Anyone else get some today...?

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Originally Posted by Long duc dong

Sunday was the day I've been waiting for. I'm not sure if I have had a better day this year. When I can actually drive off the bottom and lay into a cutback with some gusto you know it is hero surf. Sunday reminded me again of just why I love this zone so much, I had almost forgotten.

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Hero for sure; like Alta windbuff!

In the 10-15 years I've been coming down to crowd up your local line ups LDD, last Sunday - Wednesday was the biggest, glassiest surf I've ever had in SoCal. Not a breath of wind until Thursday. Thought about coming up to some of my old faves like Cotton's or Salt Creek, but didn't need to drive that far. San-O (Old Man's) was pumping. Rode my 6'-10 mayhem step up, 7'-6 firewire fish and 9'-0 mctavish. There was noticeably some girth to the waves. I don't think I've ever felt (at least I don't remember feeling) the push of the air in front of the wave from the wave hitting you before the wave actually gets to you. So insane; still buzzing!

Added bonus: I see dolphins every trip down, but I've never seen them do their thing where they roll into a wave, ride it and are hopping in and out of it as it rolls to the beach. So sick!

It was smaller this past week. The clean situation never really happened. It was clean enough tho with several small swells running. I think the SW was the hero this past week but we have more NW on the way. Unfortunately we also have a summer time wind gradient re-establishing.

Near the county line on Wednesday morning was the best surf of the week

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Fun enough out there. My goal this time of year is three or more sessions a week. I got three but two of them were really just staying in shape days. Wednesday actually had some legit fun waves tho. And I did get some coverups on Thursday but it was at this break that is essentially just a ledge that bowls and spits and quits.


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Dang, wish I lived as close as you do Ottime and could get in 3 sessions a week....I am lucky to get 3 in a month.

I did score a fun day at 4 mile yesterday. Left the house at 430 am and made it to Santa Cruz just after 7 am. Town spots we slow and filled in so we headed to 4 mile and found a wobbly but fun day. Stopped for tacos on the way back and made it home before 3. Home is in Sacramento so I am going to say it was an epic day, lol.

Looks like things pick up again later this week, I might have a case of the peak fever, call in sick, and give OB a go on Friday.

Checking in from Baja. Swell is on tap all week. Head high+ right point break. Attachment 504368

You win. Enjoy!


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Originally Posted by Zhem

Dang, wish I lived as close as you do Ottime and could get in 3 sessions a week....I am lucky to get 3 in a month.

I did score a fun day at 4 mile yesterday. Left the house at 430 am and made it to Santa Cruz just after 7 am. Town spots we slow and filled in so we headed to 4 mile and found a wobbly but fun day. Stopped for tacos on the way back and made it home before 3. Home is in Sacramento so I am going to say it was an epic day, lol.

Looks like things pick up again later this week, I might have a case of the peak fever, call in sick, and give OB a go on Friday.

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OB on Friday and Sat AM was super fun. Sat had some real size pushing through on the outer bar sets.

This weekend was super good. Saturday morning was pure bliss size at the rocky ledge. Well overhead and juicy but in the fun zone. Rode my step up but almost found myself wishing I had the shortboard.

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6:50am quick shot as I suited up. I saw the waves and they looked killer but had to sack up to change into my wetsuit. It was in the 40s and a cool offshore breeze. So worth it. So many waves.


Sunday I thought would be smaller. I was very wrong. I was stoked to get on the shortboard but thought better of it and stayed on the step up.


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The big wave reef up the road was showing. Often once it gets this big, my favorite spots is over blown.

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6:15am pull out the phone while suiting up shot. This morning I did not hesitate at all. Just a friend of mine out and this was an average set. You can get a sense of size as he is paddling back lookers left. He had a great wave and there were eight of these before he was outside.


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While this place is mainly a right, the left was working as well

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Only shot of the right I really got. This was a plus sized set but not one of the bombs. A video would be better as he caught this thing at the peak and he is mid carve in a mellower section of the wave.

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This one just captures the mood of the morning for me.


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There were some smaller sets on Friday that broke great. But being on the inside could be scary at times.

Highlights of the morning. I was 1/4 on the bombs I tried. That wave was insane. I skipped twice off the surface on my way down from one of the fails. Got super drilled by the lip after making my drop on another. But the best moment was after the crowd showed up (there were 7 of us) and no one but me was at the peak when the bomb of all bombs sets came through. I negotiated myself just adjacent to the thickness, boxed up peak I've seen in some time. There was no way I could have touched those two waves but watching them just bend and contort and huck from feet away was insane. The third wave would have actually been an "easy" catch, but I was just awe struck and just watched. My second favorite moment was paddling back out when a big wide set hit and I executed the perfect duck dive just under the lip and came out way back with the wave ten feet behind me. To then feel the backward pull ten feet and dropped into a hole. Insane.

Such a blast. Really wished I was feeling faster, more ballsy and a touch more skilled on Sunday. Some of those waves were just insane. Some of the people I surf with, a few at least, are really fucking talented.


