Thursday - Dawn patrol before work. Cleanish and headhigh/overhead. Found out how shallow it was on late drop with shoulder bumping into the sand. Not lots of current and was able to get out easily enough after rides. Good times without much payment for rides ridden. While no great rides of note, was nice to feel relaxed.
Friday - Did "long lunch" on decaying swell. Dealt with crowd for a while then opted to drift to B peak which was fun until it wasn't....a rip peak that was good for one wave out of a set. Miss that and the rest were like trying to drop in on a shorebreak thumper. For me, seemed like there wasn't much rhyme or reason which wave would turn out the the good one unless you just went. A reasonable end to a small swell.
Saturday - Dawn patrol on a small day between swell. Found some decent sections here and there, but more like "fun exercise with chance of surfing".
Sunday - Ah yes, 8 ft at 15 seconds. On the Stretch cork board. Had some amazing moments of personal greatness and saw any number of far better riders making me feel like a piker. Best wave was after I backed out of wave because of the guy deeper kept paddling only to see him pull back 1/2 a second after I did. The next wave of the set was coming right to me, cold go left or right, but going right seemed to have less people inside that I would have to avoid. Ssaw a bunch of people streaming in from both sides thinking maybe I would pull back like the other guy, but I just put my head down and paddled harder, felt the lift, popped up, long drop, hard on the bottom turn, wave face starts to wedge up rather than wall, so the bottom turn turns to a a stalling carve, get lifted up, then release the rail and swoop down, then I'm in the saw-tooth wave of the rip, and ride is over. Sadly on the way back out, get mauled and shoved all the way back inside. When I get back out, nearly vomit from the exertion. But I calm down, then catch a few more. Give up the paddle against the current and drift for a while, finding that my muscles are kinda used up. Going into last wave mode, find a new peak, stroke into it, hear some shouts of GO! GO! GO! and airdrop into a beauty. Sadly my reactions were dulled and instead of a well executed recovery, dig the nose and go over the front, skipping slightly on my left shoulder/chest and spinning such that for a moment I am looking back into the tube, then straight up into the lip, then down the line (and I wonder if I can body surf this thing, and then there is impact of the lip on my lower back/ass/thighs. Way down, then yanked right back up, weightless, and blammo! Grab leg, find ankle, find leash, climb, where is the surface, lungs are burning, fizzy water not letting me push hard enough to get head above water, jumbled joints feel extra tired, sunlight, air, and then another whack from a following wave, just big chunky stewy whitewater. When I get back on the board, figure it is time to go, and belly board it to shore with a sinus headache and grit in my eyes.
Monday - Dawn patrol, more current, really feeling past few days of surfing. Decaying swell provides some intrigue sort of like rising swell: stay inside for so-so waves, or wait and paddle against current for the biggies. I do not find the good big ones, but they find me. Opting for quantity has its price. When it is time to go, score a mushy take off right at the edge of rip that gets bouncy, and just as I start to pull back, the wave starts to set up for the inside. Have enough momentum to get back into it, and then find a hollow lefthander that is bending into the rip...love me a good "right to end up going left" for the last wave.
Having a much-needed coldie and washing away the aches before tackling the honey-do list.
