Saturday saw me head to Santa Cruz.
Got there at sun-up.
Wind not perfect, nor tide, paddled out.
Waves not perfect either, but sizeable.
All together is probably why crowd didn't become intolerable.
Length of some rides makes me wonder why I ever bother with surfing in SF....one long ride is is like 5 times longer than what I get at home. And so easy to get back outside. So easy, makes you want to go on any waves close to you...if you fall, no sweat, just paddle around and you're fine.
But having to navigate the drop with people racing for the shoulder is never fun, nor is that one guy you think can't come around from behind the whitewater always does (so you need to kick out then get the angry eye when he paddles back - 'I got out of your way, you were still nursing it when I kicked out, so relax'').
Worst wave was the late drop.spin out thing with subsequent kelp lashing and the long rolling underwater sideways push..at least when you get shoved down, you can sometimes push off the bottom and get to air faster, not so with the sideways shove. Was starting to thrash when I finally got some air.
Best wave was another moment of 'Oh crap, there is someone right there, and holy hell, they are going for the shoulder, ok fine, straight down and then hard right at the rear fin of his board....and, almost pearled but didn't, and whoa, lots of speed and now I am on the shoulder, bank back and there is another person, so bank harder, and damnit, whitewater, try to bounce of it, and flail but it backs off a moment and recovery and finally a clear run but now I am bogging and there is a section ahead of me, pump that board, get slapped a little by the lip, pump, and woo, in the pocket now, then another section but this I have and drag my hand on the lip before I have a more mellow cut-back, and by now it is just headhigh and I'm flying through the longboard section as the waves wedges and sweeps in but doesn't really curl over. Very long paddle back.
Last was about about 30 minutes after my best wave, get to see an otter as I recover from the paddle, get to see some really good rides that make me feel lame about being stocked by my best wave. Try to make myself feel better by saying they are 20 yrs younger than me, but am sure a few of those guys catching great rides are 10 years older than me. Then suddenly, it me, three longboarders and a pack of rippers (out of position on the primary peak). Longboard guys are chatting about something as they paddle out to sea. First wave of the set or not, Mr Doof, what's it gonna be. I go for it, starting the paddle as the wave swings wide. Get in early this time, pop up and then nearly stall out as the wave slows as it builds before it fully breaks...seems like seconds pass as it builds/breaks, but probably less than 1/4 a second. Bumpy on the way down, my feet don't feel like they are place right, probably too far up, play it safe on the bottom turn, so a little ungainly, ok, a lot ungainly, see that lots of people are going to get mowed as I carve a line in front of them, and I am way out in front of the curl like a dork, then angle back to the exciting part as the next section looms and more people are going to get mashed so again I get to carve a line in front of them and again I get far out on the shoulder. Before I can cut back and tap into some motion, I am left behind. Sigh, so much waste. Then the rest of the set comes in, and it breaks normally, so I am way out of position to pick up scraps, not there were scraps.
Seeing how I am so fatigued, plan is to get gone before I get hurt, make my way to the inside and belly it in behind a a kid pumping madly to stay ahead of the frothing soup that is pushing me in.
On the bluff above the break, watch another set make its way across the reef, take a few deep breaths, then head to the car. I may need a latte for the drive home.
PS
Today nearly slept through the alarm. Had a dream a friend of mine at work was buying sandwiches and telling some of us to stay at our desks as he goes to buy lunch for us all. I was starting to ignore the phone when I realized it was the alarm buzzing.
