*** Official 2019 Community Surf Journal ***

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,988
22,529
113
PNW
Almost groveled some little beachbreak peaks locally this afternoon but instead decided to head a ways north to look for something that was picking up more of that steep angle North swell. Picked up my main surf homie and rallied up the 101. Pulled up to one of my fav spots and it was cooking. Overhead rights choochin' down the beach. I couldn't decide which board to ride. I had the new twin I've been riding and a 6-10 Blackbird stepup that I haven't ridden yet. I decided to see how the Twin would handle it since I didn't think it was quite step up material.

First wave was a few feet overhead with a long, steep wall. Board glided in nicely, felt good going down the line and flew around the first long section with ease but it didn't quite want to tip onto rail at high speed when I went to cut back. I nursed a few turns and kicked out with mixed feelings. I usually take a wave or two to warm up so I wasn't too bothered. Spun on a mid sized one on my way back out and got a couple better feeling top turns. After a half hour or so a thick fog moved in, adding to the challenge and ominous, almost winter vibes. On each wave the board felt a little better and I started to relax and flow a bit. Kicked out of a fun one and watched my buddy air drop into a solid set wave out the back. He bottom turned around the lip and then pulled in to a heaving section and pigdogged his way into a wide open pit, through a thick chandelier and out the doggy door as the thing closed out. I was frothing so hard watching that I almost forgot to duckdive and got obliterated by the wave he'd just ridden. We both came up laughing and hooting.

The fun continued and after some time a little breeze came up and blew the fog out to sea. Patches of blue appeared above and the orange glow nearing the horizon hinted at the approaching end of day. Another guy paddled out. We know him, he's lived around here for a year or two but I don't consider him a local. He paddled his browned step up out to the peak and promptly blew the drop on a set wave. Duuuude. He tried to go for another one kind of right away and my buddy stuffed him. I waited for him to come back to the peak and then despite my desire to chew him out I calmly told him how he'd effed up and then, maybe as some sort of karmic reward for my restraint, the best wave of my session came. I glided in from deep, high-lined the first long section, placed a really good feeling turn right in front of my friend and then a connected with a couple more through the inside. Kicked out, blissed out.

The kooky guy wasn't a factor after that, he sat wide and ended up taking one in after about half an hour. The incoming tide started to soften things up and the sun was setting so I waited for a good one to go in on. It never really came and I had to settle for a funky one. It was a great session, the best in a while. I really don't know if I would take the twin out in those conditions again. I would definitely ride it at this wave maybe on smaller, cleaner days but when it's a bit bigger like this I just want to be able to push a bit harder through turns. On the other hand the waves were tricky and fast and I made all of them and got some fun turns so I dunno. Either way I'm stoked.
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,988
22,529
113
PNW
This was the Rusty twin? Have you gotten the indo/banjo mash up out in bigger conditions yet? Very curious about the range of that.
Yeah this was the Rusty. I've taken the indo/banjo out in overhead surf but it wasn't quite this big. It did great. Gets in early and flows. Feels really good out on the open face. Surfed it in peaky, punchy high tide beachbreak and it went great as well. One time I rode it in pretty heavy, kinda close out beachbreak barrels and it did pretty well on the ones I was able to get a nice early entry on but I struggled on late drops. I haven't figured out how to wrangle control back after air dropping like I'm sometimes able to do on a thruster.
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,107
9,269
113
eastside oahu
Brah. There’s head high waves or bigger on the whole island. With the light winds early everywhere must’ve been good.

Dawned Bowls and for the first two hours it was perfect Middles. Almost closing out, deep take off, long walls, lots of push, some tubes. Ten guys out.

We were sitting a little too far outside and one of the sets rolled under Terrance, Gregg pushed Jeannie into it and she rode that nugget to the channel. Everyone was amped.

Rode my 6’0 and it was big enough for the board to feel really good. Got a couple of quick tubes and a really long barrel that I got foamballed before the exit. Rode thru 3 sections and just got gobbled at the end.

My friends were talking about golfing and Reid said he had a 12 o’clock tee off time. I told the pack let me have the next one and I’ll tee off at 12 o’clock. They did and I did. Hahaha.

Super fun session. No donkeys were harmed.
 
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ShiverMeTimbers

Rabbitt Bartholomew status
Mar 21, 2006
8,328
967
113
Gig Harbor
www.peistcharters.com
Shiver me timbers is in town and we hit up his old zone for a few. Super warm water with mild to moderate crowd then it got super busy.

Great to see you SMT and I hope we get in the water more before you leave.
Hell yeah buddy! Thanks for the board & suit hookup. Great surfing with you again! Stocked!
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,107
9,269
113
eastside oahu
Waves were still really good this morning. A little more wind on it so more texture and the weekend crowd.

But.... there was a parade for Aloha Week. Which began at 9 so the parking lot would be hard to access and hard to leave. I was planning to go in by 830 and do a little weekend work. Then the waves started pumping, less lulls and everyone went in. I stayed out until 11. Felt lightheaded until I got some food. Surfed my balls off with a very light crowd.

