Make up time. It's been a while since my last post. Work pulled the plug on accessing blogs. I will have to look back at these one day and hope that I remember these days. They were all fun.
Bolsa Chica - Friday.....
Han Solo. I nearly drowned today. I hate going alone.
RAT Beach - Saturday....
Ryan, Kev, and I finally made it to the infamous RAT Beach. It was amazing. First day on Randy's short board for me. Ryan had a kick ass day. Kev was out trying to go off the lip all day.
Bolsa Chica - Sunday....
Randy. Randy to out his new used shortboard the Webber Fatburner out. He had a lot of fun and had a near drowing experience. Good thing we talked about how it happened to me a few weeks prior. Randy used the same thought process of, "Don't panic, let the wave go over you, and then float". Good job bro.
Trestles - Sunday
No ear plugs. Kev and I met up in the morning and had a fun time. I went out a second time with Jeric! Jeric and I had a near accident and decided to call it a day.
Jeric I have your hanger and box.
Sunset - Monday
Kuya John, Randy, Ryan, and Jon-Aye. One hell of a day at Sunset. Kuya John showed us how to rip it up on a shortboard. The man has skills. Randy had fun out on his shortboard, still getting winded.
Ryan was using the Al Merrick and showing us a good show as always! Jonathan's out there paddling strong and getting the hang of the Al Merrick quickly!
This was a good day. The only bad thing was that my ear infection started to kick in.
Ah, never mind, double bogey. I broke my center fin and plug again riding the board back into the beach.
Bolsa Chica - Saturday
Dex. Dex is back in the water. He had gone the weekend before with Kev and crew. Dex picked up 2 boards from a friend in San Clemente. We were out in the water for 3 hours today. Dex was able to get strong paddling on the new magical board. The new board is about the size of the Blaster. Dex was able to catch some waves out there today and had plenty of time to practice.
I had to use Randy's Fatburner. Bad news again, triple bogey, I broke Randy's center fin.
Not to worry though. I got my longboard fixed and picked up replacement fins for both my and Randy's boards. Cost me $55 at Becker. The team at Becker in Hermosa Beach are the best. I appreciate Becker fixing my board twice.
My ear infection has not healed I have had it since Memorial Weekend. Took it to my trip to Vegas and Florida. Going this past weekend to Bolsa Chica made it worse. Was it worth it? When I was surfing Yes. When I went back to work, no. I was out 3 days this week and now am paying for it by being placed on lock down by J.
Love hurts.
6.19.2009
5.07.2009
Surf Report
May 7, 2009 - El Porto, CA
Interesting day.
I was honestly pumped to see overhead waves today at El Porto. The waves were out there, but still out of reach right, for now.
What Jon said is true, the excitement of being out there fills you up and you paddle your hardest for 5 minutes, but the power of the ocean gets you. Getting to the line is a dream, for now.
We were stuck at the fight to the line.
I thought I was the only one that realized that we were all fighting it though. But the other guys saw it too.
When you're out in the water at El Porto, there's the implied saying, "Get the F out of El Porto", that rings in the back of your mind. You keep pushing though, watching the ocean for pockets, fighting the current, ducking under waves, trying to fight it. You make progress and paddle yourself out a few feet, and the ocean pushes you back a few yards. You take breaks and sit on the beach to catch your breath. From where your sitting, you watch the other guys fight, and edcuate yourself - trying to find what works and how to make your approach. You're thinking to yourself, how are we going to beat this. Naturally, frustration sets in.
But then, you get called to go out one more time.
This time, as you fight foward, you look to your left and right and you see the other guys fighting just as hard. We're all eager to get out there to the line and stand up.
It was cool to know that we all had the same goal. And then surfing is fun again. Awesome.
He has a plan.
Interesting day.
I was honestly pumped to see overhead waves today at El Porto. The waves were out there, but still out of reach right, for now.
What Jon said is true, the excitement of being out there fills you up and you paddle your hardest for 5 minutes, but the power of the ocean gets you. Getting to the line is a dream, for now.
We were stuck at the fight to the line.
I thought I was the only one that realized that we were all fighting it though. But the other guys saw it too.
When you're out in the water at El Porto, there's the implied saying, "Get the F out of El Porto", that rings in the back of your mind. You keep pushing though, watching the ocean for pockets, fighting the current, ducking under waves, trying to fight it. You make progress and paddle yourself out a few feet, and the ocean pushes you back a few yards. You take breaks and sit on the beach to catch your breath. From where your sitting, you watch the other guys fight, and edcuate yourself - trying to find what works and how to make your approach. You're thinking to yourself, how are we going to beat this. Naturally, frustration sets in.
But then, you get called to go out one more time.
This time, as you fight foward, you look to your left and right and you see the other guys fighting just as hard. We're all eager to get out there to the line and stand up.
It was cool to know that we all had the same goal. And then surfing is fun again. Awesome.
He has a plan.
Surf Report
Friday, May 1, 2009 - Bolsa Chica, CA
All alone and nothing good to report. Life is no fun when you do not share it.
All alone and nothing good to report. Life is no fun when you do not share it.
4.30.2009
Surf Report
April 29,2009 El Porto,CA
Ryan
Classic Porto, but better than most evenings.
Caught up with Ryan on the way to Porto. When we arrived we started out on the rip-tide side. 2 hours of non stop paddling and surf today.
