I just bought my first board!
I spent the summer surfing every Saturday and Sunday at a surf school at Bolsa Chica (just North of Huntington), and I was actually at the point where I felt like I could ride the waves there. I was consistently catching waves before they broke standing up and riding them in (with a few turns thrown in to avoid running over the spongers).
Unfortunately my surf school closed last weekend, so I was stuck with no board. I found a cheap, very lightly used, longboard (9-3) that a guy had shaped himself (he's in the process of starting a part-time shaping business). I took it out Sunday afternoon in really choppy conditions at Huntington. Unfortunately I had forgotten my contacts, so I couldn't really see the waves until they were a few feet away. Despite the lack of eyesight, I still managed to catch a wave and get up and riding. The new board made it a little bit harder to catch waves, and it was a little bit less stable, but it was definitely ridable, and I think it will help me progress.
Now all I need is for the rain to stop down here (while continuing to snow in the mountains) so I can get out in the water without instantly contracting every disease known to mankind.