I did have to yell at a long boarder that surfs out there but has a problem when taking turns. I had been waiting to get a set after he just got one. A nugget popped up and when he spun I told him not this one. I tried to burn him but was too close so I had to let him go in front and I got stuck behind. One of the boys told me are you going to yell at him. So I told him off. He tried to paddle up to me but I told him you don’t want to come close to me right now. I told him I’m going to go in and get my old board and burn him on every wave. Wait this is my old board. He caught the next bump in I couldn’t burn him cause the shoulder was too soft but he went in.

We had another 90 minutes of empty fun after that.
 
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silentbutdeadly

Duke status
Sep 26, 2005
33,498
23,096
113
Tower 13
long period didn't like bar b so I went over to a semi reef that I never surf. Actually had a lot of fun on an off peak left that jacked up in the shorebreak. Learned later that sublime was out but I never saw him. Probably cause I was off the peak.

water must haev been 74 which was a trip in the rain. fuse worked but the gx probably would have been better.
 
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Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,988
22,529
113
PNW
Had an amazing session at my favorite right hand sand bar two evenings ago. Well, mostly amazing. I went mountain biking for the first time in a while, waiting for the tide to drop. Got side tracked by a big patch of King Bolete mushrooms and ended up crawling around the spruce forest for longer than I had planned. When I got back to my truck I had texts from my buddies like hey dude it's firing. Scarfed some protein bars and jerky as I blasted out to the coast. I was feeling dehydrated even though I'd been drinking water steadily.

My first impression when I pulled up to the spot was that it was definitely working. Clean, well overhead. Maybe DOH. At least two swells running so pretty much non-stop energy pouring through. Counted half a dozen guys but could see that most of them were struggling to hold position in the current. Waxed up the 6-10 Rusty for her maiden voyage and went for it.

The paddle out sucked. Almost got denied but finally after getting swept almost all the way down to the inside closeout section there was a little opening and I managed to scramble out to deeper water. I was definitely feeling the 10 odd day surf streak as well as the afternoon bike ride. The current was brutal and it took me a long time to make it to the top of the sand bar and past a few guys on small boards to where a good friend of mine was holding it down on his 7-6. So, how about this current, eh? A set came and he stroked into the first one. The second one was wide and I barely scratched over the shoulder. The third wave had that look, a good one but shifting a bit deeper. I paddled hard to get into position, spun and then right as I could feel the ocean lift me I started to kick and both of my thighs cramped up. Like full on seized. I pulled back and thankfully there wasn't another wave behind me. I paddled wide and laid there on my board trying to relax. It took a few minutes before the cramps started to subside and I could move my legs again. My first inclination was to go in but I couldn't bear the thought of not even getting a single wave. I drank a few sips of sea water, hoping the salt would help and whether it was coincidence or what, the legs started to relax.

I had drifted well off the peak and it took me a while to get back just slowly paddling and trying to relax. It had probably been 45 minutes since I entered the water and I hadn't caught a wave. A mid sizer came and I took it, figuring if I couldn't surf it I would just go in. It wasn't a great one but I was able to carve around a bit and get a little feel for the board before I kicked out. Kept taking little sips of water as I paddled back out and by the time I got back to the peak the legs were feeling alright. A wide set came and my buddy was too deep so he shouted to go and I did. The thing was a beaut and I got a clean entry from behind a long section. Got a high pump, drove around the section then pushed through two open face turns. Opted to kick out rather than fit in one more and risk getting stuck inside. Almost got cleaned up anyways by an errant peak that shifted to the inside, just barely scratching under the pitching lip and praying there wasn't a bigger one behind. There wasn't. Took ages to get back to the take off but once there I didn't have to wait long for another great wave. The board was feeling amazing, plenty of glide and stability but on a bigger, powerful wave it didn't feel like overkill at all and I pushed through my turns a bit harder on this one.

Paddling back out a huge set came through and cleaned everyone up but I was still a bit wider and got to the shoulder in time. The sun was melting into the low cloud bank on the horizon. I looked back to shore and there, way inside the last two surfers were leaving the water. I got two more waves, my last one being the best of the session, kind of a slower paced one that rolled way down the beach and allowed me to surf more top to bottom in the pocket. Finished it off and bellied the whitewater to the beach. My whole body was done and my legs especially felt wobbly walking the long, flat beach back to the trail.

Shared war stories with the boys in the field above the break as we watched the setting sun turn the clouds pink.
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,107
9,269
113
eastside oahu
Just got out of the water. Waves are half the size of yesterday but the conditions are nice. Light wind, dropping tide, mellow crowd.

I got a nice right as my first wave and did a couple of bs floaters. Paddling back out I saw my friend Mike get an even better right. Then I saw the guy I can’t stand get the best wave of the morning. He got stuck on the top and pitched over the falls as the wave went square and fired down the reef. Can’t leave the cookie jar open with that donkey. Hahaha.

