April 4, 2012 Wednesday

Bolinas	Channel
10:00 am to 11:30 am	4' to 6', sets to 8'
High dropping tide	NW cross wind
Sunny, clear and cool	Frustrating session

H U M B L E D!! - In an hour and a half I only caught two waves. The surf was big and gnarly, huge intimidating walls of water - yet the waves had good form, big drops into nice left shoulders. The others were getting spectacular rides and I saw them all, sitting in the water. I scratched over countless waves and paddled for countless more and missed them all.

After forty-five minutes I finally caught one and like the rides of all the others, mine was a spectacular ride. I paddled hard for a set wave that was cresting. I felt the wave pick me up and thrust me forward. I was into it. I jumped up, went straight for a second pushing my weight forward. I coasted over the edge and dropped down an overhead face. With speed, I shot out in front of the breaking part of the wave, climbed high in the curl and shot through the first section. I stalled a moment letting the wave build up again, then stepped to the middle of the board, crouched down and shot through the second section. The power of the wave dissipated at this point, I cut back, pushed my weight forward and dropped into the reformed inside section, I cut left again, stepped to the front of the board, cruised a long ways just standing there until I buried the nose of the board into the white water of the breaking shore break. I ended up parallel with the Groin Pole. What a great ride.

The big surf was a surprise. The San Francisco buoy reported 6-foot NW swells at 14 seconds with light NW winds and a water temperature of 51 degrees. But underneath was a 3-foot south swell at 12 seconds. South swells come right into Bolinas. I thought the swell was on the decline. Saturday a Maverick's size swell came in with a storm front. I surfed Monday and the swell had declined but was still sizeable and rough. Yesterday via email Hank said the swell had gone down but the shape had improved and that he had a great surf session. I was at Stinson Beach this morning collecting a water sample and noticed that the waves were big - eight-foot walls that stretched across the entire beach.

Six surfers were out at the Channel when I arrived including Jacek the tattoo artist, David who rides the Becker board, Jeff the Dillon Beach boat mechanic and Marty. I noted the good shape of the waves and didn't concentrate on the size. Only when I paddled out did I realize how big it was. A big set came through and I was scratching to get over it. I watched Jacek drop down an overhead face. He was at the apex of the Channel peak; he stroked into a huge wave as it crested, coasted straight briefly and then dropped down an overhead face as I paddled over it. I looked back and there was Jacek way on the inside, he had connected with the shore break, cut right and cruised a long ways inside the Groin wall. It was his last wave - he paddled in after that one.

Jeff was out there on his beautiful work-of-art wood board - the one I would never take out in the water. I asked him about the surf at Dillon's this past weekend. Saturday he went out to the Shark Pit - a peak famous for its size. "It was incredible!" he said - which means the waves were big - 12 feet plus. He wasn't out there long and he passed on going out Sunday. He came here today for some more "mellow" waves. I drifted over to the center peak while Jeff wisely worked his way north and inside where the waves were more makeable. From a distance I saw him connect on two head-high waves that he rode to shore just north of the Groin pole.

My problem was having the "intestinal fortitude" to take off late. The only way to catch these waves was to dig hard as the white water was beginning to slide down the peak. Intellectually I knew that, but actually doing it is another issue. To throw oneself into a massive wall of water as it is breaking takes nerve. I was intimidated and kept pulling back. I finally did it and what a great ride. I didn't catch another wave until the end of my session. I was getting tired of paddling around, the wind was picking up and the current was beginning to pour out of the lagoon - putting a ripple of chop through the middle of the impact zone and causing the waves double up. I kept moving in and north to avoid the current. Way inside and north of the Groin pole, I caught a big shore break wave. I dropped down a head-high face, cut left and the wave lined up for one final crash into the shallow water. I braced myself as the wave came over as a single curtain of water. I bounced, straightened out and rode the white water towards shore until my fin hit sand.

Two waves were all that I could handle today.