who here has been surfing this week?

Yesterday was this kind of a day.

 

Great shots and framing. Would be cool to see it as a GIF.

 

Just pulled off the elusive lunchtime session here in moco. In the water for all of about ten minutes total, but got a super fun head high wave, rode it all the way to the beach (albeit largely on whitewater/reform after it sectioned), and managed to be back at my desk in under an hour while also picking up a cake for a coworker birthday celebration. Took a pretty solid wave right on the head paddling out too. Maximum efficiency. 90+% of the sessions I've surfed in my life haven't had as fun of a ride or as unpleasant a beating as that one did. STOKED right now.

 

Surfed last night too (if you can call it that), but wasn't nearly as stoked. Got myself a propere ass kicking. Waves were considerably smaller than those I surfed in hawaii last week, yet so much more intimidating. About as heavy as I've seen in jersey for that size in quite a while. Paddle out was an ordeal, ate **** on the one wave I took off on, and then took a few on the head and got beaten into the beach trying to paddle back out. Beautiful sunset though.

 

That's awesome, sometimes that's all it takes!

 

Yup. And I know so many people who won't bother with a session less than at least an hour, particularly when wetsuit logistics are involved. It's extremely rare, but I can think of at least two or three surgical strike sessions like that in the past couple years where I was in the water for well under 15 minutes total, but managed to paddle out relatively quickly, get a solid head high wave within a minute or two, and ride it all the way to the beach. And when it all lines up perfectly like that, it leaves me way more stoked than the vast majority of sessions (largely because most don't include a ride that good, but feeling like I just robbed a bank and got away with it is a big part of it too).

 

...guilty...

But in the summer... or even 3/2 season, I'll do a half hour session. Especially at lunch.

 

Can't wait to get out again. Stoked for you all. The swelling and bruising didn't set in yet for this photo. I'm walking around the work place looking like a boxer today haha!

 

Not gonna lie, I don't know if I'd have gone out today if it was February. I have... but I've also made the conscious decision not to. Maybe to some degree I wrote that as a reminder to myself that no matter how short the session, I never regret paddling out. Lunchtime is extremely rare though. Today proved I could theoretically do it basically every day. But if I'm able to get a propere session in before or after work I'm not gonna bother with lunch.

With that said, if I didn't bother with sessions less than an hour, I'd surf a whole hell of a lot less. 35-40 min sessions tend to be my bread and butter, especially in the winter. Last year it was dawn patrols, this year circumstances have changed and it'll be after work sessions (leave work at 4 pm, office is 10 min from beach). Gonna be looking at several months of half hour sessions. It's not ideal. But it means I can get in the water pretty close to every single day there are rideable waves, despite having a 1 year old daughter and a wife who works 50-60 hour weeks and spends another 10 commuting. And those couple 30-40 min sessions every week from november to march will add up to many many more waves ridden than if I only went out when swell and schedule align for a long session (i.e. weekends when I'm not in VT skiing).

The thing is... the friends that won't paddle out for less than an hour or an hour and a half... not only do they get a lot fewer total sessions than I do (obviously)... I find they get a lot fewer long sessions than I do as well... Speaking from both observation and past experience, it's a fast and slippery slope once you start finding excuses not to surf (that's a hypothetical you, not speaking about you specifically).

 

Grinders for sure yesterday. Got out in the morning from 9-12 and also from 4is till dark. Morning was awesome evening started off funky (a lot of current as tide was cornfused) but got a lot better. Funny how good of shape I was in 3 weeks ago compared to the paddle out in the morn lol. Pulled into a bunch of grinders, and made it out of a few, one with a bud watching from the inside, no better feeling.

Hopped in this morning around 10 up your way but it was a little too deep and compared to yesterday was no Bueno. I saw that dork with the "pro surf school" rash guard on lol.

 

size dropped today, but no complaints with the straight offshore nugs coming in. I got some really fun ones...felt good to get OCMD sandbars back in form. Shot these after getting tweaked on a wave and back felt stiff and achey all of a sudden.

 

This afternoon...fun and clean...windy with stiff offshore that started to lay down.

 

As I sat at my desk and logged onto Ocsurfcam, I thought, I bet Coop and Mitchell are out there.. damn you both!! Ha ha. Glad you guys scored, looks fun!!

 

Gnarly Rob! Dude... you look like a battle scarred war horse. Like a vizsla that can't help himself when there's a pheasant in the brambles.

 

Great session today, solid 8'-10' faces and strong offshores all day with 4 of the boys. Blow-in's were politely escorted away from the jetty. Long well-shaped walls with the occasional barrel. Forecast was for "shoulder high" surf lol.

Some of the crew told me that Tuesday was epic, 3XOH and close to perfect. Eh, I had to work anyways...gimme a call when it's small.

Swell building tomorrow, forecast 8' @ 22 seconds with all day offshores again.

I don't know what to think.

 

This evening was pretty good.

 

Most of my sessions are of one hour duration, but I've done a fair share that were less. Before work, lunchtime, and sometimes after work, depending on available daylight. I squeeze them in when I can. I don't enjoy being a clock watcher, but often that's how I must do it. Yesterday and today it was for only 30-35 minutes after work.
Wintertime, I usually don't go out for just a half hour. It can take more time just getting into/out of my wetsuit and putting gear away.
Unless I can hit it early, weekends are usually tied up with family and home stuff.

 

I always say, "If you can't go when you should, you gotta go when you can."

 

Exactly! I have def paddled out in some sh!tty surf, but had a blast!

 

Surfed Yesterday from 9:45 am to just past 12:30 as the tide filled in the waves were very good. Sun peaked out for a bit and a rainbow formed over a building a couple miles north in Long Branch it was awesome day! Had a jetty with a few other guys plenty of good waves for all. Nice head high drops, clean offshore winds dirty jersey at it's best.