Opening wave goes to Ryan. Today is officially, "Ryan's popping up like a pro on his 5 foot fish Day". I was yelling like a mad man when Ryan dropped in on the opening wave:
Ryan lined up with an oncoming wave at the peak, he paddled to match up with the wave, caught it, did a push up with his right shoulder down...
At this point I'm in awe because I knew that his shoulder dropped because he was picking when and where to go down the line.
..Ryan looks to the right, and the wave begins to break on his left, Ryan comples his push up turning the board easily to the right, and here's the best part,
Ryan's pop up was completed at the top of the face, just ahead of the breaking corner.
Yours truly, stood witness (yeah I'm still having trouble paddling out) to 4 of these pop-ups and yelled out in excitement.
The lifeguards at the beach were looking for a drowning girl because I was screaming so much.
No seriously, Ryan's upped the game and has left the curve, errr curl.
Seriously it's always good to have a motley crew out there with you to pump your day up.
Bonus: Confirmation earlier this week that Jeric's ready and Dex is looking for his new board.
I caught a few. My best drop in fell short, because when I began my turn I almost hit a friendly red bearded neighbor. We both said sorry to each other, how cute.
Ryan's tip: Make the last two strokes count. Paddle hard, then complete a push up (a.k.a the vinyasa) putting most of the weight on the side you want to turn. Eventually you'll be able to coast with the wave and pick out the side you want to drop in.
I trust that tip cause Ryan's on a 5'10" board, and even more so, I witnessed the technique first hand. Growth indeed.
Ryan and I both agree, it was a good day at Porto.
Ryan
Classic Porto, but better than most evenings.
Caught up with Ryan on the way to Porto. When we arrived we started out on the rip-tide side. 2 hours of non stop paddling and surf today.
Opening wave goes to Ryan. Today is officially, "Ryan's popping up like a pro on his 5 foot fish Day". I was yelling like a mad man when Ryan dropped in on the opening wave:
Ryan lined up with an oncoming wave at the peak, he paddled to match up with the wave, caught it, did a push up with his right shoulder down...
At this point I'm in awe because I knew that his shoulder dropped because he was picking when and where to go down the line.
..Ryan looks to the right, and the wave begins to break on his left, Ryan comples his push up turning the board easily to the right, and here's the best part,
Ryan's pop up was completed at the top of the face, just ahead of the breaking corner.
Yours truly, stood witness (yeah I'm still having trouble paddling out) to 4 of these pop-ups and yelled out in excitement.
The lifeguards at the beach were looking for a drowning girl because I was screaming so much.
No seriously, Ryan's upped the game and has left the curve, errr curl.
Seriously it's always good to have a motley crew out there with you to pump your day up.
Bonus: Confirmation earlier this week that Jeric's ready and Dex is looking for his new board.
I caught a few. My best drop in fell short, because when I began my turn I almost hit a friendly red bearded neighbor. We both said sorry to each other, how cute.
Ryan's tip: Make the last two strokes count. Paddle hard, then complete a push up (a.k.a the vinyasa) putting most of the weight on the side you want to turn. Eventually you'll be able to coast with the wave and pick out the side you want to drop in.
I trust that tip cause Ryan's on a 5'10" board, and even more so, I witnessed the technique first hand. Growth indeed.
Ryan and I both agree, it was a good day at Porto.
Surf Repot
April 16,2009 El Porto,CA
Kev and Jon
Great surprises welcomed. Kev and I were happy to have Jon come out to surf with us today. Jon’s putting in hard hours at work. Today Jon drove to and from San Diego for work, as a thank you they let him off early for the day.
Jon sent a text message straight from a fortune cookie, “I am down for surf”.
Today’s motley crew headed out for another classic day at El Porto:
Chop, slop, and as Ryan calls it “Mush Burgers”.
As always, conditions do not matter since growing boys are hungry.
Despite the horrible conditions there was a high school, Red Bull, competition today. While suiting up, a passerby says to me, “Is that a competition? What a shitty day to hold a competition!”. Yeah, sure is and we were about to go surf in it.
Naturally, we agreed to pick a spot far from spectators, and cameras. We started out on the right side of the beach, close to the historic rip tide side. Kev and I deem it historic after we almost lost Kev in it last year.
Later in the day we moved further south because the current drifted us to the competition area.
Kev and Jon had no problem paddling out on their boards. Jon’s planning out his entry, carefully picking out pockets and lulls to easily pass into. I was on the beach and watched Kev and Jon easily move out to the line. Patience pays off here.
Jon is looking confident paddling out on his board. We need to take him to a better beach at a good time so he can conquer Al. Kevin’s out paddling out on his Al as well. Life is good if you can say you can confidently paddle out on a classic El Porto day.
Jon Aye's Tip: My coworker told me that he waits 45 minutes before he goes in. He watches the ocean to find pockets to paddle through and waits for set of waves to die out before going in.
The next thing to keep in mind is the movement of the Sun and Moon determine the best tides.
Jon's tip to find pockets truly worked, I watched Jon and Kev find pockets today and paddle out to the line fast. I hope the boys are going to start looking to understanding the relationship of tides and interpreting the surf reports.
Bonus: Jon met the creator of Surfline. Funny thing is the surfline guy got into an accident. What happened you ask? Well, Surfline creator was driving on the freeway, and was following behind a truck with a surfboard in the back. The surfboard flew out of the truck and through surfline guy's window. Cheers to irony.