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Dude! Just reading that I'm scared! [emoji16]

My kids were talking about some kindness on tap for tomorrow

I bet today was another good ones. The storm that came through was not so windy so the sickness might have not started. I booked an appointment with Hyundai so I was down in Seaside. Unfortunately the dealership did not have the part on hand they thought they did. Fuckers. So I need to go down there again. OTOH the dirt in Fort Ord this morning was as about as good as it gets.

And I'll get to surf again tomorrow which looks a lot cal er than today.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zhem

Dang, wish I lived as close as you do Ottime and could get in 3 sessions a week....I am lucky to get 3 in a month.

I did score a fun day at 4 mile yesterday. Left the house at 430 am and made it to Santa Cruz just after 7 am. Town spots we slow and filled in so we headed to 4 mile and found a wobbly but fun day. Stopped for tacos on the way back and made it home before 3. Home is in Sacramento so I am going to say it was an epic day, lol.

Looks like things pick up again later this week, I might have a case of the peak fever, call in sick, and give OB a go on Friday.

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Missed this post. If you are ever in town (especially mid week) hit me up if you want to surf. 4 Mile is too crowded. There are quieter spots for sure. Tho 4 can be very fun. And if you window is on a smaller day I can help you find the goods. Small inbetween clean days are some of my favorites. So many cool little breaks to try out.


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Originally Posted by soul_skier

OB on Friday and Sat AM was super fun. Sat had some real size pushing through on the outer bar sets.

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Yes, Friday was a lot of fun. Arrived at about 630 am and surfed until 10ish, out of the city before 11 am, great day!!!

Just saw an article on a proposed seawall going in at OB. That is causing concern obviously. We'll see what happens.

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Originally Posted by Ottime

Missed this post. If you are ever in town (especially mid week) hit me up if you want to surf. 4 Mile is too crowded. There are quieter spots for sure. Tho 4 can be very fun. And if you window is on a smaller day I can help you find the goods. Small inbetween clean days are some of my favorites. So many cool little breaks to try out.


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Thanks!! I will reach out for sure. We spend most of our time to the north, Montara to Salmon Creek, and make the occasional trip up to Point Arena area, Shelter cover, etc. Do head your way when everything is blown out, over loaded, or Santa Cruz area is too good to pass up and I want to deal with crowded line ups (lol). We don't usually stay in town, most of the time we head north to 4 mile, Davenport, or some other spot but have had some really fun days in town as well.

I actually caught my first wave at the hook way back when (90s). My uncle had a house close by and I have yet to forgive him for selling it.

Just more solid swell. Finally took out the 7'6" mini for the first time this season. Yesterday was fun at the same spot on then 6'7" step up.

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Wednesday.

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Sunny a fun sized

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Crowd dropped to about 8 as soon as I paddled out, so stoked on that.

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Thursday had a few more clouds and size stepped up a bit.

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Visibility was variable. Fog coming in and out.

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The good ones were long ass overhead goodness.

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Enough waves to share.

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The hard part about today was the wait between these sets.

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And it was chilly.

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This lady got the best shots because this wave kept its size and shape all the way through the inside.

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She even almost got shacked on the inside. Btw - pretty sure my pronoun is right here as think I recognize the board.

Such a solid run of swell we have had. Even a bigger round is supposed to fill in tonight. Though wind will keep us in town.


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We just had a few days of super consistent swell in central Baja. 300 yard rides on a lined up right point. So much fun. Waves are sticking around but we’re headed south for the next adventure. Attachment 504814

Nice!!

Are you far enough down for warm water?

It has been pretty fun here of late, which is nice given how bad September was. I've gotten midday sessions the last three days, and Wednesday I even got a newport session, right at the jetty with only four of us, which is rare. It was fast and steep, I got pitched a couple of times, but I also got a few roping, 100 yard lefts!

Today has size, but blown to shreds.

Yesterday, Sunday, was fun south of the hb pier.

I waited out the crowds and high tide, got in the water around noon, and while there was a tiny bit of wind it ended up not being a problem.

It was shoulder high+, with a bit of punch. Rights and lefts, I mostly went left. The crowd had thinned substantially, so the wave count ended up being high. It was easy to surf, an easy takeoff, bottom turn to cut back, a couple of pumps before bouncing off the lip, then a couple of pumps to the inside section and a lip bounce at the end.

As much as I would love a wave pool with great waves, I would take this! The best few lefts I got were such that 6 of them over an hour session in the pool would leave me happy. HB is great when the crowd thins, anticipating the wind crushing it, but the wind holds off.

The water was quite a bit colder, probably 58, which is cold for us!

crowds? What are those?

Surf has been off the hook up here recently. Was able to get a late morning session in on Sunday. Glassy. Crowded (that is what those are) at my intended spot. Like 25 guys out. Mostly no where near the peak, but Old Man's was looking like an old man's break. At least 10 longboards out. So I decided that was not an option. I was solo, so the few spots I saw breaking that were empty would have been too lonely and isolated, so I settled for a quick session at Scotts. Checked it, saw 4 out, kind of a wave and one dude coming in, dropping the crowd to 3.

