*** Official 2023 Community Surf Journal ***

[000]

i was alone, pretty decent swell, but even at medim tide, it behaves like high tide
backwash even on the furthest out waves
got a few and then 60 dorks paddled out

 

[Goofy_Footed]

Knee-stomach with light onshores. Summer is here and gotta get what we can get in FL. Surfed at 11am (Tuesday) and it was PACKED...not with college kids, but full-on working-age adults. Does no one fcking work any more? :endrant:

 

[oeste858]

Solid surf, thick crowd. Got two good long ones in 30min. Lots of dropins, party waves, kickouts, and a couple collisions (not my fault today!). Wish I surfed more waves but maiden voyage of Insanity was a hit. Love the feel of Varial carbon. Boar just looks sexy AF. Outline feels great paddling and getting into waves. Got several big FS wraps and carves in on CH-HH faces. Quad was nice and smooth. Went with my favorite small 3.75 rears since it’s a fairly pulled in swallow. Curious to try as a thruster and also see how it does in softer smaller waves. Stocked.

 

[bluengreen]

Hadn't surfed in 8 days, checked the cams on a whim after work, saw semi-clean, burgery but well-overhead to 2x surf with no one out. Asked the wife for a pass. Got it.

Brought the 7'2 Hess cuz it looked like a lot of work getting out to the outer bars. Classic OB abuse. 25 minutes of paddling through foam and swirling water. A lot of whitewaters rolling through the trough between bars. Finally got a lull and sneaked out between sets just to the north and south of me.

Hard to position with the current whisking me quickly north. Caught inside the third wave of a set. One of those paralyzing situations where you're not sure if you can sneak under the lip or if paddling will just put you right in the impact zone. Ended up holding my ground and letting the wave break a few yards in front of me. Went for the duck dive instead of ditching and barely held on to my board. Out the back again and more of the same for the next 45 minutes before I grabbed closeout. Kinda treacherous getting in through the inside bar. Good adversity training, I guess.

 

[Bob Dobbalina]

Hadn't surfed in 8 days, checked the cams on a whim after work, saw semi-clean, burgery but well-overhead to 2x surf with no one out. Asked the wife for a pass. Got it.

Brought the 7'2 Hess cuz it looked like a lot of work getting out to the outer bars. Classic OB abuse. 25 minutes of paddling through foam and swirling water. A lot of whitewaters rolling through the trough between bars. Finally got a lull and sneaked out between sets just to the north and south of me.

Hard to position with the current whisking me quickly north. Caught inside the third wave of a set. One of those paralyzing situations where you're not sure if you can sneak under the lip or if paddling will just put you right in the impact zone. Ended up holding my ground and letting the wave break a few yards in front of me. Went for the duck dive instead of ditching and barely held on to my board. Out the back again and more of the same for the next 45 minutes before I grabbed closeout. Kinda treacherous getting in through the inside bar. Good adversity training, I guess.

Ha. I saw the winds kinda slacked and asked for the same and got denied. It's been a long coupla weeks.
Sounds like I dodged a bullet.

It's funny how Surfline will forecast double digit winds almost by default.

 

[000]

backwash was very tricky

Watch backwashdwart23 | Streamable

Watch "backwashdwart23" on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[oeste858]

Swell still solid, HH sets, slightly wonkier than yesterday but maybe 70% of waves lining up pretty good and running all the way through. Crowd still thick but not as heavy. Couple older crew on staps that only come out when there's swell. Sat under those guys and got the ones they missed, fell, split the peak, or swung wide. Lots of duckdive practice. Took some beatings on the inside.

2nd sesh on 6'0 Insanity. Loving it. Swapped in the TA Album quads and they felt real smooth, with fluid buttery turns. Snagged a few long FS runners under the outer pack, did several gouges and figure8 wraps. Boar just flows into the next move.

 

[sdsrfr]

Those quad rears look reallllly raked in that photo

 

[oeste858]

Those quad rears look reallllly raked in that photo

Could be some camera distortion. I was trying to frame the front fin in between the back two to show the outline.
They definitely are rakier than some other quad rears, say the Rastas. The TA TWs are also. Both feel really “flowy”

 

[Maz]

Swell 8ft @17sec. Wind perfect, fresh offshore. Waves very very powerful and fast, and I got a ton of beatings, but lots of gems too.
Only paddler. 8'0 Keogh. 4 hours.