Yours truly, confidently sat on the beach, not a good day.
Kev and Jon
Great surprises welcomed. Kev and I were happy to have Jon come out to surf with us today. Jon’s putting in hard hours at work. Today Jon drove to and from San Diego for work, as a thank you they let him off early for the day.
Jon sent a text message straight from a fortune cookie, “I am down for surf”.
Today’s motley crew headed out for another classic day at El Porto:
Chop, slop, and as Ryan calls it “Mush Burgers”.
As always, conditions do not matter since growing boys are hungry.
Despite the horrible conditions there was a high school, Red Bull, competition today. While suiting up, a passerby says to me, “Is that a competition? What a shitty day to hold a competition!”. Yeah, sure is and we were about to go surf in it.
Naturally, we agreed to pick a spot far from spectators, and cameras. We started out on the right side of the beach, close to the historic rip tide side. Kev and I deem it historic after we almost lost Kev in it last year.
Later in the day we moved further south because the current drifted us to the competition area.
Kev and Jon had no problem paddling out on their boards. Jon’s planning out his entry, carefully picking out pockets and lulls to easily pass into. I was on the beach and watched Kev and Jon easily move out to the line. Patience pays off here.
Jon is looking confident paddling out on his board. We need to take him to a better beach at a good time so he can conquer Al. Kevin’s out paddling out on his Al as well. Life is good if you can say you can confidently paddle out on a classic El Porto day.
Jon Aye's Tip: My coworker told me that he waits 45 minutes before he goes in. He watches the ocean to find pockets to paddle through and waits for set of waves to die out before going in.
The next thing to keep in mind is the movement of the Sun and Moon determine the best tides.
Jon's tip to find pockets truly worked, I watched Jon and Kev find pockets today and paddle out to the line fast. I hope the boys are going to start looking to understanding the relationship of tides and interpreting the surf reports.
Bonus: Jon met the creator of Surfline. Funny thing is the surfline guy got into an accident. What happened you ask? Well, Surfline creator was driving on the freeway, and was following behind a truck with a surfboard in the back. The surfboard flew out of the truck and through surfline guy's window. Cheers to irony.
Yours truly, confidently sat on the beach, not a good day.
4.13.2009
Surf Report
Easter Sunday Bolsa Chica,CA
Randy
I held out on surf and fun to observe the most important weekend of my faith. Sunday truly was a good day.
"Put me in coach" is what a Bolsa Chica regular yelled out to his friend. I was thinking the same thing, put me in Coach and let me out there. He did.
Randy's out on his body board with the surfers, literally on the line. I was somewhere in the back where the waves break, a.k.a soup, a.k.a. wash, a.k.a no waves.
I got some confidence later and paddled out towards the actual waves and caught a few....tiny ones.
Randy put down his body board and tried surfing on the board a bit. He is now in the market for a shorter board than mine.
I watch a family from Australia or South Africa tear it up. The Dad was over 350 lbs. and was carving on his board, it was insane to watch that level of skill. His son had to be at least 12, and was carving all over my wash. Get off my wash man, leave us kooks alone. The wife was yelling at me to get out of the water. Not true.
Observed tip: I observed a old surfer paddling technique, as he passed me. haha. Well, pretty much he doesn't lift his arms overhead like a swimmer, his arms extend out and parallel to the top of the ocean.
I tried doing it and failed.
After one hour of fun, we were both out of breath or as Randy calls it, "gassed", and called it a day. On the way back up we were greeted by a lady with a bull dog.
ZJ's Surfshop
Off the lip
Randy
I held out on surf and fun to observe the most important weekend of my faith. Sunday truly was a good day.
"Put me in coach" is what a Bolsa Chica regular yelled out to his friend. I was thinking the same thing, put me in Coach and let me out there. He did.
Randy's out on his body board with the surfers, literally on the line. I was somewhere in the back where the waves break, a.k.a soup, a.k.a. wash, a.k.a no waves.
I got some confidence later and paddled out towards the actual waves and caught a few....tiny ones.
Randy put down his body board and tried surfing on the board a bit. He is now in the market for a shorter board than mine.
I watch a family from Australia or South Africa tear it up. The Dad was over 350 lbs. and was carving on his board, it was insane to watch that level of skill. His son had to be at least 12, and was carving all over my wash. Get off my wash man, leave us kooks alone. The wife was yelling at me to get out of the water. Not true.
Observed tip: I observed a old surfer paddling technique, as he passed me. haha. Well, pretty much he doesn't lift his arms overhead like a swimmer, his arms extend out and parallel to the top of the ocean.
I tried doing it and failed.
After one hour of fun, we were both out of breath or as Randy calls it, "gassed", and called it a day. On the way back up we were greeted by a lady with a bull dog.
ZJ's Surfshop
Off the lip
4.09.2009
Surf Report - Shutdown
April 8,2009 San Onofre,CA
Han Solo and J Video
The city shutdown the power to our building all day today. We were given an unexpected free day off! Seized the day with a trip to San O!
Met Blake, a friday morning regular he showed me where the best breaks were close by. Surfing at the areas Blake pointed out made a big difference on the speed of the ride and length. The costs for that is harder to paddle out and stay standing.