I paddled out on the left hand side for the right, swing wide and outside, and paddled right into a peak 20 yards outside of anyone else. Surfed passed them, and paddled back out. No one had moved, so I paddled back to the peak by myself. A minute later I was on a second wave. Now, I've cut a lot of drinking out of my mid week diet, and have been trimming down, which has felt good, but this session was the first time everything has kicked in in years. I ended up with 7 or 8 waves in 35 minutes. Every way I stood up, put my feet right where I wanted the, and started surfing right away, driving off the bottom and slamming the lip. The good section of the wave was short, maybe head high, and almost juicy, but slow enough where you could really drive into it. Felt so fucking good. By the 35 minute mark there were maybe 12-15 people out, so I called it a session and left. Yes. I love these in-between swell days.

Tuesday was even better... Offshored blew all morning, but I was busy. Got out around 12:15 just as the wind was expected to turn southerly. I looked at Old Man.s and there was too much north and too much swell. Scotts looked busy, but a touch bigger than Sunday. Looked real fun. Stone and car parts looked lonely. So I checked out my usual ledge as there were a few cars parked there. Two in the water Two on the cliff and head high to overhead waves pretty consistent. In fact there was a wave every 13 seconds, and most of them were ridable. If course, you'd not want to go after all the small ones, as sooner or later a bigger set would come through.

Daniel introduced himself to me on the cliff. He was stoked. I confirmed he was planning on paddling out before I descended. I settled on my 6'4", which is a beefy squash (32L I think) over my 6,7" step up. As soon as I was standing on the reef a set came in that made me question my choice. But no way I was climbing back up to make a change. It was a challenging scurry across the reef to the jump off spot due to the high tide. The paddle out was some work due to the swell. By the time I got out the crowd was down to one.

I chatted with my buddy (turns out I knew the guy, but most people who surf here, we know each other) and confirmed it was him I saw getting shacked repetitively on the rodeo bowl. He was grabbing the smaller head high sets and getting tubed almost every time. A wave came through and he declined, so I spun and went and did not make my drop. I was thinking, back to my old tired style of surfing. Then he grabbed. wave and went in, so I was out solo. No worries as I saw Daniel coming down the cliff.

Then I got my first wave, kind of one the edge of the first section, so easy drop, and I decided to stay with it. As it set up on the next section, I was able to get a bunch on nice quick turns, but it was not the type of wave I was really looking for. Then I grabbed a 2nd and this one was much better. Picked it up at the peak, about a foot or two overhead as I drove off the bottom. First turn was right under the hook, but the second off the lip I just smashed it, and then I still had 3 more sweet turns before lining up a final fast section to pulling out. Ahhhh - that felt soooooo good.

Then I got another, and by this time Daniel was out I noticed as I carved a turn under him. I planned to paddle out and thank him for coming out as I really don't like being at this place solo. I've been chased out but a shark before. The lip broke my ankle here before. The reef is ragged, the cliff crumbly, the feeling lonely. As I was paddling back, I noticed he was sitting right in the pit and I thought - this guy must rip. He missed one, but held his position. I got within a few feet of him, and then spied a set. I called it out, and beelined for the outside and down the line. I slipped through. He did not. After the wave I looked over my shoulder and saw he had been pulled 40 yards inside and was for sure in the pit now. Three more waves came through hitting the reef hard and he was on the reef, then on the sand. I was back to solo. I got another amazing wave, and then Daniel headed back up the cliff. Sorry to see you go. But these waves were so much fucking fun, I stayed out for a three more before my anxiety sent me in. About 50 minutes and six of the most fun waves I've had in some time.

When I got out I had no one in the water to try to take pics of. These waves are about a foot overhead ish. These were the ones I was going for. The bigger ones who through quite a bit harder then most would have a soft shoulder. The slightly OH waves would line up and go. And inbetween these were a constant run of shoulder to head high waves I usually ignored as they were shorter and less lined up goodness.

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Way cleaner than I expected and way more li ed up. The tide was full full.

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Just wished I was not alone alone. If someone showed up on the cliff, that's all I need. Head games.

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On my walk back to the car, after changing and taking pics and eating an apple, I crossed paths with another surf buddy. He brought a friend. I was tempted to paddle back out but I had shit to attend to.



The next morning I headed to Miss as we have strong south winds up here and it was easterly early down there. Swell had not diminished. Had another successful 50 minute session of not getting drilled and getting on some meaty waves. Even had a few front side lip hits I was stoked on. I think I'm liking this 6'4". It's the Pyzel Slab. Seems like as soon as I figured out how not to cork out on it, the board is brilliant.

Thinking of maybe surfing again in the morning down there. Blown out as fuck here but looks like more morning offshores out of the Salinas valley.


