JC Surfers?

[dasleben]

It's amazing the progress you can make once you nail the basics and get out of the beginner stage. When you are decent at reading the waves and staying on the board longer, you really start to enjoy the rides so much better. It just takes patience, not giving up or being too hard on yourself and remembering to have fun and enjoy yourself along the way. I bet you feel much stronger while paddling and swimming now too. You've probably got some good moves down now as well as far as your maneuverability. I am so glad you've hung in there, man. Eying the lip........very cool. You're well past that stage of getting hung up in the lip and making great progress. Pretty fun huh? We will be heading to Maui again this winter for a spell/vaca just after Xmas and I can't wait to get some wave days in. Been a while for me now....too much work and too much busy in my tiny life.

Maui sounds awesome this time of year. No cold waves.

Progress is going well, and I credit that to also taking things one step at a time. A flying background probably translates well into learning to surf. Not to make it too tedious-sounding, but I just go out there every day with items that I want to work on. For a while I noticed problems with my pop-up (I was scrambling up instead of popping right to my feet). So, back to the whitewater I went for a session. Worked on pop-ups that day, and didn't worry about much else. The next issue was front-side turns... Spent days just working on going left. Little by little, I realized that what I was working on was much less "Pop up without using a knee" and more "Get your arms moving to help drive your turn." I suppose years of being told what I'm doing wrong in a simulator have kept me from being too worried about bruising my own ego. To quote one of my favorite musicians: "Never be afraid to suck!"

By the way, picked up the Psycho 1 yesterday and wore it out on today's session. Highly recommended! $330 out the door, so it's not cheap, but worth every penny. Nice and toasty.

 

[dasleben]

Oh, and for those who don't mind the looks of "Why is a grown man on a skateboard?" from the neighbors (I personally think it's funny), I've been finding a carver skateboard to be a great analog for practicing when it's either flat or I can't make the trek to the beach.

And not to sound like too much of a cop-whomping hippie, but I find daily meditation to be beneficial in staying present and focused in the lineup, not to mention that I feel that surfing is in itself an activity that's very close to meditation, in general. I've also been finding that practice to be beneficial for keeping calm if you're getting ragdolled.

Anyway, just some ramblings if anyone is interested.

@dasleben sounds hooked

Hooked? Man, I'm literally moving to Encinitas in a month or two for the surfing. That should say something.

 

[Adler]

Oh, and for those who don't mind the looks of "Why is a grown man on a skateboard?" from the neighbors (I personally think it's funny), I've been finding a carver skateboard to be a great analog for practicing when it's either flat or I can't make the trek to the beach.

And not to sound like too much of a cop-whomping hippie, but I find daily meditation to be beneficial in staying present and focused in the lineup, not to mention that I feel that surfing is in itself an activity that's very close to meditation, in general. I've also been finding that practice to be beneficial for keeping calm if you're getting ragdolled.

Anyway, just some ramblings if anyone is interested.

Hooked? Man, I'm literally moving to Encinitas in a month or two for the surfing. That should say something.

Longboard? Now we're really talking my language! This was my quiver in college. Sadly I think only the Dervish and slalom rig will make the move.

 

[dasleben]

Longboard? Now we're really talking my language! This was my quiver in college. Sadly I think only the Dervish and slalom rig will make the move.

View attachment 29586

Nice! Actually, I actually have a Carveboard:

(This is not me )

It's definitely snappier than my surfboard (a 9'0 longboard), but the mechanics required to turn a surfboard are almost exactly the same.

 

[Adler]

Nice! Actually, I actually have a Carveboard:

(This is not me )

It's definitely snappier than my surfboard (a 9'0 longboard), but the mechanics required to turn a surfboard are almost exactly the same.

My brother has a carver, I'm not a big fan of it. We have a few mountainboards too.

 

[dasleben]

My brother has a carver, I'm not a big fan of it. We have a few mountainboards too.

It's definitely very difficult to pump for speed with, but I got it as a surf cross-trainer, not as a standalone skateboard to ride for fun. Once I move I'll probably sell it.

 

[fender_jag]

Glad you're all set with a wetsuit now, @dasleben!
I'm kind of cheap, so I'll go to O'Neill's surf shop and rummage around during their biannual blowout sale (Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends).

 

[dasleben]

@etflies and I had a somewhat eventful session yesterday. Good for about 30-40 minutes, then a strong pulse rolled in, and everything went to hell in a hurry! Started off a little overhead (but comfortably so), and ended with me swimming back to shore sans board after taking a cleanup set on the head. Thanks for keeping an eye out and keeping it safe on shore, dude.

Pineapple Express, indeed. Sitting the rest of the swell out.

 

[etflies]

View attachment 29616

@etflies and I had a somewhat eventful session yesterday. Good for about 30-40 minutes, then a strong pulse rolled in, and everything went to hell in a hurry! Started off a little overhead (but comfortably so), and ended with me swimming back to shore sans board after taking a cleanup set on the head. Thanks for keeping an eye out and keeping it safe on shore, dude.

Pineapple Express, indeed. Sitting the rest of the swell out.

I'm still digging that photo dude, the first little while was awesome but it got messy pretty quick. I'm impressed you made that paddle out the second time, and happy you survived the ride back in! It definitely got heavy in a hurry. Hopefully the next time we get out it'll be more manageable for our skill level, and I'm definitely planning on a new wetsuit! Thanks again for lunch!

