31/01: Northshore Chronicle Vol. 1, Issue 1
Sam and I got a place at Velzyland, 4 houses up from the entrance and right across the street. We are up every morning looking at V-land and Backyards at sunrise, then we make a move. Unfortunately, V-land hasn't been very good. But we have been scoring Rocky Point, Gas Chambers, Jockos, Himalayas, and some other reefs here and there. Been getting lots of waves. The swell has been pumping, a new swell every 3-4 days pretty much and each one meeting or exceeding the "High Surf Advisory Level" with atleast 15-20' faces, occassionally bigger. Surfed 8-12' Sunset the other day, on an 8'3", thought i'd be good right...hard offshore winds and i'm on a toothpick. To top that off, i watch 15 guys surf it for 30 minutes to get an idea of how it works. Go home, gear up, which includes slotting the 8'3" gun into the surf racks on the side of my bike and ride the 1/2 mile down to Sunset. When i get there, stretch, and paddle out, there is one guy left on the bowl when i arrive and 2 guys hanging on the inside...I am virtually alone since the other guy out there has the same "fear of the power" look in his eye that i am certainly wearing in mine. The peak is so amazing at outer sunset, it comes through as this growing, sweeping peak that you can see marching in from the outside reefs as it feathers and you watch the wind off the lip for indications as to which way it is moving, but the peaks generally shift super hard from the left to the right, in a collision path with the reef that throws the energy of the wave vertically...watching guys time the takeoff correctly was so fantastic and watching them get pitched and the board blowing off the back of the wave like a leaf in the wind was another reality too.
Anyway, i'm out there with this one other guy, waiting to see a good set, and 2 more guys paddle out, on 10'6" guns and in a quick chat and chuckle with them, i now feel like i'm way undergunned and a little afraid. So i paddle to the inside and sit with the 2 other guys, who are tight lipped and dodging in and out to try and grab a small ledging 6'er on the inside bowl. Not easy. But it gives me a good perspective on the outside bowl, which is directly in front of me, not up the point as you might expect, but rather straight out in front cause these outer bombs from the west peak are really like taking off on a left to fade the bowl of this big shifting peak until it hits the inner reef and reels. If it's a good one. If it's not, it's just a big, heavy drop and then mushes to flat, depending on how much water is on the reef when that one comes in.
I get one inside; a drop, a wall, a closeout and i shoot out the back of the wave with the offshore wind. I now have the soothing feeling that i can do this. I paddle back to the inside bowl and watch for another few minutes til i get cold and realize it's now or never and i paddle back to the outer bowl. At this point it is getting crowded. The swell has peaked a few hours ago, the wind is coming good, so there's about 15 guys out now and atleast 10 of them are really going after it. Men of all ages. Young guns in their mid twenties, thirty something long time hardcores, forty something guys hanging on the corner as uncertain as i am, and a couple of old salty Sunset Dogs paddling right over and into the North peak bowl and waiting for the occassional, and oh so dredging and wall north peak bowl. So i get right into the mix of the pack, sitting under the guys with the 10'6es and hoping for one my size and position. I dodge in and out for another 30 minutes or so, see some epic takeoffs and wipeouts, and take a few on the head til one finally comes my way and i dig. Under the lip on about a solid 8'er, wind blowing the water up in my face, total commitment with no visual sense and stomach up in my throat... And I'm up and dropping, vision comes back, periphery is telling me where to point to get through about 5 guys below me paddling for the shoulder, and i make it, bouncy, but i hang on and soak up the offshore wind bump in my knees and ride it out onto the shoulder . This one ends up mushing out, but i got one, a big drop and my first real wave at Sunset.
Amping.
Anyway, i'm out there with this one other guy, waiting to see a good set, and 2 more guys paddle out, on 10'6" guns and in a quick chat and chuckle with them, i now feel like i'm way undergunned and a little afraid. So i paddle to the inside and sit with the 2 other guys, who are tight lipped and dodging in and out to try and grab a small ledging 6'er on the inside bowl. Not easy. But it gives me a good perspective on the outside bowl, which is directly in front of me, not up the point as you might expect, but rather straight out in front cause these outer bombs from the west peak are really like taking off on a left to fade the bowl of this big shifting peak until it hits the inner reef and reels. If it's a good one. If it's not, it's just a big, heavy drop and then mushes to flat, depending on how much water is on the reef when that one comes in.
I get one inside; a drop, a wall, a closeout and i shoot out the back of the wave with the offshore wind. I now have the soothing feeling that i can do this. I paddle back to the inside bowl and watch for another few minutes til i get cold and realize it's now or never and i paddle back to the outer bowl. At this point it is getting crowded. The swell has peaked a few hours ago, the wind is coming good, so there's about 15 guys out now and atleast 10 of them are really going after it. Men of all ages. Young guns in their mid twenties, thirty something long time hardcores, forty something guys hanging on the corner as uncertain as i am, and a couple of old salty Sunset Dogs paddling right over and into the North peak bowl and waiting for the occassional, and oh so dredging and wall north peak bowl. So i get right into the mix of the pack, sitting under the guys with the 10'6es and hoping for one my size and position. I dodge in and out for another 30 minutes or so, see some epic takeoffs and wipeouts, and take a few on the head til one finally comes my way and i dig. Under the lip on about a solid 8'er, wind blowing the water up in my face, total commitment with no visual sense and stomach up in my throat... And I'm up and dropping, vision comes back, periphery is telling me where to point to get through about 5 guys below me paddling for the shoulder, and i make it, bouncy, but i hang on and soak up the offshore wind bump in my knees and ride it out onto the shoulder . This one ends up mushing out, but i got one, a big drop and my first real wave at Sunset.
Amping.