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It was fun again this morning. The beaches are getting an offshore for sunrise, that slowly accelerates and turns south by mid day. I arrived as the winds were side offshore, blowing down the line for the lefts which I was mainly taking. Got a barrel or a cover up. I came out of it to quickly, when I should have pumped into the next section, cause I'm pretty sure that would have resulted in being deeply barreled but makeable.

Highlight wave was a slightly overhead, fast down the line wave, where i was able to fially find the space and time to hit the lip, and just after coming off the top, about three feet down the line a juvenile seal jumps out of the crest and dives into the trough, and I still had another 30 yards to go before an attempted floater on the close out.

Maybe a bike ride tomorrow after the rains hit Fort Ord, and then off to the desert for a few days to chill with family. It has been amazing run of surf around here.

This weekend ended up being fun. November has been quite good.

Friday afternoon I got in the water around 2. I hoped to get out earlier, but was just too busy. It was shoulder high, maybe head high on the sets, with nice shape, peaky with workable walls. There was a bit of wind, but it wasn't too bad. It always feels lucky when you can surf south of the hb pier at that time with little wind. After the cams looked crowded all morning (I really need to learn not to obsessively check the cams when working when I can't get out for hours) it ended up being pretty empty. It was shifty and a bit weird, but with so few people there were plenty of fun ones to be had.

Saturday....wow....

The conditions weren't world class, it is hb after all, but it ended up being maybe my best day of the fall.

It was about head highand peaky, with most waves having both a right and a left. I went out north of the hb pier, between towers 8 and 10. The crowd was spread out, so at times I had a peak to myself. The takeoffs were easy, and on some of them you could choose right or left. You could drive off the bottom into a nice cut back and really lay into it. Sometimes another section, then maybe a bit of Huntington hopping, then lined up sections on the inside. It was a long paddle back, but waves were so plentiful that if you were tired you could sit for a minute or two, which is rare for hb due to the usual crowds.

It stayed clean, and I surfed from noon to 3. It was so easy to surf that it felt like a good trestles day, I even felt like I could drive a turn. Hero waves for sure, at least for old guys like me who suck.

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Originally Posted by Ottime

cr I got another amazing wave, and then Daniel headed back up the cliff. Sorry to see you go. But these waves were so much fucking fun, I stayed out for a three more before my anxiety sent me in. About 50 minutes and six of the most fun waves I've had in some time.

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poor daniel. :D been there done that.
and It's good to know that the anxiety even gets to experienced surfers. I can only stand being out solo up to a certain size and at spots where i can wash in easily.

Been watching this thread for the last few months. Great stoke in here

I’ve been surfing for about a year and really starting to get the hang of it. I usually stand up on 5-10 waves if I go out for an hour and a half sesh and it’s not too busy. I think I’m ready to graduate from a foamy. I’m 6’3, 205lbs and want to keep catching a lot of waves but also want to progress. I’ve read quite a bit on the interwebs and thinking of going with a 7’6”-ish mid-length/“funboard”. This seem like the right track? There’s a number of big surfboard shops down here, thinking of just stopping in one of those. Or is fb marketplace a better move? Budget of $400-$500 seem reasonable? I’m located in SD


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Originally Posted by PeachesNCream

This seem like the right track? There’s a number of big surfboard shops down here, thinking of just stopping in one of those. Or is fb marketplace a better move? Budget of $400-$500 seem reasonable? I’m located in SD

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It really depends on what you want your progression to look like, your budget, and where you're planning to surf in order to make a good recommendation. Do you want to surf hollow beachbreak on a shortboard and you're willing to surf every day in order to make that happen? Are you looking to surf 1-2 times a week and want something forgiving so you'll maximize your limited time on the water?

Being in SD you're spoiled for choice. If you're not looking to spend much then decide what kind of board you want and start looking at the used market on Craigslist, FB marketplace, etc. If you can afford it, I'd recommend finding a shaper and getting a custom board instead of picking up a new board at a surf shop. It's going to either be the same price or just a bit more but developing a relationship with a shaper and getting something customized to your body will result in making your decisions simpler and more precise in the future.

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After a poor summer in SoCal it's nice that things have turned back on. It's been a great run of surf the past several weeks. I rarely have a phone with me so don't typically take pictures of the surf but here's the first big NW swell on Veteran's Day hitting the reefs below PLNU in SD.

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Originally Posted by CascadeCrudSkier

It really depends on what you want your progression to look like, your budget, and where you're planning to surf in order to make a good recommendation. Do you want to surf hollow beachbreak on a shortboard and you're willing to surf every day in order to make that happen? Are you looking to surf 1-2 times a week and want something forgiving so you'll maximize your limited time on the water?

Being in SD you're spoiled for choice. If you're not looking to spend much then decide what kind of board you want and start looking at the used market on Craigslist, FB marketplace, etc. If you can afford it, I'd recommend finding a shaper and getting a custom board instead of picking up a new board at a surf shop. It's going to either be the same price or just a bit more but developing a relationship with a shaper and getting something customized to your body will result in making your decisions simpler and more precise in the future.

