10:50: Back at the lookout. Waves are still pumping. See Kelly on another great left. Wish I were at least 20 years younger and could still be out..Photo: Joe Knox
6:00 AM
Waiting for first light. Reading newspaper. Can hear the booms of the set waves. Feeling jittery.
6:30 AM
First light. Everything’s in the car. The usual three minute drive seems to take forever because of light traffic on IB Blvd. due to early arrivals at MVHS.
6:45 AM
Watch one set. First Notch, six waves, 18 seconds. Light offshore wind. A pod of dolphins rides the fourth wave, occasionally leaping out of the water almost all the way to the beach.
7:00 AM
Wetsuit on, gun under my arm, start the ten minute walk to the paddle-out hole. Nervous.
7:10 AM
Get to the hole during another set. Wade in as far as I can jumping waves. Waiting for a lull…
7:15 AM
Lull! Paddle like hell. Get out past the shore break with a dry head. Begin long, slow, searching paddle out to the line up.
7:40 AM
Stayed south of another set. Reached the line up. First-one-out shivers waiting for the next set. Hoping the line up is on. Can see other surfers walking down the beach to paddle out, Kelly on his SUP is paddling from the Bocs.
7:45 AM
Rode the third wave of a set after having to paddle north to meet the peak. Was too far north and had to prone out the right. Rode all the way through the outside shorebreak on the reform. Good, fast wave.
8:00 AM
Back at the line up. Saw Kelly get a great left – 3X overhead – while I paddled back out. Still feel jittery.
8:20 AM
Great right! Long, fast, many turns. Again, all the way through the outside shorebreak… could have beached it! Jitters gone.
8:45 AM
Set from Hell. Six waves on the head. Caught inside by 50 yards on the first one. Soup grew before it got to me. Pushed me all the way to outside shorebreak before it ended. Beat me up. Paddled south and sat for a few minutes to catch my breath.
9:15 AM
Big left. Third wave of the set. Didn’t make the second section and had to prone out again. Very bumpy. Ended up in the toilet bowl (circular rip in the middle of the reef) Had to paddle the merry-go-round to get back out.
9:45 AM
Great left! Heavy drop, Long bottom turn, Up in the pocket trimmed-out drive. Turned under two sections. Scary! Very long wave. Could have beached it but pulled out before the shorebreak.
10:10 AM
Back outside after chancing paddle straight back out around the left. Barely made it over the last wave of a big set. Made my heart pitter-patter. Feeling spent. Time to go in.
10:30 AM
Back on the sand after beaching a good right. Beat, but very happy with a great session in excellent conditions. My legs are getting sore from the long walk through the soft sand back to the car and all the turns on fast, steep, long waves. My gun feels VERY heavy.
10:50
Back at the lookout. Waves are still pumping. See Kelly on another great left. Wish I were at least 20 years younger and could still be out…
11:15 AM
At home in the shower. Hope it’s good again tomorrow.
