Coastalsurvey

From: GP
Newsgroups: alt.surfing,alt.surfing.bodyboard
Subject: Pleasure Point, 10/26/96
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 1996
We were expecting a nice South swell all week and it never happened but a storm came through Wednesday and Thursday producing a nice Northwest swell today and probably tomorrow also. I had to get there early because of a noon appt. so I set the alarm for 6:30, got up by 6:45 and got to Pleasure Point by 7:45. I didn’t take a peek to see what it was like cause I knew it was good…

On the drive over I witnessed a beautiful sunrise, the prettiest I have seen in a while and it rivaled those of Death Valley! The moon was full and was just setting at 7 and just above the horizon it looked bigger than anything I have seen before. Then at the summit of highway 17 the sky to the SouthEast glowed a brilliant yellow, slowly fading to the clear light blue straight up and to the North was a gorgious violet red flame. It was beautiful! The wind was blowing and all was clear. I saw all of Monterey Bay grow light, with the stacks of Moss Landing out to Point Pinos in Monterey.  An excellent start to the day.

Steamer Lane go out

I suited up, grabbed my freshly fixed, ding-free board and charged down the cliff walkway to witness 15 foot face sets lumbering through with fantastic spray from the light offshores! My second beautiful sight for the day! It took me longer than the normal to paddle through all the whitewater and the lineup for the first point was way out there. And it is always bizarre how much the breaks look with different swells and the different seasons. I could tell it was once again Fall!

Not too many out at 7:45 and it was nice but the waves were steep and the tide was rising and I was not exactly brimming with confidence having not surfed for a couple weeks and this being some very difficult waves. I ended up paddling a lot but not having any luck, as either I got blinded by the spray or someone on a longboard from way out there was already riding it in.

The waves were very rolly despite being steep as well. I ended up getting washed inside by a bomber of a set, I had to duck dive two 10 foot walls of whitewater. And so I stayed inside and caught a smaller in between wave and rode it in. Then about 8:30-8:45 the wind picked up considerably to about 30 mph with stronger gusts. I knew this wasn’t for me so I headed back to the truck and grabbed my bodyboard and fins. I thought the cliffs and houses above Suicides might provide some barrier to the wind and so walked down.

There was a small gathering at the end of Rockview watching the sets pour through Suicides unridden and Sewer’s Peaks incredible close-outs and the psychos attempting to ride them. Suicides looked pretty sketchy and dangerous. The tide was set to peak at 10:40 at a 5.9, very high, and the inside section close to the point were viscious looking closeouts. It was tubing like I had never seen it tube before. The paddle out looked long if you launched from the beach, and the shorebreak was right against the rocks so I decided to jump off from the point and paddle hard across the inside zone before a set came in. I timed it well and made it out just in time.

A local surfer came up about the same time, I guess he had come from the rocks. And he confirmed it as he checked his board for dings. He said he standing on the rocks waiting for a break in the sets and a wave took him off his feet and he landed board first on a boulder. The wind wasn’t so bad over here but the waves held up so much that the drop was incredible. Very steep, very fast, very fun! I had to leave by 10 and I got in about 6 waves in an hour. It was great, nice steep drops with some sections that sucked out and I made every wave. The surfer had some nice drops as well but he had a hard time making the whole wave as the wind would pick his board up and just toss him! Also the wave was very bouncy. From there I also had a great view of Sewer’s Peak! It looked way sketchy! The whole middle section would just close out and I saw a lot of guys eat shit hard! I am surprised I didn’t see any broken boards. I wish I had brought my camera! Anyway a lot of guys were going left as the right off Sewer’s was almost connecting with the First Peak and so either way was a short ride.

At 10:15 I unwillingly headed in, wanting more. I tried to go straight in up the cliff (1st mistake). I took a wave in to about 10 feet from the cliff and then paddled in to get closer. The shorebreak was coming in and I couldn’t keep my footing long enough to lumber up the boulders so I took off my flippers (2nd mistake). I still was getting thrown around near the boulders and was attempting to dive through every wave. But I could never get enough time to scramble up. And in the meantime the currents had started taking around the point so I was down where there were no boulders just cliff. And again I tried climbing up but the rock was covered in moss. Then a large set came through and washed me up higher on the cliff and swept the flippers out of my hands. I grabbed them luckily but didn’t have enough time to get out (3rd mistake) and the next wave slammed me into the rocks and again I lost my flippers. This time I let them go and made it up the cliff! I sat there for a couple minutes before catching my breath.