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I can’t swing everyday but I’ve been going 2-3 times a week consistently, trying to make it 4x a week, this is getting fun. For this board, I’d want something inbetween what you mentioned. Looking to progress towards something I can turn more but not lose all my ability to catch waves. My local spot is tourmaline/PB which has a mix of short (PB) and long (tourmaline) waves. For this board, I’d want it a step towards a short board.

I’m on a 86L foamy currently (that is getting water logged). It’s Narrower but longer than a wave storm. Some random calculator online spit out 65L board for an early intermediate at my weight


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my $.02.

Caveat - depends on how old you are. The older you are, the slower the progression.

I'd for sure be looking for a mid size, what we used to call eggs or fun boards. I'm assuming you are to out charging bigger waves quite yet, so I'd focus on a board that is better suited toward smaller surf.

7'6" sounds about right if you are looking to not be a full time long boarder. OTOH, if that is what you prefer, I'd look for a long board.

65L at 7'6" is a pretty bulky board. Meaning it will ride more like a longboard - sluggish, slower rail to rail, harder to pump and take longer to turn. Of course template and rocker play a big roll, but as you get more volume, those riding aspects tend to follow.

You can search your local shops and FB and CL for a used board. It is often worth doing this, especially if you have time to buy. A lot of crap gets listed, and you may find yourself going out to meet people only to find the board is crap. Ask a lot of questions.

Any delams? Any open dings? Any fixed dings? Who fixed them? More pics please of any issues? Stress cracks? Pressure dings? Compressed decks? Buckles?

Check used boards carefully for any issues. Unless you have experience doing fiberglass work and a place to do repairs, damaged boards have a much shorter life. The best board to buy are boards purchased by dentist or given to semi pros that they don't quite like and then sell below market to move them fast.

You may also find a surf tech worth looking into. Not a true fiberglass board, and their flex tends to be stiffer, but quite resilient and some are more affordable. I know nothing about this model, but just did a quick search for a 65L 7'6". This one is 55L, and the shape looks decent on a 2D screen, but really hard to tell.

Just avoid buying a used board that is well used to save money - unless you see this as a progression board that need only last one year before you size down. That might make sense if you are 20, get out 3-4 days a week and generally athletic. If you are 40, get out 2-3 days a week, and semi coordinated - go larger and plan to stick with that for a few years.

I was able to work with a friend who surf a few days here an there as a kid, but picked the sport up again around 42. By 50 he is still on bigger boards, but a decent intermediate surfer. I've only seen him out on his high volume 6'6" board maybe three times and he is usually on a 7'6" egg or big guy shortboard (he is not a big guy).

The best advice it for sure get out as often as you can. I'm 52, and need to surf at least one day a week to stay on top of my surfing - conditioning, form, skill etc. Once we start getting into the fall season I commit to at least three days a week. But for me, even after 39 years of surfing, I do best when surfing 4-5 days a week and am in my rhythm.

Surfing is a hard sport, and for 99.9% of us, there is always room to progress - whether its performance, wave choice, positioning, poise or something else - always room to improve. Part of what makes it some damn fun.

Best of luck - and keep that foamy. There will nearly always be a use for it somewhere and sometime.

That's all good advice, though I really don't like the feel of epoxy or surftech boards; they just feel kind of dead to me. However, anything will be superior to a foamy. A funboard/egg shape is probably the best step to take next.

I'm quite familiar with PB, I used to surf there 3-4 days a week before work. The sandbars haven't been in good shape this year and it's even more closed out than usual between the pier and the pumphouse so I've found myself elsewhere but I still take a longboard out there when it's really small since it's convenient. I'm usually there to paddle out at first light until around 7am if you ever want to paddle out at Law St.

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Thanksgiving has been blessed with one of the last southerly swells of the year. The crowds killed the fun factor out at Church yesterday morning but this beachbreak wasn't a bad consolation prize. This was first thing today, it looks better than it ended up being due to a very high tide but it still wasn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

Surf still cranking. It's nice to leave home for 9 days and come back to this.

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I surfed the left on the reef just south of here.

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It was quite good. A hard to line up but cranking, hollow and long waves.

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But right out front was a lot easier to shoot.

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Swell settles a bit but it looks good all week.



As for epoxy / surftech. For sure the surftech boards are stiff and lack the flex of a new polyester. Take a five year old polyester board tho and that one is beat and lacks the rebound it once had.

A proper epoxy board otoh still has good rebound in it (not as much flex as a poly tho) but it stays the same for years and does not die out like a poly. From my experience.

They all surf different, but for someone new and learning I really don't think most people even can feel the difference.

I learned to surf (39 years ago) on an Aiken which is a plastic blow out board like a BIC. Rode that board exclusively for two years and learned how to do floaters on it. The thing was indestructible and when I moved to a poly board that thing felt so loose I could barely stand on it. But a few weeks later I was able to rip that board so much harder.