It was a cruisey talk crap about each other kinda day. My last wave was a nugget. Been waiting outside when it popped up and the boys were telling me to go. We had drifted a little outside and I barely got in. But that set the wave up perfect. Bottom turn and smacked it. Got good release off the top and hit the next section and the next. Three good wacks. I was going to go in but my buddy Dean was flexing at me so I paddled back out to talk more sh*t. Paddled over to Rockpiles to go in got a nug got a wack and a girl on a longboard dropped in. I just turnedstraight and proned in.

Fun Sunday session. Have a great week guys.
 
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need 4 speed

Phil Edwards status
Nov 1, 2003
6,676
3,579
113
SoCal
Great session today in NOC 3-5'combo with some energy
saw some sick barrels made, no full barrels for me, but close enough to stoke you out kind
6-4 four channel RP twinzer, the more I ride the more I like. Solid off the bottom, smooth transition through turns :shaka:
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,988
22,529
113
PNW
Ridden the 6-10 Blackbird the past five sessions in a row now. Two of those sessions were in surf that was not all that big or powerful but the board actually felt really good in just like head high semi crappy waves. Kind of addicting to have that extra paddle and easier entry, especially since I'm pretty tore up from surfing so much.

This evening was pretty big at my favorite spot up North. Little less current than the other day but kind of non-stop waves and really hard to get out to the channel. Three of us went for it but one buddy got denied the first time and had to walk way back up the beach to try again. I almost didn't make it, just barely squeaked out during a little micro lull right as I was getting sucked down to the inside closeout section. Took forever to get to the peak again. My goofy footed friend beat me out there and got a pretty nuggy one right as I made it up next to him. The one behind it was bigger and I paddled for the shoulder and probably could have gone but I totally pussed out. Took me a while to get one and then it just kinda mushed out. Meanwhile my friend was just in rhythm, getting all sorts of nice set waves. I was a little too tentative and they wouldn't really let you in on the shoulder. Got a couple more, better than the first but not really the ones you want. It helped to loosen me up though I think because the next big one that came looming I felt like I was too late but I went anyways and it ended up being a really good one. Got a couple turns, kicked out and barely made it back out over a couple inside closeouts. The tide was still sucking out fast and the corner of the bar was starting to get really hollow. It was hard to get over to the hollow mid sized ones as the water was really rushing off the shallow bar, pushing towards the channel. I worked for a while to get deeper and then did get a nice grower. Didn't really get tubed though so I tried to get deeper for the next attempt. Probably an hour and half had passed since we paddled out and I was getting pretty tired so I thought I really just want to get a good barrel and commit to it and if I can't get back out afterwards, oh well. That's pretty much what happened. I got deeper than before and got a nice early entry on a growing wall. Got 2 or 3 good pumps and then just held my line as the thing doubled in size and went absolutely square, sucking up sand and foam as it ran through the inside. I could see that it had a tapering lip line so I figured it would let me out if I just held on. I didn't have a choice anyways, there was really nowhere to go but through. I don't think I got as deep as I maybe could have, I could see the lip landing out to my left and I was fully inside but the thing was so open and make able right up until I could see the doggy door closing. I barely managed to straiten out and get clear of the exploding lip. I rode it all the way to the sand and felt relief to be back on land. The whole thing was kind of terrifying and it took me a while to chill out afterwards. Tomorrow is supposed to be a little smaller, thankfully.
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,988
22,529
113
PNW
Dawn patrol yielded crispy tubes. First one on it before sunrise. Size came down since last night and thankfully so did the current. Rode the 6-10 blackbird and got a few nuggies but it was feeling like overkill on the smaller ones. Late drop on a nice set wave, couldn't keep the nose up, pearled and took some donuts. Crowd started filling in and I was getting bummed for a min but then I got my best wave. Got in early and deep, threaded through a good tube while my buddy hooted from the shoulder, three hacks through the inside. That'll do.

Came in a little later to change boards since the tide was filling in and the waves were softening up a bit. 6-3 Ghost felt small after riding the big board for so many sessions in a row but after a couple waves I adjusted and got some really fun ones. Crowd thinned out again and it was just myself and a buddy and then he went in and I had it to myself for a few more sets before I threw in the towel. First in, last out, hoorah.
 

ShiverMeTimbers

Rabbitt Bartholomew status
Mar 21, 2006
8,328
967
113
Gig Harbor
www.peistcharters.com
Double session yesterday, first was the nutty windswell mix on a low tide SBD mentioned, which cleaned up with the rising tide. Had a couple runners and that bonzer SBD lent me had a lot of zip.

Second sesh was at Crowdiff, caught a few and started to link some turns. Felt great to surf warm water!

Added bonus, met up with PPK at Stone Brewing later in the afternoon. Always good to hang with him and talk story.
 

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