July 31, 2010 Saturday

Ventura	Surfers' Point
8:20 am to 10:00 am	2' to 3', sets to 4'
Low tide (1.3 ft)	No wind
High fog	Fun session

“I usually surf the cove.” My 25-year-old niece pointed towards the peaks near the Crown Plaza Hotel on the strand at Surfers’ Point in Ventura. We’re standing in the parking lot suiting up to go out. Yesterday I drove from San Diego to Ventura to visit my brother and sister-in-law and ride some waves before making the long drive home to Mill Valley. “Look the waves are better down there. We can enter the water here and go down there.”

“I’ll follow your lead. Heather do you wear booties?” The water temperature was around 60 degrees, which the locals call cold but at that temperature booties were not needed, except for walking over the boulders.

“I don’t usually wear them. With low tide I don’t need them. I only wear them when the waves are breaking up against the rocks.”

Surfers’ Point is a mile long gradual bend in the coastline that sets up a series of right breaking peaks. The city has erected a seawall of huge boulders to prevent shore erosion. On top of the rocks is a fifteen-foot wide concrete strand/bike path with a public parking lot where the parking is free. It’s a great set-up: wide sidewalk, grass, palm trees and public restrooms, all within steps of the water. On extreme high tides and big swells the waves crash against the boulders making entering and exiting the water dangerous. But not today, the tide was low and the beach sand was exposed. I took Heather’s advice and didn’t put on my booties.

“Heather that’s a great board.” She was waxing up her new longboard.

“It was made especially for me, look.” She flipped it over and pointed to the writing the shaper had penciled into the stringer down the center of the board. There next to the dimensions and the shaper’s name was “Happy birthday Heather.” My tall thin niece had a paddling machine, 9’ 6’’, thick nose with the bulk of the board in front of the mid-point, little rocker, one big fin and no leash.

Heather is an excellent surfer and an accomplished swimmer. With this paddling machine and her strong arms she caught everything. I was amazed how she could get that board moving for the flattest of swells and glide into them. Once up she had no problems. Being a goofy-foot with her back to the right breaking waves she skillfully maneuvered across the faces of these waves. Meanwhile I was having trouble pushing into the waves. After I hour I figured it out, move way inside and take off late.

Photo opportunity and wave of the session, Heather and I stroked into a four-foot well-formed wall. We glided down the wave together with Heather at the top and me below her. For a good five seconds we cruised along the face, Heather with her back to the wave looking down at me. As it began to section I backed off allowing Heather to straighten out. What a great ride. Too bad no one was on shore to snap a photo of it. This wave was the highlight of our session for both of us.

Near the end of our session, I connected on a good four-foot wall. No one was around me and I was in position. I started high in the wave and stayed there. Some guy took off in front of me; I drove right up next to him to intimate him. It worked, he pulled out and I continued on. The wave built up again into another section and I hummed along it right up to the shore.

After our session, Heather, Larry (Heather’s father) and I had breakfast at the Golden Egg, a small family owned and operated, clean place with an out-door patio and six tables inside. Excellent omelets and home made banana bread, a specialty of the house. The Golden Egg is definitely an entry for our Surfer’s Eateries blog.

After that good surf session, a filling breakfast and reconnecting with Larry and Heather, I gassed up the car and was relaxed and mentally ready for the long trip home. During my lunch break, I wrote this up while having a grilled chicken Caesar salad at the McDonald’s in Paso Robles, the McDonald’s owned by Greg’s son, Dana who I just surfed with three days ago.