As for indestructible we once went to the beach in a sedan and bungee corded the trunk down with the boards sticking out the back. The Aiken took 6 miles of the trunk latch bounce off the bottom of the board. Had a small dent on it when we got to the beach. A poly board would have been destroyed.


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Some nice surf in this neck of the woods over Thanksgiving.

It was crowded, as it always is, but still fun. It's great to see this run of surf after how bad late summer was.

It looked fun both yesterday and today, but I'm simply too busy. There could be something tomorrow, probably shoulder high in HB which will get me in the water, which would be nice. The tide has been pretty nuts, so a mid-day session, or first light, is probably the only option.

PeachesNcream,

I learned in college, so definitely as an adult. My only advice would be to stay on somewhat larger boards for a while. I probably went to a shortboard too quickly, and it stunted my growth. I don't think it would have made a massive difference, I would probably be about the same, but you want to be as relaxed as possible. Make everything easy.

One thing I noticed was that I improved more in the summer in college than in the winter. This is somewhat incongruous with the Santa Barbara surf, which is much better (albeit still not big) in the winter. But around Isla Vista you can actually get in the water quite a bit in the summer due to thigh high windswells which just seem to popup, and you could walk/bike there easily People say you can't surf in the summer there, but it is surfable more than people think, you just need a funshape. Because I was surfing a 7-8 foot funshape in the summer, I would get in the water more often, and be able to have fun in the thigh to waist high waves, which helped me develop. In the winter, on slightly bigger days, like shoulder to head high, I was trying to surf a shortboard, which I was not ready for. Unfortunately I didn't figure this out for a while.

As I developed I eventually went towards high volume shortboards, like 40-45 liters is my guess, which helped my development more than the standard shortboards. I just wish I had been on those, and funshapes, my whole time in college.

One of the nice things about a funshape is that it will keep you in the water. Even as you get into shortboarding, a funshape is valuable for the quiver. I still have lots of days where I'll go out in waist high conditions and have a blast on a 7'6". A funshape that is your standard board now will still be useful when you develop. You won't really outgrow it.

Just my opinion. Everyone is different. Lots of my UCSB/Newport friends have learned to surf over the years, and from what I've seen the ones who stick with it tend to stay on high volume boards for longer. I will add that I have a good friend from college who grew up on the Big Island and rips, who lived in Newport for many years and would advise many of our UCSB/Newport friends to learn on a shortboard. I will defer to his expertise, he is far better than me and knows far more, but I simply don't agree. He is, and will admit to being, against conventional wisdom on the subject. He started very young, and I don't think he really gets what it is like to start after you have stopped growing. The problem is that he is telling people what they want to hear, that they can learn on a shortboard, which got a number of our friends to simply not progress. Sometimes I would take them out on a funshape and they would say 'wow' and be enthused.

For most of us, our bodies need to get comfortable. The extra foam is helpful in that way.

Everyone is different. I just think going slowly is the best policy. And that funshape will always be useful.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I’m going to hit up a used boards shop this week or next. In summary, ask for a for a 7’6ish fun shape. And don’t be too cheap and get the beat up one. Sound about right? At this point I probably don’t need to worry about egg vs mini meal vs hybrid right?

My current and only board right now is a 8’8 foamy with a single fin. When it’s good and things are clicking, I can get 10 waves in an hour and feel very ready for a step down in boards. On a bad day, I’ll catch 2 waves in an hour but I’m going to blame the real bad days on close outs. This morning it was good but I couldn’t quite figure out the wave, probably caught 5 waves but didn’t crush any of them. Long way of saying, I think it’ll be good to have a smaller board to work towards.

Cascadecrud, I’m out at least 2x a week before work. Usually at the lookers right of tourmaline. Would be down to meet up. Where do you usually go if you’re not going to PB?


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Check the surf shops for used funboards or eggs but you'll usually save some money cutting out the middle man.

Here's 2 options in SD from a quick search on CL that seem like decent fits.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/...802417555.html

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/...799836159.html

Blacks seems to have become my default midweek option, though now that we're entering winter I'll be hitting Sunset Cliffs more often on the larger swells. Looker's right of Tourmaline is PB Point, are you out there or just surfing north Tourmaline?

Surf was cranking all week up here. Light to no winds. Fun sized swell likely surfing great anywhere you went. I started with the ganja left on Monday and got the top inch of my back shoulder in the meanest tube I've seen in a while. Lip was at least a foot thick and the spit out was insane. And that was the first section of my first wave. Had I a bit more nerve in those opening moments I would have gotten such a sick pit. My buddy down the line said it looked like I was in it, but I don't think I quite was. He would have had a killer shot with the sun back lighting.

The next five days just kept on pumping. The rights at the ledge on Tuesday and then three days at Old man's. Wednesday was the smallest day. Just barely overhead really. But it offered up some of the best shape and over all most fun waves. You could go on anything and not pay to huge of a price. My best wave was an overhead barrel for the first long section, then wrapping and still offering a full lip to hit for the next section, then banking and offering a car cable wall for the final section

A fee from Friday. The left was a bit stretched and fast and wanting to clip and close. But if you found the right waves it was plenty of fun. Even a few barrels to be had.

