Torrance Beach
|
North end
|
8:30 am to 10:00 am
|
2’ to 3’, occasional 4’
|
Mid upcoming tide
|
No wind
|
Overcast
|
Fun session
|
“Loren,
Mike is in Huntington Beach at the US Open,” Bill yelled to me from the balcony
of his apartment as I was changing out of my wetsuit across the street. Bill is
one of the Riviera Wave Riders I met in the water this morning. Mike is Kahuna
Mike, jefe and force behind the group – a group like us in Bolinas, a close
knit group of older surfers who take care of each other, share the waves and
maintain decent respect in the water.
Yesterday
when Kate and I drove up the coast from San Clemente to Hollywood Riviera,
which is a section of Redondo Beach, we became stuck in a horrible traffic mess
in Huntington Beach. It was the OP US Open Surfing Contest at the Huntington
Beach Pier. We inched along in bumper-to-bumper traffic for thirty minutes to
go two blocks in the center of town. This was a special event and of course us
old folks knew nothing about it. Crowds of young people roamed in all
directions, helicopters roared overhead, a blimp floated over the pier and huge
grand stands lined the beach on the south side of the pier. Little did I know
that Kahuna Mike was somewhere in that mass of humanity. I imagined he was
still stuck there.
I
was looking forward to connecting with Mike and all his Wave Rider buddies this
morning. In March 2009, I had to spent two weeks helping my mother who lived in
Palos Verdes. During that time, I got in several surf sessions at Torrance
Beach. My first morning there, Kahuna Mike paddled over, introduced himself,
welcomed me to Torrance Beach and preceded to introduce me to several others in
the water, explaining they were the Riviera Wave Riders. The group took me in,
shared the waves and hooted whenever anyone, including me, connected on a good
wave. Since then I have been on their email list and have occasionally
corresponded with Mike. Thus I was really looking forward to reconnecting with
him. But it didn’t happen.
Out
in the water I asked Bill if he was one of the Wave Riders. He said yes and
introduced himself. He thought Mike would be out at his usual time of 9 am. I
managed to share several waves with Bill and his friends. Like all Wave Riders
they were welcoming and cordial, thus we all had fun sessions. The waves were
small, nothing special to write about, the surface was glassy, and the sky
overcast. The set waves offered some good short curl rides.
While
showering after my session I ran into Veet, a Wave Rider and an old acquaintance
of mine from my grammar school days. For years his family owned the local
grocery store that Veet and his sister took over several years ago. They were a
big help to my mother delivering groceries to her house. He mentioned that he
was now retired, surfing every day and loving it. They had considered going
upscale with the store, but the thought of the financial risk and long hours at
age 63 got the better of them. They sold the store to a local chain and now are
kicking back.
Yesterday
at San Onofre I went out without a wetsuit and had a great time. Today I didn’t
even think about, of course I went out in just my trunks and a rash guard. At
first I felt fine, but after an hour I began to get cold and at the 90 minute
mark I was freezing, to the point of having chills, so much for trying to be a
kid again. From now on I’m going for comfort.
I
was disappointed that I missed Kahuna Mike, but I encourage you to check out
their website (link below) and if you are ever surfing at Torrance Beach
connect with them. Check out their Aloha spirit (taken from their website) –
We meet by chance in the water where we surf in front
of the ramp at Torrance Beach. Nine in the morning seems to be when most of us
appear. We body surf, boogie board, knee board, stand-up surf, stand-up
paddle or just plain paddle when the waves are flat. We are old and young and
in-between; we love the water, we love nature and we are grateful for everyday
we get to ride the waves. Getting to share it with friends makes it extra
special.
There is no
official membership, no dues, no meetings and no rules. We respect
the beach, we respect the ocean and we respect each other. We surf with a spirit of aloha; we encourage, help and watch-out
for each other. We hoot for anyone who catches a great ride and we come to
the aid of anyone who needs assistance.
With all that goes on in the world, the surf line we
share is a sacred place where life's issues are left on shore and we are one
"ocean family" bound by our common love of the sea.
'Come ride with us...
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