Month: November 2023

LMA

Location : LMA
Time/Length : am/1.25
Rating : ***
Performance : ***
Board : md 2.0
Notes : Wow – pretty damn good out there. Misty , overcast and flat on the South end but in front of the A lot pump house was a very nice Right with a little ump. Same kind of set up these past weeks wherein right in the middle of A lot is a Left – that is a little Lully and more forgiving. Then you just paddle a few hundred feet North to just past the A lot punphouse and there is a Right coming through. More consistent and heavier. Frequently the Lully left and heavier Right leave off in the same area – the A lot rivulet coming out of the pump house…
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LMN

Location : LMN
Time/Length : am/1.0
Rating : **
Performance : **
Board : MD 2.0
Notes : Back in Norcal. Clean and cold. Wonky close outy stuff out front that I couldn’t really connect with – although in the lot it looked okay. Wound up paddling all the way up North – to Crespi – and finally managed to score a big fat wobbly left. That was it. A one wave session.
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Topanga

Location : Topanga
Time/Length : am/1.5
Rating : ***
Performance : ***
Board : MD 94 Port type
Notes : Perfect Topanga. Super crowded with long board pros – including Kassia Meandor. Stayed on the inside because it was just too many good surfers. Couldn’t connect all that much. However, it started to empty out so I paddled into the pod of pros and managed to eke out a really nice small nose ride – that was long and kind of wonky. Post sesh we all headed t0 Made in LA at the Hammer Museum. Met Melanie and Norman . Saw some great new young LA artists!
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Malibu

Location : Malibu
Time/Length : am/2.25
Rating : ****
Performance : ****+
Board : MD 94 Port type
Notes : It was the round trip surfari. We decided to first check out up North at C street – but it was pretty big and windy. The point was making so we headed on down the coast stopping at staircases, then Leo Carilla then Zeroes. All were beautiful to see but because of the tide just a tad shy of perfect. Topanga was a different story- packed beyond packed with perfect screaming waist to head high longboard screamers. Cam at Malibu looked EMPTY! So we headed there. Parking lot was not even half full. Chad Marshall was there and the musician farmer Dave that Gina knew. To my eyes -Malibu looked perfect – but small and Lully perhaps. About 5 people on the inside and 5 people (and one asshole obnoxious 70 year old “you kids get off my wave” absolute SUP schmuck.). Really pretty empty. On a weekend holiday Saturday. We started out inside and I really couldn’t find my groove. The lineup actually started to get even MORE empty and I decided -after a kooky hour- to head out to First Point. It was just me and another kid. Finally a waist high screamer came my way – a really Surfride Malibu wave – absolute knock out perfection. I went back out and got two more of those numbers – then went back into the inside. A nice little number came my way – very small but I was positioned perfectly. The wave LIFTED me up and the DIRECTED me to the NOSE. It was so EASY to stay right on the edge of the board – wobbling as I went down the little knee size line. Technically – as far as nose riding- the longest and best nose ride I ever had in my life. That I know for sure. (Fortunately it was captured on the Surfline cam and I set it to a track by the consummate LA outside/insider – Jeffrey Lee Pierce) That night Tina and I made Stepladder Bison burgers on Ezekiel bread toasted with cultured butter and melted goat cheese and topped with Chimmichurri. Homemade Hash browns and a Gina goat cheese arugula salad!
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Topanga

Location : Topanga
Time/Length : am/2.0
Rating : *
Performance : **
Board : md 94 port type
Notes : We hemmed and hawed for a long time. Extreme lo Tide plus lack of swell was the main problem. We finally settled on Topanga – “touching the wall” and going out at BOOMERS first. Mostly closeouts – so we paddled down to the lifeguard stand. Caught a few here and there’s but it was micro-micro plus low tide – so it wasn’t the greatest – but still – caught a few (actually exactly two) ankle biters…
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C Street

Location : C Street
Time/Length : am/2.45
Rating : ****+
Performance : ****+
Board : MD 94 Prototype
Notes : We hoofed it down to C Street and it was beautiful perfect waves . However – it was so crowded with pro level surfers it was definitely intimidating. Shoulder to waist hi Waves were connecting from outside – all the way through to the inside “harbor ” section” . Thus, normally if you sat in on the inside harbor section – it would section off and then reform for a great ride on the inside. But that wasn’t happening. People were riding it full on from the outside to the inside. So many times I would look down the line – “is that guy gonna make it on that wave ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE. You were just ready for the person to kick out – and then take off on the reform. But each time thee great surfers would just be gunning down a section that never closed out. You would abort – or they would scream/ “On it , on it”. This was literally an HOUR of just paddling around like this. Finally we said “fuck it” and paddled to the way outside where the peak was. I first took off on a MONSTER – definitely Head high – outside – and definitely in my lane. I took off and it lifted me up – the only way I could manage was getting right up near the nose- there was a GIANT gap between where I was standing and the bottom or trough of the cresting wave. Definitely like I was floating just in space. However, This wave was NOT gonna peel off and offer an open face. At least it felt like that to me – that it was gonna close out and SMOTHER me. So I decided to kick out. Glad I did. The next wave however I was in the perfect position. However there was TWO people in my flight path – almost like obstacles to a giant never ending GREEN face. The first person I managed to weave around – the second had a look of terror on his face when he realized I was gonna try and shoot in front of him. But I did and the wave OPENED UP (some kid wearing surf sunglasses yelled ‘Right on”) I was off to the races . The wave never ended. I ended up almost near the pier – 726 feet – a record for me. Man – it was fast also. A few more that session – but one for the record books. That night we Gina made a great maple butter pan fried chicken , Tina made asparagus with a great sauce and I made semi-smashed tater. Mike texted us with tales of truffle pasta in Torino while Holder held down the trad fort with a Turkey. Great t – give!!!
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Malibu

Location : Surfrider Beach Malibu
Time/Length : PM/2.15
Rating : ***
Performance : ***
Board : MD0ve 9’4 Prototype
Notes : Tina and I flew in to LA and made it to Gina house in Culver by 8pm Tuesday – for the T Give Holiday. Mikel on Jury in Torino Film Fest. So Wed. the tide was bad in the AM so we waited and then hopped in the car around 3PM with Tina and headed to Surfrider Beach , Malibu. Mainly because tide was so lo and lack of swell made the line up nearly empty – only about 10 people. Definitely a bucket list wave. After getting comfortable in the line up I started two hit it and understand how you needed to really swing into the wave. Although it was small – the wave really rifles along and holds you up. Plus – on occasion there was a beautiful wave that would swing but further out at First Point. However I stayed on the inside and really managed to lock in on a few waves – despite the small size – it was magical.
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LMA

Location : LMA
Time/Length : am/1.35
Rating : ***
Performance : **+
Board : md 2.0
Notes : nice clear clean lines in front of the A lot pump house- primarily it was the left that was working. I wish I was more on my game because there were some great lefts on tap- but I flubbed and floundered and missed to many opportunities – great waves that I blew – oh well – still great fun
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