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Friday took some smart calls to avoid getting a little worked. I caught one too deep and never made it across the reef. The paddle back was a ton of work. But as soon as I got back outside a wide one swing through and I took that one to the beach. Paddle back from that one was long but easy.

Saturday I was back at the ledge. Still size. A little morning sickness when I was out. Betting the incoming tide will help. Insanely fun run of waves we are having. I need to find some time to get work done.


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It has been fun down here, although not cranking.

I was busy all week, and couldn't make it out.

Saturday made up for that. It was about head high and fun, with the easy walls and takeoffs that can make hb so fun and user friendly. You did have to Huntington hop to get to the inside, but that was usually after a nice first bottom t urn to cutback, maybe a couple. Once you got there, the inside sections really had some juice. The paddle back was always long, but when you are surfing beachbreak waves that feel more like point waves that's worth it.

I waited out the crowd, and got rewarded. By noon the area from tower 8 to tower 10 was pretty empty, and it stayed glassy all afternoon. I surfed for 3 hours, which made up for not getting out all week.

Peaches,

I think you are going in the right direction. I hate to keep beating the same drum, but a board like that will not only be great for your current development, it will also be useful later. In fact, I might paddle out on a 7'6" funshape right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CascadeCrudSkier

Check the surf shops for used funboards or eggs but you'll usually save some money cutting out the middle man.

Here's 2 options in SD from a quick search on CL that seem like decent fits.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/...802417555.html

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/...799836159.html

Blacks seems to have become my default midweek option, though now that we're entering winter I'll be hitting Sunset Cliffs more often on the larger swells. Looker's right of Tourmaline is PB Point, are you out there or just surfing north Tourmaline?

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Just north of Tourmaline. Basically between the parking lot and stairs. Lots of people there this winter. I’ve heard the point is a little territorial out there and I’m still in the beginner stages.


Thanks again for the board advice y’all. I actually ended up pulling the trigger on that 7’8 Stewart that CCS had posted. Seems like a pretty sweet board. I took it out this morning and it kicked my ass. Wasn’t a great day, but I didn’t catch a single wave and got a hell of a shoulder workout. Also just felt completely different being on a hard board and sitting that deep in the water, confidence took a hit. I’ll definitely be spending lots of time on the “foamy longboard” still

Edit: Are you guys using 3/2s or 4/3s? I’m in a 3/2, but man these morning are getting cold and I imagine it’s going to be cold for quite a while

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Board size is hard. This is a long ramble as I'm dealing with it myself. I'm 51, been surfing since I was 15, but not with nearly the regularity as I ski (60 to 100 days skiing, maybe 25 to 35 surfing). Makes great sense living in SoCal right? I was a longboarder for probably the first 20 yrs of surfing. I have taken my 9' performance longboard out in DOH+ waves. So my brain is wired to get into waves nice and early. Since trying to play with shorter boards (but not even a true "shortboard, think 6'8 bonzer egg) my brain still struggles with looking over the ledge and knowing I can stick that drop. Total mind shift that I still struggle with. A lot has to do with my fitness at the time too. Longboard is just so easy to paddle and get in the right spot. Shorter boards require so much more energy, but if I'm in good paddling shape, isn't too bad. Once tired, forgetaboutit.

Was in Tavarua for Thanksgiving. Had 3 generations out surfing (dad is 81 still surfing OH Tavi). I picked up a 7'2 step up/mini gun bonzer used for $399 for this trip to try a more proper board. One day at Wilkes well overhead and I caught what I wanted and made the drops. Wave had no shape this day so nothing real fun. Another day at SH Cloudbreak, I just couldn't for the life of me get in the right spot. So frustrating. I caught a few, but basically kooked it up. This was on day 6 so I was pretty cooked physically. The day prior I took my longboard to Cloudbreak and caught a couple of sweet waves that got me hooted by the surf guides. On my longboard I'm confident, can turn the bonzer longboard surprisingly well, will catch and make any set wave. Then I switch to something shorter and I'm a shell of the same surfer. So, tough sport, helps to do it a lot as Ottime said, I don't know, I wish I had learned to short board when young. I will say, that 7'2 step up could duck dive which sure is nice when staring a big OH open ocean set rolling in on you. Let's just say that's a whole different beast on my longboard.

Trying to figure out what to take next year if I'm lucky enough to go back? My ideal scenario, something that paddles well since your arms are usually toast from surfing 5hrs a day +, I like being able to catch waves early, something that can duck dive. Is that so much to ask? Oh yea, thinking of going non-bonzer to make traveling easier and those waves once HH and above have plenty of juice. I'm 5'9, 165.