I had took 2 nasty nosedives that J and the family loved to watch and make fun of.
Han Solo and J Video
The city shutdown the power to our building all day today. We were given an unexpected free day off! Seized the day with a trip to San O!
Met Blake, a friday morning regular he showed me where the best breaks were close by. Surfing at the areas Blake pointed out made a big difference on the speed of the ride and length. The costs for that is harder to paddle out and stay standing.
I had took 2 nasty nosedives that J and the family loved to watch and make fun of.
Surf Report
April 6,2009 El Porto,CA
J, Kev, Ryan
Kevin and Ryan paddled out to the line fast again. I was stuck in the wash trying to get to the line. From where I was, the guys looked pro status since they were relaxing at the line.
I still am figuring out how to paddle better. I tried making mickey mouse strengthening exercises up at home. Nerd. Randy caught me on video doing it too. I will post it to embarrass myself via you tube.
Ryan and I watched Kevin take one of his waves. Kevin caught what looked like a nice 3 foot corner on his Al Merrick, not an easy feet to do boys and girls, Kevin had to master balancing his core on that slim board. Victory.
The downside is that El Porto is notorious for make waves the drop on you like an anvil, walled out (wuh oh did I just say that). Kev's sweet little corner turned into an unforgiving wall.
Ryan and I watched Kev get sucked in by the evil wave. But Kev's a brave man, he tried going off that beast.
Ryan's paddling out and surfing hard. Opening wave goes to Ryan today!
I was set up to the left and behind Ryan. From my view I could see Ryan surf on the wave from left to right. It is quite a sight to see the back side of the wave and the top of Ryan's head. Crazy man.
I kept asking Jenn to catch the opening wave and focus on Ryan. Ryan said, "Nah, no pressure".
Ryan and Kev both stuck the remainder of the day together, I was stuck in the wash and went back and forth to how J was doing.
Nothing great for me just playing in the wash again. I was able to catch wash that turned into a second wave. I couldn't cut into it though, hopefully I will learn how to this year.
Still waiting for another day at San O or a trip to Swami's
J, Kev, Ryan
Kevin and Ryan paddled out to the line fast again. I was stuck in the wash trying to get to the line. From where I was, the guys looked pro status since they were relaxing at the line.
I still am figuring out how to paddle better. I tried making mickey mouse strengthening exercises up at home. Nerd. Randy caught me on video doing it too. I will post it to embarrass myself via you tube.
Ryan and I watched Kevin take one of his waves. Kevin caught what looked like a nice 3 foot corner on his Al Merrick, not an easy feet to do boys and girls, Kevin had to master balancing his core on that slim board. Victory.
The downside is that El Porto is notorious for make waves the drop on you like an anvil, walled out (wuh oh did I just say that). Kev's sweet little corner turned into an unforgiving wall.
Ryan and I watched Kev get sucked in by the evil wave. But Kev's a brave man, he tried going off that beast.
Ryan's paddling out and surfing hard. Opening wave goes to Ryan today!
I was set up to the left and behind Ryan. From my view I could see Ryan surf on the wave from left to right. It is quite a sight to see the back side of the wave and the top of Ryan's head. Crazy man.
I kept asking Jenn to catch the opening wave and focus on Ryan. Ryan said, "Nah, no pressure".
Ryan and Kev both stuck the remainder of the day together, I was stuck in the wash and went back and forth to how J was doing.
Nothing great for me just playing in the wash again. I was able to catch wash that turned into a second wave. I couldn't cut into it though, hopefully I will learn how to this year.
Still waiting for another day at San O or a trip to Swami's
4.05.2009
Surf Report
April 4,2009 Bolsa Chica,CA
Randoi, Mikey
Randoi brought out his boogie board again. He paddled out with his grey fins and was able to pick out a nice wave going to the right. Randoi was on the face , moments ahead of the closing wave. Looked like something out of my magazines.
Mikey took out his 7" custom spyder that was given to him as a gift. The 6' beast went bareback in 55 degree water. He was going down 4 footers with no fear at all. I couldn't paddle out to see much of his action since I was again stuck trying to paddle out. Mikey ended up getting his 2 fingers cut up really bad under water. We got him patched up by the local lifeguard Jon, CSULB alumni, and decided it was best to end the day to prevent infection in Mikey's hands - but Mikey was still ready to go again. Beast.
On the way out back to Mikey's truck, Mikey was getting questions from everyone, about how we could stay in the water with just his board shorts on - the questions came from everyone including the lifeguard that said, "Man, isn't the water cold? You are brave". Mikey is a beast.
Nothing worth nothing for me again, just playing in the wash. I am having trouble paddling out, expect at San O. I will change my diet a bit and see if a boost in protein each day will help me this weekend.
My new XM leash wrapped around my neck like a noose under water today. I did a comparison of the length between the new XM leash and the old FCS leash, looks the same. Weird.
Randoi spotted a passing a sea lion. I mistook a seagull for a floating ghost.
Picked the California State Beach Annual Pass for year 2! Let us pray for a safe year.
Randoi, Mikey
Randoi brought out his boogie board again. He paddled out with his grey fins and was able to pick out a nice wave going to the right. Randoi was on the face , moments ahead of the closing wave. Looked like something out of my magazines.