Lesson learned, I will now go with the current around to Pleasure Point and take the stairs up in high tide, high surf conditions! Well, I hope to get out tomorrow too but I have a lot of school work to do, 2 midterms this week. Plus the wind is still supposed to be strong though a little calmer than today, it had knocked out power to some people. — Gioni

Favorite Spot?
One of my favorites is a place called the ‘Marine Room’. It is directly in front of a restaurant of the same name in La Jolla. It is about a mile south of the Scripps pier. Local attitude: average SoCal, ie., tolerant H2O temp: summer 74f to winter 54f Swell: any. Seasons. does not break in the spring. otherwise year round. Wave size: 2-20′ . Usually 3-4 ‘ bigger than any other spot in La Jolla. Combo point/reef break. Any time. — Tom

Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Secret Spots
Date: Tue, 20 May 1997
D’ja ever see a surf mag that named ANY place between Malibu and Rincon? I didn’t think so. That’s because there’s NOT ONE place to surf along there. So don’t go there. Heh heh heh psst: Rincon, La Conchita, Oil Piers, Stanley’s, Seacliff Reef, Tropics, Father John’s, Mary’s, Mando’s, The Tank, Solimar, Ventura Overhead, Ventura, Greebeland, California Street, V. Pier, San Buenaventura, Pierpont Jetties, #7 Jetty, South Jetty, Dumps, Santa Clara River Mouth, McGrath, Power Plant, Mandalay, Hollywood Beach, Hollywood By-the-Sea, North jetty, Hollywood Bowl, Washing Machine, Port Hueneme, Radar Towers, Club Patos al Viento, Putty Rock, Fourth Street, Point Mugu, North Point, Outside Laguna Point, Inside Laguna Point, The Inlet, County Line, Arroyo Sequit, Area Zero, Giant Rock, Trancas, Zuma, Drainpipe, Big Dume, Little Dume, Paradise Cove, Latigo Canyon, Malibu. Did I miss any? Sorry, my book is 35 years old. Things may have changed. So, which of those are _your_ secret spot?

BTW, lest anyone think I’m spilling the beans on some great surf spots, listen to what the book says about some of these waves: “Small beach surf of mediocre quality.” “Lines bend around small point and peak up over reefs into thick rather mushy waves, but soup is powerless and large sections are makable.”  Hmm. Think I’ll head _there_ on my next surfari.

From: kieffer
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Ocean Beach (S.F.) 9/21-22
Aaaaaaah! Cruised by it yesterday morning, on my way to work. I had to get in early, with no option for surfing (work deadline :-( ). Part of me was hoping it would suck so that I wouldn’t feel bad about working. The other part of me was dying to see if it had cleaned up and gotten some size like the weather radio indicated. ‘Pull into the parking lot… AAAARGH!!! It’s cranking!!! Beautiful overhead peaks are pushing in outside, the inside is jacking up – very shreadable, and the wind is calm with just a hint of ruffle on the surface. I swear up a storm, pounding on my dashboard, I’m sure the surfers in the lot thought I’d lost it. I even have the wetsuit and boards in the back of the van, ready to go. Worse yet, I won’t even be able to make an afternoon session, since I expect to work late! I drive into work, in a piss-poor mood, music cranked, and spend the morning and afternoon trying to keep my mind away from those peaks I saw. Finally two o’clock rolls around and we realize we’re just not gonna make our deadline so we roll up the carpet. My first thought – “Ocean Beach, 4:00 low tide, I’m there!” I blaze home, pick up the mutt, and head to the beach. I’m in the water by 3:00 and dropping into some sweet head-high surf. ‘Not quite as good as the morning, but I’m not fighting the current either so no complaints. I go home one happy camper! I hit it again this morning. Overcast skies, light onshore wind, and a strong current pulling north. The waves are bigger, but kind of mushy outside due to the high tide, though they do jack up on the inside if you can make the section. I decide to warm up the 7’10″ gun, in preparation for the winter. Turns out to be a good choice – the paddle out is cake and it gets me into the otherwise sketchy waves. I catch maybe 10 waves, with one outstanding left that I make the inside section on, and a great right that works all the way into the beach. I’m Stoked! (tm Bill Morris) and looking forward to calling my surf bud down in San Diego. Maybe gloat over the awesome surf. It occurs to me I haven’t seen anything this nice/big since Costa Rica last april. Well, time to put in the hours so I can hit it again tomorrow. Good waves to ya’! —