E's Surf Report: OB! Solid!

things looked small from the great highway this morning as the sun came up.. The swell is definitely the smallest it's been in days (weeks?) SF buoy is at 6ft 14seconds right now, which, actually isn't that small! The Papa buoy is back up to 10ft 17seconds.. for NW swells, the papa buoy usually represents conditions that are 24 hours away.. soo... it looks like tomorrow morning we'll start seeing some more long-period action.

anyway.. the surf this morning at OB was really good! Steep, challenging, overhead, offshore-whipped walls lurched up and buckled over the outside sandbar. Without the offshores conditions would have been dumpy and messy.. but, with the NE wind whipping tendrils of water-vapor off the backs of waves, the pits were opening up and the sections were hanging open. Only 2 or 3 other takers along the whole stretch of VFWs. I caught about 7 rides in total... almost all of 'em were serious. I took off on a left, grabbed rail, accelerated briskly down the wall.. then compressed and angled my way back up off the bottom. I then held a tight, high line in the pig-dog. the wave kept getting hollower and hollower until i was hedging and preparing for the forthcoming barrel.. then the lip threw over my head but i got clamshelled and the barrel didn't let me out. that felt good though. seriously!! I caught a few really steep rights too.. made some drops that were right on the cusp of my abilities. drops that i probably would have missed a few months back, so.. that felt good too.. I had one really big wipeout too.. i took off on a pitching right.. barely made the drop.. then turned off the bottom and started pumping.. but the whole wave was sucking up and about to closeout.. i tried to race up and over the top.. but i didn't make it and got sucked backwards over the falls, with my board right underneath me.. i experienced that weightless feeling for what seemed like a while.. and then just got slammed down with the crashing lip.. luckily i didn't hit my board or anything..

on those super-steep/barrelly drops i still have trouble hitting the bottom turn right away and then harnessing all my speed into the top-turn for a resounding lip-bash.. I tend to lose my balance ever-so-slightly when i make those drops.. you see the pros just come off the bottom with a bucketload of speed.. that's what i want..

anyhoo.. go get some.. should be interesting with the super low tide this arvo.. send a report in if you check it..

Lerm sent me this nice pic of Santa Cruz from last friday
nice wall

also this pic of the peace rally in SF on saturday