Mikey took out his 7" custom spyder that was given to him as a gift. The 6' beast went bareback in 55 degree water. He was going down 4 footers with no fear at all. I couldn't paddle out to see much of his action since I was again stuck trying to paddle out. Mikey ended up getting his 2 fingers cut up really bad under water. We got him patched up by the local lifeguard Jon, CSULB alumni, and decided it was best to end the day to prevent infection in Mikey's hands - but Mikey was still ready to go again. Beast.
On the way out back to Mikey's truck, Mikey was getting questions from everyone, about how we could stay in the water with just his board shorts on - the questions came from everyone including the lifeguard that said, "Man, isn't the water cold? You are brave". Mikey is a beast.
Nothing worth nothing for me again, just playing in the wash. I am having trouble paddling out, expect at San O. I will change my diet a bit and see if a boost in protein each day will help me this weekend.
My new XM leash wrapped around my neck like a noose under water today. I did a comparison of the length between the new XM leash and the old FCS leash, looks the same. Weird.
Randoi spotted a passing a sea lion. I mistook a seagull for a floating ghost.
Picked the California State Beach Annual Pass for year 2! Let us pray for a safe year.
Surf Report
April 3,2009 - El Porto, CA
Randoi, Matteo, Nate
Took the boy and J with us. The boy made sand castles and J took video of us in choppy waves.
Too choppy for us to paddle out anywhere. A guy next to me shared in the struggle of paddling out:
"Pretty shitty day huh?"
I replied, "Yeah, I can't even stay standing in the shallow end"
"Yeah, classic Porto"
As the lifeguard at the bar told Kev last year, "Get out of Porto".
And we did. We ended up digging a 4 foot hole for the boy. The guys decided it would be funny to put me in the hole and bury me. We got that on video. No surf, but still fun.
Randoi, Matteo, Nate
Took the boy and J with us. The boy made sand castles and J took video of us in choppy waves.
Too choppy for us to paddle out anywhere. A guy next to me shared in the struggle of paddling out:
"Pretty shitty day huh?"
I replied, "Yeah, I can't even stay standing in the shallow end"
"Yeah, classic Porto"
As the lifeguard at the bar told Kev last year, "Get out of Porto".
And we did. We ended up digging a 4 foot hole for the boy. The guys decided it would be funny to put me in the hole and bury me. We got that on video. No surf, but still fun.
3.30.2009
Surf Repot - Graduation Day
March 28,2009 San Onofre
Jon and Ryan
Today marked the biggest day of the week on my Google Calendar, the culmination of 1 and half years of surf.
Our 1st California State Beach Annual Pass expired this weekend.
And on this special occasion the motley crew decided to showcase our growth over the years at the Big San O, California's own Waikiki.
Photo Credit to Jon Aye.
http://jonatangan.livejournal.com/
P.S. Ladies you may admire my tiny peter of a camel toe on his blog.
Jon and Ryan
Today marked the biggest day of the week on my Google Calendar, the culmination of 1 and half years of surf.
Our 1st California State Beach Annual Pass expired this weekend.
And on this special occasion the motley crew decided to showcase our growth over the years at the Big San O, California's own Waikiki.
Photo Credit to Jon Aye.http://jonatangan.livejournal.com/
P.S. Ladies you may admire my tiny peter of a camel toe on his blog.
My anticipation had me up at 5AM today for the 6:45AM pickup. Jon realized my excitement and had me drive to his house.
Ryan arrived at 7AM. The crew worked quickly on getting boards stacked up on the runner. Jon had some serious navy tactical “S shaped” knots on the boards.
We headed out for our big day, exchanging eager conversations and stories. A complete rosary provided much needed comfort and confidence on the way up.
The wind passing thru the board bags made the uninvited whistling noise, this ghostly sound more irritating than the ear straining open-window helicopter. What is worse is that the sound from the wind causes the passengers to worry about foam torpedoes shooting from our humvee.
Jon peered his head out to view the boards, ala Iraqi Humvee Recon Team – all he need was a rifle around his shoulder as he stuck out half his body thru the window to view the boards.
“They shifted, pull over”. 10 Minute delay on the clock as the crew switched out tie downs and secured the torpedoes above.
Ryan arrived at 7AM. The crew worked quickly on getting boards stacked up on the runner. Jon had some serious navy tactical “S shaped” knots on the boards.
We headed out for our big day, exchanging eager conversations and stories. A complete rosary provided much needed comfort and confidence on the way up.
The wind passing thru the board bags made the uninvited whistling noise, this ghostly sound more irritating than the ear straining open-window helicopter. What is worse is that the sound from the wind causes the passengers to worry about foam torpedoes shooting from our humvee.
Jon peered his head out to view the boards, ala Iraqi Humvee Recon Team – all he need was a rifle around his shoulder as he stuck out half his body thru the window to view the boards.
“They shifted, pull over”. 10 Minute delay on the clock as the crew switched out tie downs and secured the torpedoes above.
A few more laughs on the 5S and we found that we had arrived.
Long lines and slow rolling waves. "So this is Waikiki", I said to myself.
I forgot to replace my leash before the big day.
Bone head solution, "Oh I know, I'll just tie the lesh in a knot around my ankle". Not true.
Jon and Ryan were out to the line in a dash.
Jon's getting waves in on his second day. His big concern is getting the paddling down, and paddle he did. We went out to Hermosa to get his board repaired and he said his back and arms were sore.
