore, for those of you who rely on surgical strikes and do not have gym or consistent pool access, what do you do to keep in surfing shape?

Push-ups/crunches/squats/etc.?

 

[Aruka]

Yes to the bodyweight exercises. All the basics plus some more surf specific variations.

Fun waves at the reef today. DOH rights. Rode the 7-2 chili gun. Got like ten waves in two hours. A couple big nugs. Much needed.

My knee has been bugging me quite a bit since Ive been back home so I havent been surfing much. Finally just said fck it and went for it today.

 

[sh3]

@Kento - Lift & push heavy sh!t. It will pay off.

Surfed the Burger again today with the wifey. About a foot smaller and wind textured it up, but still fun for 1-1/2 hours. Beautiful day out there. Long drive paid off for a solo session for us for most of it, and then one other guy who stuck-to about 50' over. No issues at all. Felt like we were surfing alone.

Used the OB-1 with smaller fins today. Did not like. Turns out I'm liking the feel of the bigger AM fins. Good to know. Wouldn't have ever thought it was an issue, but now feel a bit enlightened. At least to feel.