June 27, 2012 Wednesday

Pacifica	Linda Mar
8:45 am to 10:00 am	3' to 4', sets to 6'
Mid dropping tide	Stiff west cross breeze
Sunny with high clouds	Fun session

In little over an hour I caught four waves -- three mediocre ones and one that made my whole session. I was surfing with my son Kevin, a before work session for him. With the Kahuna Kupuna Surf Contest just a couple of weeks away (July 14) I wanted to get in a few sessions at Pacifica to prepare. But surf conditions weren't good. NOAA weather radio reported 6 ft NW swell at 6 seconds. The big wind swells continued. Kevin and I met at Ocean Beach across from the Beach Chalet to check the waves. They were peaky, weak, wind swells, waist to head high and only a few surfers were out there. A stiff west wind hit us as we got out of our cars resulting in blown out conditions.

Next stop -- Linda Mar. "Dad, I'm suiting up. I don't have much time."

"When do you have to be at work?"

"I want to be there at 10 am."

"Thus we have to exit the water at 9:30."

"Sooner if possible."

"A forty-five minute session then."

Surf conditions here were better due to less wind, but not by much. Kevin had a good session. I had a good side view of him dropping down an overhead peak, turning at the bottom of the wave, climbing back up to mid-swell and cruising through a long fast breaking section. Kevin was on his seven-foot Mystic board and had no problem of losing momentum at the bottom of the waves.

My third wave was my best one. I hadn't surfed here in months and the waves were different than Bolinas -- more water, steeper on the take-off and difficult to catch. I floundered around missing several waves. Finally I caught a couple, but on both I dropped to the bottom, lost all my momentum and stood there helplessly until the white water hit me and knocked me off. The key was to get into the wave early, stay at the top and angle down the face. If I reached the bottom, the ride would be over.

I finally did it. I drifted over one swell and right behind it was a five-foot peak that was cresting. I turned and paddled hard and felt the wave pick me up and thrush me forward. I jumped up, paused a second to make sure I was in the wave, kept moving straight pushing my weigh forward. "Perfect," I thought, "I'm into it and I'm in it early." I coasted over the ledge of the wave, cut left, dropped down the face maintaining my position in the middle of the swell, stepped to the middle of the board, leaned into the curl and shot through the first section. I cutback as the wave reformed near shore, and again I crouched down mid-board and sped through another steep fast curl. The wave finally mushed up against the steep sloping shore and died. What a great ride.

"Kevin, it's past 9:30."

"I know, I know, I have to go in."

But after his next wave I saw him paddling back out. He caught another one and again paddled back out for one more. Again and again he repeated catching a wave and paddling back out for another one.

"Kevin, I thought that you had to go in."

"Yeah, I said that a long time ago."

"Like a half hour ago."

I caught my last wave and stood in knee-high water watching Kevin. At 10 am he connected on his last wave -- a good, long right curl that put him within ten feet of dry sand. Even though conditions weren't good, we both were glad that we had gone out. What a good way for Kevin to start a workday.

Kevin drove off to work and I looked for a place for a bite to eat and to write in my journal. The ideal place at Linda Mar was the Taco Bell at the south end of the beach. I'm not a fan of fast food but the location of this place was perfect. It sat on the low bluff above the beach and from its deck you a have a 180-degree view of the entire beach. Coffee and a breakfast burrito on the deck sounded great. But get this -- they don't serve breakfast burritos or coffee. Was this guy nuts? Doesn't he know that hundreds of older surfers, such as myself, come here regularly? Talk about missing opportunities.

The shopping center across the street offered breakfast possibilities -- Denny's, Ken's Coffee Shop and El Gran Amigo. I chose El Gran Amigo, a small hole in the wall in the far corner of the mall. A place obviously owned and operated by Mexicans. I knew if the place was truly authentic, they would have breakfast burritos but coffee might be iffy -- Mexicans don't drink coffee. I was right, they had no coffee but they did have big breakfast burritos. I had a large burrito filled with egg, chorizo, beans, rice, salsa fresco (tomato, onions, and chilies) and a Snapple. The burrito was delicious and filling.

A great surf session with my son and a good breakfast -- it doesn't get much better than that.