Why, well because of the picture below:
The 3 of us were in between 2 swells. Never in the middle of the line. It was way to crowded in those spots. So we hung out at the end and paddled around until our golden ticket came.
Honestly, I was scared to have no leash. When I finally got the guts to paddle to the line, I said to myself, "It's going to be worth it". Wrong again.
Jon and Ryan were beside me when I decided to paddle to the line, I am certain they saw the next event:
1. Wait at line
2. Line up with wave
3. Nose dive
4. Pop up and laugh at myself
5. Realize no one else is laughing
6. Paddle back to friends and admit defeat
7. Say to self, "Welcome to San O B*tch"
8. Sit around a bit, paddle away from everyone, and hope everyone forgets what happened.
Opening wave goes out to Ryan again. He caught a clean wave, with no corner this time, drop from the top! Ryan put out the cleanest pop up I have ever seen this pass year, turning the board left onto the face of the wave. Ryan's on the face now a days, this was following up his opening wave at El Porto earlier this week. I was next to him (on the left, sorry about that) when it happened and sure I yelled out in excitement.
Long lines and slow rolling waves. "So this is Waikiki", I said to myself.
I forgot to replace my leash before the big day.
Bone head solution, "Oh I know, I'll just tie the lesh in a knot around my ankle". Not true.
Jon and Ryan were out to the line in a dash.
Jon's getting waves in on his second day. His big concern is getting the paddling down, and paddle he did. We went out to Hermosa to get his board repaired and he said his back and arms were sore.
Why, well because of the picture below:
The 3 of us were in between 2 swells. Never in the middle of the line. It was way to crowded in those spots. So we hung out at the end and paddled around until our golden ticket came.
Honestly, I was scared to have no leash. When I finally got the guts to paddle to the line, I said to myself, "It's going to be worth it". Wrong again.
Jon and Ryan were beside me when I decided to paddle to the line, I am certain they saw the next event:
1. Wait at line
2. Line up with wave
3. Nose dive
4. Pop up and laugh at myself
5. Realize no one else is laughing
6. Paddle back to friends and admit defeat
7. Say to self, "Welcome to San O B*tch"
8. Sit around a bit, paddle away from everyone, and hope everyone forgets what happened.
Opening wave goes out to Ryan again. He caught a clean wave, with no corner this time, drop from the top! Ryan put out the cleanest pop up I have ever seen this pass year, turning the board left onto the face of the wave. Ryan's on the face now a days, this was following up his opening wave at El Porto earlier this week. I was next to him (on the left, sorry about that) when it happened and sure I yelled out in excitement.
3.27.2009
Surf Report
March 26,2009 El Porto
Kev
Nice clean lines today, unfortunately paddling out to the line required strength and persistence.
We brought standard squishy ear plugs today that loosened up as the got wet. I ended up taking my plugs out 10 minutes in the water for fear of having them torpedo into my ear.
Kevin was out quick to the line today. I lost sight of him quickly because he was paddling in so fast. I had a feeling Kevin was focused on catching waves on his short board today. Those feelings were true. I found Kevin towards the end of our session, and asked if he caught some. He said, “Yep”. I have a feeling he caught a lot more than he told me.
Kev’s been thinking a lot more about his paddling, he’s figured that on his short board to focus on his chest and avoid using certain arm muscle than feel straining. Looks like Kev’s disciplining himself. Adjust, Correct, Adjust, Cool.
As for yours truly, I had a life guard watch me eat it in a rip tide. I blame it on myself for not having the strength and stamina to paddle to the line.
Yep, I never made it to the line today.
Kev
Nice clean lines today, unfortunately paddling out to the line required strength and persistence.
We brought standard squishy ear plugs today that loosened up as the got wet. I ended up taking my plugs out 10 minutes in the water for fear of having them torpedo into my ear.
Kevin was out quick to the line today. I lost sight of him quickly because he was paddling in so fast. I had a feeling Kevin was focused on catching waves on his short board today. Those feelings were true. I found Kevin towards the end of our session, and asked if he caught some. He said, “Yep”. I have a feeling he caught a lot more than he told me.
Kev’s been thinking a lot more about his paddling, he’s figured that on his short board to focus on his chest and avoid using certain arm muscle than feel straining. Looks like Kev’s disciplining himself. Adjust, Correct, Adjust, Cool.
As for yours truly, I had a life guard watch me eat it in a rip tide. I blame it on myself for not having the strength and stamina to paddle to the line.
Yep, I never made it to the line today.
3.25.2009
THE BIG SAN O
Possible San Onofre trip this Saturday.
I am definitely picking up a new set of ear plugs for this one.
I wonder if I can get J to come with and bring a camera......
I am definitely picking up a new set of ear plugs for this one.
I wonder if I can get J to come with and bring a camera......
Surf Report
March 25,2009 El Porto
Ryan and Kev
Ryan brought his NSP out today and dropped in smooth on an opening wave. We headed further north of the usual spot.
Kevin still working on getting his balance paddling out with the Al Merrick. He's catching more waves inside than before so he's making big progress.
I am still getting used to paddling again and taking time to think and find easier spots to paddle out to the line. It getting more fun each day.
March 21,2009 Bolsa
Kev
We headed further South this time Tower 16. Kev and I found a sweet spot similar to the spot the instructor at Malibu found. It was pretty flat today, small waves, and a lot of times in between sets.
