Last time I said this spot don't do barrels, I guess I lied.
Saturday's session was some kind of payback day. Paddle out at peak low time, same spot, probably be only spot I surf for next few months. First wave, I'd been in the lineup all of 20 seconds, take off late, too late, knife drop straight to Davey Jones locker. Good little wake up call. Next wave was meh, rode it far, but just felt so wrong. Third wave, too deep, guy goes in front of me, don't make it either. He apologized. Why are they always so nice on the ones that you had no chance on anyways? Few waves later, way inside, guy coming down the line, "Oh crap, he doesn't see me!". I freeze, close my eyes, brace for impact, thinking I'm gonna get a fin in the skull. Guy misses me by inches. Thing is, this is same move I use all the time. If I have to go low and around you, I won't make the wave, stay high line. After this, surf turned choppy chunky and just not fun. Of course, 45 minutes later at home with coldie in hand, I note the wind had died down.
Sunday session, same peak low tide, but uber glassy today, smaller. Wave were back to attenuated cleanness. First wave, not even trying to anything than cruise/flow. Shoot through first section with tons of speed, use that speed to do long on rail cutback in the "slow section". Pull up for the end part, doing nothing more than trimming, wave stands up, and gave me a several second slot to dry exit. I got three more gems just like this.
I think it was Doof who mentioned it's a great feeling to know a spot well enough to identify the types of waves that will break. The "deep to no shoulder", the "better be in front of it", and the "back off to super inside section" ones as some types that exist at this spot.
Funny chit.
Tide was so low, and waves not so big, that I pulled off dry hair paddle up the middle between the two peaks. Towards the end of the session, me and one guy are sitting on the boil, the apex of the peak of the reef, all others at least 25 yards away. Young woman paddles from nowhere, she must have done same paddle out, and sits 10 feet farther out and deeper, basically claiming pole position. Then proceeds to loudly yell at her buddy on the blue foamie, with 8 inches of nose sticking up above the water, "Hey, come outside, don't sit in there". I thinking "wtf?" Never seen this chick before, then she has the audacity to ask "Are any breaking farther out?". I deadpanned that some are breaking another 50 yards out, guy next to doesn't flinch either. Eyes got huge, then she figures out. She said something that I didn't hear, but responded, "You just paddled out, haven't caught a wave yet, what did you expect me to do?
. I'll give her credit for knowing the jig was up, and paddling down the line to the channel, never to be seen again. I'm shaking my head, "what the hell just happened?"
Today, barely overhead for Cheeto