The last few sessions

Here's a quick recap of the last few weeks of me surfing...

Monday July 30th (2012) Torrance 1-2':
I took a good look at the surf but with the rising tide it just wasn't worth it. Although if I had an Alaia I would have gone out... I need to make one.

Tuesday July 31st (2012) El Porto 1-3':
Small but super fun. I rode my 7'10" noserider and had a blast on these little waves.

Wednesday August 1st (2012) El Porto 1-2:
Dumpy and closing out...Not as good as yesterday, but I got free parking so I took out my 6'10" first then traded up to my 7'10" as the tide filled in. It was ok, but just not as good as yesterday.

Small but fun 2-3' O'fre 7-21-12

It was 1:36 at night and I could'nt sleep so I loaded up my Honda Element with my usual three boards 9'0" longboard, 7'10" noserider and my 6'10" mini log. I pack a lunch with extra water and snacks and got the coffee machine ready for I'd need it in another three and a half hours. I checked the surf forecast again and nothing had changed. It looked like a small south swell mixed with a smaller northwest. Malibu was probably going to be 1-3' and super crowded like any given saturday and it looked like O'fre was going to be a little bigger but not my much. I figured I'd roll the dice and head down to San Clemente and surf the point (off to the the right of Old Mans). At 5:00 am my alarm went off, I turn on the coffee machine and got dressed and triple checked that I had a few extra bucks in my wallet for parking at the lot before I left the house around 5:30 am.

I made my way to the 405 freeway and headed south. Traffic was light and there weren't that many knuckle heads out trying to cause accidents. The 405 changed into the 5 freeway and still it was easy going until the "Work Ahead" signs started to appear, then the "Lane Closed Ahead" signs. Suddenly the traffic merged from six lanes down to two and we all crawled at 10 miles an hour. Everyone was locked onto the car in front of them leaving no more than just a foot or two of space to insure no one else could possibly cut them off. I almost grabbed my phone to take a picture, but playing with your phone while driving is against the law and I didn't want to risk it because there were cops out on the other side of the orange cones watching no and then. A few miles down the road it opened back up and everyone was going eighty or faster again to make up for lost time.

I took the exit off the freeway that leads to the San On O'fre state beach and the big dirt parking lot that hasn't really changed since I was a kid. I felt lucky that there wasn't a line when I got to the toll booth where you either show an annual parking pass or pay to get in. I handed the old guy $20 bucks and he hand me a little ticket with tape for my window and $5. I headed down the road and easily found a spot between Old Mans and First Point. Low tide was around 5:30 am and it was just turning 6:30 am when I parked. It was small and only a few people were in the water so far.

Photo by Eric Cedeno
O'fre 7-21-12

I watched the small waves peak up and roll in to shore while others parked next to me for a few minutes and left, then someone would pull in, look and leave. I watched the sets and waited for tide to fill in a little before suiting up. Of course I grabbed my 7'10" noserider because it is heavy and has soft rails that work best in smaller rollie conditions like these.

Photo by Eric Cedeno
O'fre 7-21-12

I made the best of it and caught a bunch of waves. It never got that crowded for a saturday and a few hours later I was getting hot and thirsty so I went in to rest up and rehydrate. The tide was starting to kill it but every non and then a pretty big set would roll up and the guys in the water would scramble around and try and catch it. After watching for a bout an hour I was almost sold on leaving but I really wanted to get my $15 bucks worth of surf in so I figured I'd better paddle out one more time. I looked through my suits in my surf bin and pulled out my spring (short legs with long sleeves). Then I slapped on some more sun screen just in case and put on my hat and paddled out again.

It was small out but the there were only a hand full of people surfing the out front of my car. I'd catch the wave early run the nose and add a few cutbacks when needed. It was fun, small but fun. I lucked out and grabbed one of the larger sets and flew down the line hitting the lip and floating each section that popped up down the line before it finally closed out. That pretty much made the session worth it. I caught a few more small ones and got out, loaded up my car and headed north. The first hour was stop and go at about thirty miles an hour, all six freeway lanes where packed with people and every few miles on the right shoulder were a few cars with concerned people looking at their car bumpers while arguing with the owner of the car next to them. Eventually I made it home and I was still happy I went and with my car still in its original condition, well minus some gas.

