Left for the Beach at 12:15, meeting ran long.
Once there, no checking, suited up and ran to water.
Long wade with occasional sandbar hole but then hop hop paddle, duckdive and out.
Then long paddle at slow burn (yesterday was max burn the moment I hit the water) and one duck dive and outside and no one else.
Behind me were two others by about 5 minutes.
Didn't have to wait long once outside to have a set stack up.
A little to the south, so I paddle over to it.
One of the guys behind me follows me and as I start stroking in to what should proved to be a good sized wave (clearly a left), he shouts, 'You going?"
I think, 'You mother f*cker, go die, wait your goddamn turn!"
I say with as little amount of disdain I can muster, "That is the plan."
And I am off with him on the shoulder, half paddling for it.
'Mother f*cker' glare is on my face as I make eye contact, and then I am grabbing the rail and jetting down the line.
(rest of session he stayed away from me but was present on a few waves)
Get a super ride in the pocket.
Then I think, I can get more of these. so I paddle out, and 10-15 minutes later, realize am out too far.
Paddle in and shoulder hop a right that suddenly jacks up as more of the wave moves onto the bar I ride a bit too far in an cop rest of set on head.
But no fear even after a few longish holddowns and spins.
Smaller waves help with that I guess.
Is 7 ft at 16 seconds small?
Then am out and paddling north thinking I see Friend #1 but turns out to not be.
Catch a some more rides, good but not great. Feels nice to be able to pump the board to get around a section cleanly though.
Spot Friend #1 to the south, start waving, then catch a left, a bomber!
On way back out, catch eye of the mother f*cker, he saw that wave and I am thinking, 'Keep paddling north mother f*cker with your 'are you going crap'.
Where did this self righteous anger come from? Probably from me not surfing well lately and feeling the winter clock starting to wear down.
Its certainly fueling the adrenalin pump though.
Drift/paddle closer to Friend #1. see him get one, a good one, then I catch another super left and then another real quick and get trapped inside for a bit.
When I get back out, where is Friend #1? (later find he went in after getting his 'wave of winter'.....so far)
I am farther north in sort of a rip peak.
All rights, well, mostly all rights.
Shoulder hop a decent one, then get back out and just whip around and snag best wave of the session. Right at the peak, sort of almost late, but not. Super long drop, wall stacks up, and the bottom turn is solid, feel some wobble in my left knee, then pet the cat through to the inside.
No tube but boy, that was a great drop, for a moment was sure I was too late.
Red-green board trust for the win!
Then back for two more ho hum waves, check the watch, and time to go.
Stupid 3 pm meeting.
Blow a great set by missing the wave I wanted, duck dive through the rest of the set, then get ancy and catch a middling right.
Long paddle to inside, but once there, snag a fine crumble to the sand.
Edit:
In past 5 surfs, broken one leash, one leash string. But not today!