River waves in California might not be the smartest things to surf, but Ben Gravy surfed the SoCal river wave anyway. See, when it rains in California, all the goop and gunk and garbage that has accumulated over the months since the last rain all sweeps down into the ocean.
Oil leaks, trash, pesticides, dog poop, and car tire residue all get grabbed by the rain and make their way towards the sea, where, if we’re surfing, it gets up our noses, in our ears, eyes, and any orifice that will accept it. The general rule of thumb in California is to wait at least 72 hours after it rains to head into the ocean. If it’s pumping, however, that might not be possible. It’s a strong draw, after all, and no one’s immune to it. Add that to the fact that digging out a creek mouth to increase the river flow is technically illegal and… well, it’s just not recommended.
Despite that, after a recent spate of rain, Ben Gravy decided he’d throw caution to the wind and try his luck. “Over all the years of surfing novelty waves,” he wrote, “I never got a chance to surf the SoCal river wave…until today!”
Blair Conklin, a connoisseur of this particular wave, gave Ben the heads up, and Ben could not have been happier. The lifeguards, however, were not exactly amped.
