August 1, 2012 Wednesday

San Onofre	Old Man’s
8:30 am to 10:00 am	3’ to 4’, sets overhead
High upcoming tide	No wind to slight NW onshore breeze
Overcast to patchy sun	Good session

Another beautiful “powerglide” surf session with my friend Greg at San Onofre – clean, glassy, long peeling lefts that ended at the edge of the steep beach – with a small crowd for San O, only forty surfers spread across several peaks.

Greg had read in the Orange County Register that the water had cooled to 66 degrees, which still sounded like bath water to me. I considered not taking my wetsuit and going out like we did as kids – swim trunks only. Greg was going to wear his shorty. “I’m an old man, so be comfortable,” I said to myself. So I threw my wetsuit into the car.

At Old Man’s, I had second thoughts. Greg’s friend Keith drove by and mentioned that he had heard the water was 71 degrees. “Loren, go feel the water and then decide.” I did and it felt cool but not cold. Again I thought that I’m old and should go for comfort. Besides almost all the forty surfers in the water had some form of wetsuit on, but there were a few wearing trunks only. I put one leg into my wetsuit as a burst warm sunshine hit me, and that did it. I went out without it – trunks and a rash guard only. How often do I get to do that? Besides a wet wetsuit in the car would stink up Kate and mine drive to Palos Verdes that afternoon. So I went in without it and what a good decision. The water was warm, I was comfortable and my arms had the freedom to really paddle the board.

Greg went out on his new 10’ 6” Stewart Hydro-glide board – a big thick paddling machine that allowed him to power into several big waves that he drove all the way to the shore. As we entered the water, he power stroked out to the line-up while I struggled to keep up. As soon as we were in the line-up, a big set came through and Greg was on it. I got a good view of his takeoff – a big green wall that was feathering at the top as he glided into it. Two others were on it also, but Greg hung in the breaking part of the curl behind them. The others pulled out and Greg was in position to hum through a steep, long curl near the shore.

I turned around, saw a dark line that stretched across the horizon and started scratching outside. All the regulars who always sit way outside had taken the first wave of the set and I was in position for this one. I glided into it as the white water was beginning to slide down the top of the wave. I jumped up and turned into beautiful left forming wall that was at least two feet over my head. With a “swoosh” I glided across the bottom of the wave looking up at a woman who was high in the wave and five feet ahead of me. What an incredible sight to be gliding along a huge wall of water for several seconds watching another person above me. As the wave approached shore, she pulled out, and I cut back to let the wave build up and then turned into a steep shoulder high shore break curl.

What a great ride. That wave alone made my session, but for another hour Greg and I dropped into several more long “powerglide” waves. San Onofre was “classic” at the birth of surfing in California in the 1930s and it’s still “classic” today.