Kev and I managed to stay in that spot for most of the day to make it worth our while. Caught the line again today in the wash.
March 20,2009 Bolsa
Matt and Daniel
I took the infamous brothers out to Bolsa today. Very flat and cold.
Daniel went out in his spring suit. And stood up several times on Morgan. We switched between the Al Merrick and Morgan the whole day. Daniel has got the hang of paddling and standing. I didn't really get to see how he faired on the Al Merrick though. Daniel was too cold today and decided to run up and down the beach to stay warm. If it weren't for the bad weather Daniel probably would have been catching waves all day.
Matt is did pretty good out there, given it was a flat day. Matt and I pretty much were side by side waiting for a long time for our waves. Matt did not neglect the ones that came by. I swear this guy has got guts and a corner magnet. I saw Matt get pretty close to perfectly dropping into corners again. He realized that he was a few paddles short of catching it. From my view he was always at the peak of the wave or right about to drop into a quarter. Keep going Matt.
Nothing special for me today. Just kept the camaraderie by not wearing my ear plugs since the brothers did not have any.
March 21,2009 El Porto
Jon, Matt, Ryan, and Kev
Choppy.
Today marked Jon's first day on his 7'6" Al Merrick! He did really well on it for the first day. Jon showed a big difference in paddling. Jon was out further faster than on his time on his longer board at El Porto. He said he had fun and was able to catch waves in with the board. The board looked great cleaned up and I hope to see memories on that board.
The rest of the boys were doing well, Ryan brought his fish out and Kev brought the Al Merrick. Both guys are getting back into the swing of things. Matt was a big stand out again. Dude has got nuts. I saw Matt drop in on pretty big waves today. Matt's guts is going to have him progress faster. I hope Daniel starts heading out as well.
I finally caught the line. Well the line in my textbook is going sideways on anything for the first time....or going sideways on a pseudo face (wash). I will never forget struggling for 15 minutes trying to paddle out and having some weird feeling to keep paddling because it would be worth it. It was. A dog of the house of Montague moves me!
March 16,2009 Al Merrick
Jon, J
Ask and you shall receive brother. I found a deal on Craig's for a 7'6" Al Merrick board for $150. The seller was very nice.
I sent an email out to the boys to let them know what was out there. The board had just posted that morning. Jon's reply was, "Did you call the guy!". Hahaha. I sure did brother. I told Jon that the seller was going to hold the board for us. Jon was embarrassed to purchase the board because he thought that I wanted it for myself.
No way man, we had that conversation just yesterday. Crazy.
Well the 3 of us made the trip out to pick it up. J and I totally embarrassed Jon. Seconds after Jon had just purchased the board, we asked Jon to take a picture with his board. Jon was hesitant because the seller was still there. hahah way too put your friend in an awkward position. Oh well, that makes for a great memory.
I hope that Jon is blessed with that board and has many memories on it, good ones.
March 15,2009 Bolsa
Jon
Jon and I chilled today catching whatever we could and switching between Morgan and his 9ft+ board. Jon and I sat on the beach and talked about what board we would like. We both agreed that we wanted a 7 foot board. And I kid you not that while sitting on the beach Jon specifically said, "It would be awesome to get a 7'6" board, maybe an Al Merrick, for a pretty low price". I reassured him that something would come up. Little did we know God had plans.
March 14,2009 Huntington, Bolsa
Kev and Ryan
Ryan and Kev were shortboarding next to a surf competition today. They realized how close they were too it and they both caught the next wave in back to shore. That had to make for at least a 20 second ride. You knuckleheads.
I was too much of a chicken to paddle out with the "pros" of HB. So I stayed in the wash. WEE!
March 10,2009 El Porto
Matt, Nate, Ryan, and Kev
Way too choppy today. But way too much fun seeing such a big crew go out. Matt was going down pretty big waves for one of his first days out. The man has got guts.
Ryan and Kev
Ryan brought his NSP out today and dropped in smooth on an opening wave. We headed further north of the usual spot.
Kevin still working on getting his balance paddling out with the Al Merrick. He's catching more waves inside than before so he's making big progress.
I am still getting used to paddling again and taking time to think and find easier spots to paddle out to the line. It getting more fun each day.
March 21,2009 Bolsa
Kev
We headed further South this time Tower 16. Kev and I found a sweet spot similar to the spot the instructor at Malibu found. It was pretty flat today, small waves, and a lot of times in between sets.
Kev and I managed to stay in that spot for most of the day to make it worth our while. Caught the line again today in the wash.
March 20,2009 Bolsa
Matt and Daniel
I took the infamous brothers out to Bolsa today. Very flat and cold.
Daniel went out in his spring suit. And stood up several times on Morgan. We switched between the Al Merrick and Morgan the whole day. Daniel has got the hang of paddling and standing. I didn't really get to see how he faired on the Al Merrick though. Daniel was too cold today and decided to run up and down the beach to stay warm. If it weren't for the bad weather Daniel probably would have been catching waves all day.
Matt is did pretty good out there, given it was a flat day. Matt and I pretty much were side by side waiting for a long time for our waves. Matt did not neglect the ones that came by. I swear this guy has got guts and a corner magnet. I saw Matt get pretty close to perfectly dropping into corners again. He realized that he was a few paddles short of catching it. From my view he was always at the peak of the wave or right about to drop into a quarter. Keep going Matt.
