BIG.WAVES.

South of BH (LS). Yesterday the waves were huge. I’m going to say overhead-double overhead. Not every wave, but enough.

I could hardly paddle out and I 100% threw up in my mouth from how hard the paddle was for me. That has definitely never happened to me.

The first ride I got was so sweet. I had this sick drop and I was so amped that I made that wave. It made me feel so good. I was surprised I went on it, and so were the dudes around me. I had a couple other sweet waves but I spent a lot of time too far outside. I was just charging yesterday. I was totally scared. I had the jitters. I haven’t felt that way in a while. I took a left like a total kook and by the grace of god the ocean spared me. It was not pretty but I just kept whispering thankyouthankyouthankyou.

I’m slightly concerned about my left shoulder but I asked a friend for some advice and now I’m rolling out my shoulder and it actually feels a little better. The theory is it’s just overuse.

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South of R’s (LS). I went out today but it wasn’t my scene. Someone else coulda done something magical I’m sure but I was having a really hard time reading the waves and most of them I got a bad feeling on. it was so disorganized. They were breaking all over the place and drawing like curtains.

I slept through DP today and I vowed never again. 5am wake up calls from now on.

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I really want to understand why the shape of the waves at SS is the way it is. It’s so dramatic. It’s like a little kid drew a wave, or like the cap part of a sombrero. Not all the time but when it’s firing. It was so much cleaner at SS then LS today.
FOLLOW UP TO THIS POST 10.26.19: I asked my friend whose surfed here a bunch this question last night. It relates to the swell direction—under certain conditions, the swell wraps around, reverbs off the rocks on the left if you’re looking out from shore and forms “teepees”. The weird-shaped waves. Ahah! This explains why it’s not all the time it’s doing this…depends on which wave the waves are coming.

I am beat.

I found my spot to skate—the high school. It’s perfect. Some real gentle declines too.

La vie est belle

What a beautiful surprise awaited me on my stoop when I got home from working in the city today, from one of my most favorite surfers of all time, the one who welcomed me into this surfing community and shared so much stoke. The sweet floral surprise just washed a beautiful wave of water and light over my heart and gave me such peace and joy. Life is so beautiful. I have been missing this beautiful surfer, and thinking so much about them, it just lit me up.

Tuesday

Tuesday, South of R————-s.

I’m usually north of R’s but I told myself I gotta start surfing the entire swath of beach, and seeking out the better waves, rather than just getting comfortable where I always paddle out. Tuesday, I think the forecast on MSW was something like 1-2 or 2-3 but so so clean.

I popped out (the parking meters have been taken out for the season—hurray!) where it seemed like I could catch either a right or left. I was out for a while and the waves were just so so friendly. I paddled a little north and came upon a rock garden, so good to know, just south of R’s. I was really trying to practice getting off my board with more control/more safely, and it was the perfect day, and that was the perfect place to do it. I’ve been practicing my cross step and though I don’t think I quite did that, I did have a little more fluidity moving around my board. I found the perfect plank that’s perched on the path behind me to practice on dry land. Met a guy out on the water from RI who said that of all the places he’s ever been in the world to surf, RI folks can be the most possessive of their waves. I find this hilarious.

Tony S had posted about Hot Wax Shaping School and I’m going to call them and find out about coming down for a class. Auntie Jayne said I could stay with them, of course.

My wavecasting book came in from the library and I’m still plugging along Tony Butt’s Surf Science: An Introduction to Waves for Surfing. I really want to be able to understand what spots are going to be better and why, and be savvier with reading models/wave forecasts.

Anyway, Tuesday was a great day. Surfed until the sun went down and the ocean was just throwing some surprisingly fun, clean 2-3-footers.

I haven’t been out since Tuessday. We just got a Nor’easter overnight and the waves are supposed to be massive so I can’t wait to run down to SS and see. Possibly going to clean up after work so I might be able to pop in but wind is supposed to be upwards of 25mph and I don’t love that.

Peace.