025: BIG Ocean Beach and some eastside fog

Posted on October 25, 2008
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Looks like the big stuff is starting… Ocean Beach was massive today. At least to me! I would call it 15 foot faces easy on the sets, and maybe some even bigger. Everything was just on a larger scale than I am used to; guys paddling out with big wave guns, lifeguard jetskis buzzing about, coast guard helicopters hovering. There was a lot of water moving around, and the paddle out looked, well, daunting at best. It was bright and sunny, but the surf created this layer of hazy mist right at the beach. I was at Sloat’s checking it out, and lent somebody an FCS key. “You going out? Looks good!” he said to me. I told him hmmm, I dunno; probably headed down to Santa Cruz (where they were forecasting no wind and much more of a manageable size.) “It’s not that big! do you have a board for it?” I pointed to my Local Motion 7′2″ semi-gun, and he told me that would be perfect. I just nodded, knowing I had no intention of even trying. I would have to be in much better shape before even considering it. I have ridden waves approaching that size a handful of times; but never at a beach break. Honestly, it seemed insane, and I was watching and noticing that rides were few and far between, whereas beatdowns and rough paddleouts were common. I pointed the truck south and headed for Santa Cruz.

The drive down was spectacular; views from up high revealed corduroy swell lines to the horizon. Big bombs; and I’m guessing that Mavericks was working. Pigeon Point lighthouse had some big surf near it, too, but it’s not really a surf spot.