 

[dasleben]

I'm still digging that photo dude, the first little while was awesome but it got messy pretty quick. I'm impressed you made that paddle out the second time, and happy you survived the ride back in! It definitely got heavy in a hurry. Hopefully the next time we get out it'll be more manageable for our skill level, and I'm definitely planning on a new wetsuit! Thanks again for lunch!

Dude, the new wetsuit made all the difference in paddle endurance! The shoulder panels are so nice and flexible, it was night and day compared to how I was getting worn out so quickly with my old 3/2.

Haha yeah, that wave that broke my leash was not small... It was a grinding right that came up outside, and there was just no chance of paddling over it. Easily double overhead+. Absolute washing machine ride from then on out, even though I dove for the bottom. The leash giving out was actually a relief... Suddenly everything quieted down, and I was under control again. The swim back in was uneventful; just dove under everything. Definitely pushed/exceeded some personal limits that day. Learning has occurred, as they say.

We'll do it again soon, man... But you're right, let's stick to our limits a little better.

 

[fender_jag]

Great photo! What was the interval? Looks to be around 30 seconds or so.
My surf spot is conveniently below a runoff pipe, so they advise the obligatory "48-72 hours after a storm" discretion.

Good on you guys for giving it a go!

 

[dasleben]

Great photo! What was the interval? Looks to be around 30 seconds or so.
My surf spot is conveniently below a runoff pipe, so they advise the obligatory "48-72 hours after a storm" discretion.

Good on you guys for giving it a go!

That day's main NW swell was about 4.5' at 15 seconds. Pretty clean and fun when that pic was taken (about a foot or two overhead). Very quickly though, it got short-period, big, and disorganized. Wonder if it was doubling up with a secondary swell. Lots of water moving, regardless. The currents really picked up, too.

Where's your local break?

 

[etflies]

Great photo! What was the interval? Looks to be around 30 seconds or so.
My surf spot is conveniently below a runoff pipe, so they advise the obligatory "48-72 hours after a storm" discretion.

Good on you guys for giving it a go!

We would've been lucky if it were 30 seconds! The swells were pretty fast moving, I don't the the bounce back helped anything either. The bigger the sets got, the messier everything was. Still a blast though, nothing like clearing the top of the wave right before it breaks only to feel yourself drop away down on the backside of the swell.

 

[dasleben]

We would've been lucky if it were 30 seconds! The swells were pretty fast moving, I don't the the bounce back helped anything either. The bigger the sets got, the messier everything was. Still a blast though, nothing like clearing the top of the wave right before it breaks only to feel yourself drop away down on the backside of the swell.

Yup, still a fun day! Love the rawness of the whole experience, but man that next day I was pretty drained. Both physically and mentally, even.

 

[fender_jag]

That day's main NW swell was about 4.5' at 15 seconds. Pretty clean and fun when that pic was taken (about a foot or two overhead). Very quickly though, it got short-period, big, and disorganized. Wonder if it was doubling up with a secondary swell. Lots of water moving, regardless. The currents really picked up, too.

Where's your local break?

A place called "The Hook", nearby Santa Cruz. Ever seen the movie "Chasing Mavericks"? They filmed some scenes at that spot (actually, I was there on a few days they recorded). It's a reef break with really good sections. I used to frequently surf "First Peak" on my fish which is great when the tide is right and we get some South. But since I bought my longboard, I like to go down to Second Bowl and Sharks. The lines are very workable there, mostly rights, but some guys like to sit on the inside section and go left.

 

[fender_jag]

We would've been lucky if it were 30 seconds! The swells were pretty fast moving, I don't the the bounce back helped anything either. The bigger the sets got, the messier everything was. Still a blast though, nothing like clearing the top of the wave right before it breaks only to feel yourself drop away down on the backside of the swell.

Oh yeah! When a set comes, the worst place to be is stuck on the inside

 

[dasleben]

A place called "The Hook", nearby Santa Cruz. Ever seen the movie "Chasing Mavericks"? They filmed some scenes at that spot (actually, I was there on a few days they recorded). It's a reef break with really good sections. I used to frequently surf "First Peak" on my fish which is great when the tide is right and we get some South. But since I bought my longboard, I like to go down to Second Bowl and Sharks. The lines are very workable there, mostly rights, but some guys like to sit on the inside section and go left.

Right on. I heard some not-so-good things about some of the locals up in Santa Cruz... Any truth to that?

 

[fender_jag]

Right on. I heard some not-so-good things about some of the locals up in Santa Cruz... Any truth to that?

Good question. Some guys do get kind of chippy, but there are a lot of people who are super friendly and are generally pretty cool (as long as you don't drop in on them )

 

[etflies]

Good question. Some guys do get kind of chippy, but there are a lot of people who are super friendly and are generally pretty cool (as long as you don't drop in on them )

I've wondered that myself, I'd love to take a trip up there someday and check it out. Flying up and down the cost for a couple years definitely ignited a desire to take a few weeks and drive up the coast finding spots to check out.

 

[dasleben]

Good question. Some guys do get kind of chippy, but there are a lot of people who are super friendly and are generally pretty cool (as long as you don't drop in on them )

That's cool, and I totally understand the concept behind enforcing good etiquette (without violence, of course). I love the vibe where I surf down in San Diego (never had an issue), but people tend to be very lax on etiquette. Everyone paddles for everything, and drop-ins are common. Can see both sides to that, but the "If you don't live here, don't surf here" stuff is pretty ridiculous.