As my dad proves, it's a great life long sport though! Keeps you fit.

edit: 3/2 in spring/fall, 4/3 in winter. Rip curl outlet in San Clemente is great for suits. Got some 3/2's for the fam for $80 this fall. Board shorts for $10. I find Rip Curls super flexible which is great, maybe not the longest lasting. When talking to the Florence brothers, mostly Nate, about wetsuits in Tavi, they agreed with that. They only do custom $$$ suits for Florence Marine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PeachesNCream

Just north of Tourmaline. Basically between the parking lot and stairs. Lots of people there this winter. I’ve heard the point is a little territorial out there and I’m still in the beginner stages.


Thanks again for the board advice y’all. I actually ended up pulling the trigger on that 7’8 Stewart that CCS had posted. Seems like a pretty sweet board. I took it out this morning and it kicked my ass. Wasn’t a great day, but I didn’t catch a single wave and got a hell of a shoulder workout. Also just felt completely different being on a hard board and sitting that deep in the water, confidence took a hit. I’ll definitely be spending lots of time on the “foamy longboard” still

Edit: Are you guys using 3/2s or 4/3s? I’m in a 3/2, but man these morning are getting cold and I imagine it’s going to be cold for quite a while

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See the wetsuit thread for my inputs on wetsuits but yeah, the water temps are down into winter mode now. I ended up getting another Feral suit in what they call a 3+ suit with a hood. Normally I'd be in a 4/3 with booties once the water drops below 60, like it is now, but I've been pretty comfortable just using the hood and this new suit. No booties required, which is really nice. I'll never go back to a RipCurl suit again. I'm not a big fan of surfing in a hood but it's better than booties and also protects the ears if you're concerned about surfer's ear.

The switch to a new board will be painful at first but is a necessary step to improve. You'll soon get a feel for paddling that egg around and it won't feel so foreign. Then the waves will come. I didn't start surfing until I was in my early 20s and I didn't know what I was doing. My board progression the first 2 years was 7'2" gun (a terrible choice for any conditions I was using it in), 8'6" longboard, 6'6" thruster. I don't think I caught a wave on that thruster for the first week I used it. The trick is to just keep going after it and eventually you'll see progress, just not day to day progress. I think Ott mentioned it upstream but the real key to improvement is to just surf every day. I'm still not a great surfer but I'm competent and love the feel of shortboarding; the speed and acceleration are addictive. Paddling sub 6' boards can still be frustrating at times but the advantages outweigh the costs.

If you really want to get some online studying in then check out the training section on Surfline; Nick Carroll does a pretty good job of breaking down a lot of important skills you'll need to build on your journey. I'd start w/ the paddling series they're releasing now and the Surf Your Best series from a couple years back. I'm not sure if you have to be a member to access these but if not then I think they're also on Youtube.
https://www.surfline.com/category/training

I'm happy to paddle out at Law Street on Saturday for a dawn patrol if you want.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CascadeCrudSkier

See the wetsuit thread for my inputs on wetsuits but yeah, the water temps are down into winter mode now. I ended up getting another Feral suit in what they call a 3+ suit with a hood. Normally I'd be in a 4/3 with booties once the water drops below 60, like it is now, but I've been pretty comfortable just using the hood and this new suit. No booties required, which is really nice. I'll never go back to a RipCurl suit again. I'm not a big fan of surfing in a hood but it's better than booties and also protects the ears if you're concerned about surfer's ear.

The switch to a new board will be painful at first but is a necessary step to improve. You'll soon get a feel for paddling that egg around and it won't feel so foreign. Then the waves will come. I didn't start surfing until I was in my early 20s and I didn't know what I was doing. My board progression the first 2 years was 7'2" gun (a terrible choice for any conditions I was using it in), 8'6" longboard, 6'6" thruster. I don't think I caught a wave on that thruster for the first week I used it. The trick is to just keep going after it and eventually you'll see progress, just not day to day progress. I think Ott mentioned it upstream but the real key to improvement is to just surf every day. I'm still not a great surfer but I'm competent and love the feel of shortboarding; the speed and acceleration are addictive. Paddling sub 6' boards can still be frustrating at times but the advantages outweigh the costs.

If you really want to get some online studying in then check out the training section on Surfline; Nick Carroll does a pretty good job of breaking down a lot of important skills you'll need to build on your journey. I'd start w/ the paddling series they're releasing now and the Surf Your Best series from a couple years back. I'm not sure if you have to be a member to access these but if not then I think they're also on Youtube.
https://www.surfline.com/category/training

I'm happy to paddle out at Law Street on Saturday for a dawn patrol if you want.

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I’ll check out that thread.

Glad to hear it’s not unusual to struggle with a new board.

I’d like to surf everyday, maybe I can work my way up. Long story short, I’ve had a few concussions and it’s really affected my “mental recovery”. I feel exhausted/irritable/can’t concentrate if I ramp up too fast, but I’ve been doing an hour in the morning every other day and felt okay so I hope if I keep at it, I can increase it. I just have to be patient. Hopefully looking into some treatments in the new year

Won’t be able to head out tomorrow, got plans with the gf. But I’m up for another morning, weekdays are usually best. I head out for a couple weeks mid next but might be able to on Monday or once I get back. Winter surfing is fun


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