Surf Report

This weekend allowed for 3 straight days of surf, or what I have dubbed, a Neapolitan Weekend.

July 11, 2008, 4:30PM - Bolsa Chica

Big Wave Dave, Kev, and Dex. We arrived at the beach late in the afternoon to discover overcast, cold water (lucky me, all I brought was a short sleeve rash guard and board shorts), little waves (if there were any), and one lone surfer in the water.

Despite the poor conditions, the boys were in agreement that we should go in the water and paddle around.

Low tide. We tried our best catching the small waves that broke close to shore. A pair of "pro" status surfers came out 20 minutes after us. As soon as the duo entered the waves picked up pronto.

Dex rode the Blaster today. He was getting up on the board and paddling hard, but grew frustrated because the waves were breaking too close to shore. Dex ended up sitting out most of the day to observe the amazing surf duos techniques. His favorite quote of the day, "This [the challenge] reminds me of snowboarding".

Dave was able to get up a few times on his board, he surfed on his own terms to catch a wave break further out from Kev and I.

Yours truly was able to use the short board and catch a wave back into shore. "It's too fast", was my favorite line. I was hauling ass towards shore and could not get a good pop up. DAMN.

And the beast, Kev, put on a clinic. It was a show of shows. Kev used Morgan (my 8'6" Becker) and took her for the ride of her life. 8 consecutive waves standing all the way. Kev knows how to raise morale on a "gloom and doom" day.

This day is Vanilla

July 12, 2008, 7:30AM - Bolsa Chica

Big Wave Dave, Kev, and Dex. Big D closed up shop when we just opened. It looked like he was in good spirits. He did complain that his elbow/arm was a bit sore. I hope he gets some good rest and comes out later this week.

Low Tide. I love coming in early in the morning. The earlier the better: Low Tide + Gentle Waves + Breaks in between sets = opportunities to stand.

Dex put on a show of his own today. He told us that the night before he psyched himself up using visualization (Check out Pickthebrain.com for articles on visualization and success) to help him conquer the deep end. Conquered.

Dex was focused on paddling out to the point he didn't realize how far out he was. What clued him in was my shit poker face. I was too serious and looked back, Dex caught my bluff and discovered he was too far out. He turned his board around and Viola! Caught a wave back in, standing. Cheers to you butterfly stroker. At the end of the day, Senor Dex was catching waves and standing at will. Line up, Dr. Dex is opening for business.

Kev, was out on his own today with the short board. Today, I kept close to Dex - the current pulled the 2 of us away from Kev boy, so no report on his progress. Kev commented that he was able to catch a few good waves on the short board - not an easy feat.

I had a good day - was able to catch a few going straight on Morgan. My very last wave resulted in a nasty nose dive. Dex saw it and had a laughing time. I'm not mad at all, it makes me smile too. Trust me, watching your boy nose dive is hilarious. Kinda mean, but its funny - like a fart.

We met a Bolsa Chica local today, Danny. Cool guy - scary to walk towards cause he's ripped, but nice guy.

Danny: Nice Board, Becker right?
Me: (scared) Yeah, thanks.
Danny: How big is it.
Me: (ready to surrender the board) 8'6".
Danny: Sweet, mine's a Becker too. 7'.
Me: (relieved) Cool, Nice Board. My name's Mark.

Hahah, I am still a chicken but always polite.

Bolsa Chica Danny Tip: Keep going and have fun. A lot of guys give up because they get frustrated. You have to stick with it and keep going. You'll get better, don't give up.

My response: I hear you. It's good to go surf with a supportive crew, like these boys. These guys help keep it going. Or else I would have picked up a new Nintendo game

This day is Chocolate

July 12, 2008, 7:00AM - Bolsa Chica

Han Solo.The boys were knocked out when I made my usual wake up call. Kev made a kayaking trip with Daniel and crew at Torrance Beach to PV. He said Torrance Beach surf is bad, but kayaking is the shiz-naz.

Low Tide. Good surf day today. Man, I love going early in the morning.

I caught waves and stood up like never before, standing back into land standing.

I had 1 nasty nose dive, but redeemed myself and took one in.

Cheers love!

This day is Strawberry!

Dex's Goal: Float
Kevin's Goal: Curve into a wave sideways
My Goal: Say no to nose dive