Nothing special for me today. Just kept the camaraderie by not wearing my ear plugs since the brothers did not have any.
March 21,2009 El Porto
Jon, Matt, Ryan, and Kev
Choppy.
Today marked Jon's first day on his 7'6" Al Merrick! He did really well on it for the first day. Jon showed a big difference in paddling. Jon was out further faster than on his time on his longer board at El Porto. He said he had fun and was able to catch waves in with the board. The board looked great cleaned up and I hope to see memories on that board.
The rest of the boys were doing well, Ryan brought his fish out and Kev brought the Al Merrick. Both guys are getting back into the swing of things. Matt was a big stand out again. Dude has got nuts. I saw Matt drop in on pretty big waves today. Matt's guts is going to have him progress faster. I hope Daniel starts heading out as well.
I finally caught the line. Well the line in my textbook is going sideways on anything for the first time....or going sideways on a pseudo face (wash). I will never forget struggling for 15 minutes trying to paddle out and having some weird feeling to keep paddling because it would be worth it. It was. A dog of the house of Montague moves me!
March 16,2009 Al Merrick
Jon, J
Ask and you shall receive brother. I found a deal on Craig's for a 7'6" Al Merrick board for $150. The seller was very nice.
I sent an email out to the boys to let them know what was out there. The board had just posted that morning. Jon's reply was, "Did you call the guy!". Hahaha. I sure did brother. I told Jon that the seller was going to hold the board for us. Jon was embarrassed to purchase the board because he thought that I wanted it for myself.
No way man, we had that conversation just yesterday. Crazy.
Well the 3 of us made the trip out to pick it up. J and I totally embarrassed Jon. Seconds after Jon had just purchased the board, we asked Jon to take a picture with his board. Jon was hesitant because the seller was still there. hahah way too put your friend in an awkward position. Oh well, that makes for a great memory.
I hope that Jon is blessed with that board and has many memories on it, good ones.
March 15,2009 Bolsa
Jon
Jon and I chilled today catching whatever we could and switching between Morgan and his 9ft+ board. Jon and I sat on the beach and talked about what board we would like. We both agreed that we wanted a 7 foot board. And I kid you not that while sitting on the beach Jon specifically said, "It would be awesome to get a 7'6" board, maybe an Al Merrick, for a pretty low price". I reassured him that something would come up. Little did we know God had plans.
March 14,2009 Huntington, Bolsa
Kev and Ryan
Ryan and Kev were shortboarding next to a surf competition today. They realized how close they were too it and they both caught the next wave in back to shore. That had to make for at least a 20 second ride. You knuckleheads.
I was too much of a chicken to paddle out with the "pros" of HB. So I stayed in the wash. WEE!
March 10,2009 El Porto
Matt, Nate, Ryan, and Kev
Way too choppy today. But way too much fun seeing such a big crew go out. Matt was going down pretty big waves for one of his first days out. The man has got guts.
2.22.2009
Surf Report
February 22,2009 7:15AM Sunset Beach, Bolsa Chica, Huntington Beach
Ryan and I paddled out for 5 hours today.
We hit up Sunset Beach in the morning. Ryan brought out his new 5'10" fish and new suit. We got a tip that Sunset would not have surf for another hour. The same guy was also nice enough to loan me his surf key, so that I could attach my 2 side fins.
Ryan and I drove out to Bolsa Chica. Bolsa was crowded as usual, however, Ryan was able to get his surf on on his fish. He was able to catch waves all day. I managed to get my nose diving on (welcome back punk). We spent a good 2 hours before we headed out to huntington beach.
Ryan I owe you for parking man. Kev, I found the pass in the truck. Sorry bro.
There is no sign of any muscle or flexbility in my back and arms anymore. I also forgot how to paddle without my body rocking awkwardly. I almost had my face rammed by a crazy pelican that flew a foot away from my head. Magnificient bird.
I am looking forward to seeing the guys paddle out soon.
Ryan and I paddled out for 5 hours today.
We hit up Sunset Beach in the morning. Ryan brought out his new 5'10" fish and new suit. We got a tip that Sunset would not have surf for another hour. The same guy was also nice enough to loan me his surf key, so that I could attach my 2 side fins.
Ryan and I drove out to Bolsa Chica. Bolsa was crowded as usual, however, Ryan was able to get his surf on on his fish. He was able to catch waves all day. I managed to get my nose diving on (welcome back punk). We spent a good 2 hours before we headed out to huntington beach.
Ryan I owe you for parking man. Kev, I found the pass in the truck. Sorry bro.
There is no sign of any muscle or flexbility in my back and arms anymore. I also forgot how to paddle without my body rocking awkwardly. I almost had my face rammed by a crazy pelican that flew a foot away from my head. Magnificient bird.
I am looking forward to seeing the guys paddle out soon.
1.22.2009
Fins
I was able to score a replacement center fin for $12.50 at Becker. I was afraid that I would have to pay $50 for a set.
I'm ready to go again! Too bad it rained today.
I'm ready to go again! Too bad it rained today.
1.05.2009
Blaster
Craiglist poster, Ed, ended up selling the Blaster-esque 7 foot board. He sent me an email this morning. Damn, I wish I could have picked it up as a gift for the guys.
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