 

[Aruka]

Swell 8ft @17sec. Wind perfect, fresh offshore. Waves very very powerful and fast, and I got a ton of beatings, but lots of gems too.
Only paddler. 8'0 Keogh. 4 hours.

Keogh is working well for you, eh? What are the full dims again?

I haven't surfed in nearly three months. Probably the longest I've gone without surfing in like 15 years.

Don't take it for granted boys! Being landlocked sucks.

 

[Maz]

Bloody hell! What's the situation, Rookah?

The Keogh is 8'0 x 20 1/4 x 3 1/4 x heavy. Lots of windage up the faces and good size, so it was the perfect board today.

 

[Aruka]

Bloody hell! What's the situation, Rookah?

The Keogh is 8'0 x 20 1/4 x 3 1/4 x heavy. Lots of windage up the faces and good size, so it was the perfect board today.

buggered knee. been doing lots of rehab and starting to feel like I could get wet again but going to give it a bit longer so that I hopefully don't refucker it right away.

those dims sound good. i like my paddy but might try something a little sleeker next winter. it's similar dims but really packs the foam and the glass job is super heavy. might do something a little narrower and not so heavy.

 

[Maz]

So sorry to hear. No idea it was that bad.

 

[Retropete]

buggered knee. been doing lots of rehab and starting to feel like I could get wet again but going to give it a bit longer so that I hopefully don't refucker it right away.

those dims sound good. i like my paddy but might try something a little sleeker next winter. it's similar dims but really packs the foam and the glass job is super heavy. might do something a little narrower and not so heavy.

Be 3 weeks tomorrow since I had hernia surgery and I'm already losing my mind. Last couple of days I've put boards in the van and have talked myself out of it because I know its probably too soon because mine wasn't an easy fix.
So I feel your pain. Doesn't help that the points have been lot up like Christmas trees lately that is for sure. About to head into a run of marginal swell which should make it more bearable.
The other danger is buying boards I fully don't need which I have resisted...so far.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

good luck rucker. When I re-injured my meniscus I think I was out 4-5 months. Did well with PT and came back with some pain still but it eventually went away. I think that has to happen IMO where you try to push through and if it works, great, if not, get that sucker worked on.

 

[Havoc]

buggered knee. been doing lots of rehab and starting to feel like I could get wet again but going to give it a bit longer so that I hopefully don't refucker it right away.

those dims sound good. i like my paddy but might try something a little sleeker next winter. it's similar dims but really packs the foam and the glass job is super heavy. might do something a little narrower and not so heavy.

what boar messed ur knee up?

u’ll be back before u know it. the waves will always be there

 

[Aruka]

Thanks fellas. It was actually easier in a way when the knee was totally messed up and swollen because surfing was just so obviously out of the question. Also the weather was really bad so there was not a lot of temptation.

Lately its gotten nice and the knee feels good enough to do all of my everyday stuff. My driveway pops out onto the highway 101 right at my local break so I cant go anywhere without seeing the conditions. Last weekend was super warm and calm and a fresh swell running. Pretty brutal even though the sand bars arent amazing.

At least ive been able to work out every morning. Got an airbike that ive been using a lot. Lots of hip and ankle strengthening stuff. My legs are feeling as strong as ever. The knee isnt pain free through the whole range of motion yet but i think its still improving. Its just very slow.

I might start to do some paddles just to get a little of that fitness back.

 

[SeaFoamGreen]

Good timing and don't think you missed much this spring. Was a ragged biotch up here. Persistently grey cold and always some variation of onshore wind. Last weekend was probably the best swell conditions combo since last fall, but sand bars are off all over IME. Luckily talked the wifey into a little Mothers Day adventure to my local "kelpy reef". Far from epic but a lot more serviceable than what I have found. Shoulda been on the Syth84, but opted for the security of quad fish. Now its back to meh and quickly going into the summer dolies. Time for other hobbies and maybe a 10 day a surf trip in July.

 

[Senor Sopa]

Happy hour couple o days ago. Too many beers in to give it a go, It would have been fun.


There was one loc out surfing well, the others? Not so well. Here are a few typical scenes. Before I could even crack my beer and get the camera out, I witnessed three way collision. Based on my pics, looks like kook chick and grom won the heat.






Too be honest, I had more fun here. This the "Keyhole to the Pacific", from the Pacific side.


Backside arch


There was tremendous wave action at divorce beach too!!!