The Hustle and Flow of the South Bay

7-2-12 Tuesday surf check Torrance Beach 1-3’

I decided to head down the street and check out Torrance. I really lucked out and found a good parking spot that I managed to squeeze my Honda Element into. It was pure chaos in the parking lot and I was sure the beach would be black-balled (No surfing allowed). 

Torrance Parking Lot 7-2-12 by Eric Cedeno

I guess Junior Lifeguards just got out and all the parent came by at the exact same time to pick up their kids. Which meant that since it was so late in the day that soon the lifeguards might remove the back-ball flags and allow surfing again.

Torrance Beach 7-2-12 by Eric Cedeno

My first glance at the water verified my guess about the back-ball... No one out in the water over here. I'd have to make the walk south to get some waves.

Torrance Beach 7-2-12 by Eric Cedeno

There were only a few heads out and I figured that I might as well join the crowd and get a few waves before the tide totally kills it. I suited up and grabbed my 7'10" noserider and jogged down to the second lifeguard tower on the left. It was small and a little rolly, but it sure beats being at work so I paddled out in front of the "swim that way/surf this way" sign. I picked off a few quick noserides while some guy and friend took a few pictures of the action. I kept a close eye on the other lifeguard tower and as soon I I noticed that the back-ball flagged dropped I made my way a little north to the better peak. I had it all to myself for about an hour. It a funny thing surfing by myself on days that seem so crowded everywhere else, on the streets, parking lots and the strand. I guess I can still find a little peace and quiet in the middle of the hustle and flow of the South Bay.

A few More Days of Surfing...

6-27-12 Wednesday Torrance Beach 1-3’

I decided to head down the street and check out Torrance. I lucked out and found a good parking spot that I managed to squeeze my car into. I know it’s cheesy to say this but I love that turning radius, it’s a million times better than my truck. I did another surf check from the parking lot and it was obviously better than other places. It wasn’t as good as yesterday but it was still doable so I figured I’d go out for a little while. 

Torrance Beach 6-27-12
Photo by Eric Cedeno

I suited up and grabbed my 9’0” longboard and headed down the ramp with my hat on. I figured a hat would cut down the glare a little and it turned out that it did help. There were only four or five others out and most of them had shortboards and had a hard time catching waves. I picked off a few good ones and made the best of the situation. It wasn’t great surf, but it was good practice. I’m looking forward to getting some bigger waves soon and if bigger waves are not around then I’ll be in search of a longer wave. I might have to make a field trip down south to O’fre or Cardiff to catch a longer wave. Maybe next week I’ll do a road trip….

6-26-12 Tuesday Torrance Beach 1-3’

I was hoping to get Sapphire all to myself again, but it just didn’t turn out that way. There was a flock of people out in the water and it was apparent that most of the people out were just learning.  I have to admit that the surf and weather was great for beginners. It just seemed a little too small and crowded for me to join in the chaos. So I headed down to Torrance in hopes of finding some less crowded conditions.  

Torrance Beach 6-26-12
Photo by Eric Cedeno

I guessed wrong. At the end of the Torrance Parking lot was a film crew and cops and a bunch of trailers. Must be shooting a movie or something, but I wasn’t interested in that. Actually I was hoping that all the action was in the parking lot which might leave the surf more open and empty. I guessed wrong again. It was more crowded than other spots.  I just didn’t want to deal with more people so I left and went home.  Maybe tomorrow will be better…

Making the best of it...

Friday 2-10-12: In the late afternoon I made my way from my hotel on the west side of the street of A1A to the pier at Cocoa Beach. From the parking lot the surf looked on the small side many two feet (waist high) and bit bumpy due to the on shore wind. There was only one older guy getting ready to paddle out and it looked like he was waiting for the tide to improve. He said it was low tide now (around 4:30 pm) and that the surf should improve with the high tide push. I know the surf in Florida isn’t known to be good very often and you have to make the best of what you can get your hands on so I decided to get out there and see how things turn out. I pulled my seven ten (7’10”) green nose-rider out of the trunk of my rental car.

Eric Cedeno surfing 7'10" noserider  at El Porto (Manhattan Beach, CA) 8-2010

I still think it’s cool that my board fits inside the car (just barely) with the back seat down and the front passenger seat pushed way up.  I picked up this board a year or so ago from Cape Surf, one of the smaller local surf shops in Cocoa Beach that is no longer around. It has a heavier longboard feel that keep its momentum in the slow mushy Florida surf. Basically it was the perfect board for the day. I put on my sprint suit to help shield myself from the wind and made my way across the sand to the tide line where shells were being collected by tourist in the wet sand. I walked thru the shallow inside section holding my board and happy that the water was warmer than I thought it was going to be (about 72 degrees). It was hard to tell how far out the waves were really breaking unless you were one of the fishermen casting lines off the end of the pier. The further I paddled out the bigger the waves were getting. There was only a few other guys out and they would take off in the white wash just before the end of the pier. I could tell the waves would break further out now and then and made my way alone to the outer break about thirty or forty yards past the end of the pier.  The sets peaked about head high (4 to 6 feet) and I was the only one riding them. It’s a strange feeling surfing alone over a hundred yards out to sea and I couldn’t help but wonder how different it would’ve been if I had a friend out there with me. I have to admit that the surf in Florida is way better than most people give it credit. I pretty much paddled none stop for an hour and a half half, wave after wave getting into the right place at the right time again and again.

2-12-12 Cocoa Beach Pier

Saturday 2-11-12: What a difference a day makes. A major cold front hit the east coast and the daily temperatures dropped almost thirty degrees. The winds changed direction and were blowing out of the east causing a pretty hard offshore all day, which in Florida I found out usually causes the surf to flatten out (which it did). I check out the pier first but didn’t get a good vibe from the parking lot as there was a Toyota truck with a smashed window that the cops were trying to get some finger prints while two people stood with their arms crossed in disbelief. I figured it was time to explore a different spot and went further south. The surf shrank down to about a foot from the day before, and I feared that it was only going to get smaller so I decided to paddle out and catch a few before it was too late. The water was clearly warmer than the air and I was glad my spring suit had long sleeves. I managed to get a good amount of waves in during the hour session. Most of the waves were basically the same, slow take off, run the nose before it closed out and just try and make the best of it. There were a few other groms out but they seemed to be having a lot of trouble just catching a wave and every now and then a few cheers would be heard when one of them would finally stand up on their shortboard. It felt good to paddle around and stretch my arms, the little occasional waves were just a bonus.

2-14-12 Cocoa Beach Pier

Tuesday 2-14-12: Can’t beat the crowd. I could tell the waves were bigger today but still not a big as Friday. I suited up in my spring and made my way across the other side of the parking lot to the edge of the pier. There was a major side current running from right to left (south to north) and the lifeguard had the yellow caution flag up on his tower. I walked most of the way out past the inside section and felt the heavy drag pulling me towards the pier. It reminded me of the Huntington cliffs and I knew I was going to have to keep paddling pretty much the whole time I was out. I sat towards the end of the pier and the wind swell made for a tricky take off which I finally got the hang of after a few tries. I saw two others paddle out but they didn’t last long out there on their shortboards and before I knew it I was all alone again. It was getting cooler out and the sun was slipping away into the west. I caught a few more and it felt good to be out in the water again. I chalked it up to good practice, after all that were Kelly Slater started out right...

Cocoa Beach Pier

2/18/12 Saturday at Cocoa Beach Pier…

Sunny and about at 80 degrees at 10:00 am… The ocean was on the glassy side and the surf was small out but still ride-able in my book. So I pulled on my spring suit and left my leash back in the car. I was catching a few fun ones and just talking to the locals about making the best of it. Then I saw a guy on the inside walking his way toward us holding a big waterproof housing for a big camera- way bigger than my Canon G10 setup. He said that he wouldn’t get in the way and wanted to take some pictures. Way cool. He was out there for at least an hour, snapping shots of me and the other guys out. He finally went in and soon followed. I don’t remember his name, but he said that he comes to the pier every Saturday and usually loads the pictures on 2ndstreet.com or 2ndlight.com I can't remember which one. I’ve been searching the net ever since trying to find anything from that session and still no dice… Hopefully I’ll run into him again at the pier and get his email address or something. Later on in the afternoon I had a beer on the pier and decided to paddle out one more time. The surf was smaller an had a little bump to it, but I figured might as well make the best of it- after all it could be flat tomorrow. I stayed out for about a hour or two and just paddled around catching whatever was near me. It just felt good to be outside and not stuck in the office. I wish all my board meetings could be more fun like that.