Surfing by Pacific Beach Pier, July 8th, 2023

 Nice medium sized waves on the north side of the Pacific Beach Pier.  Close to the pier, waves were very nice for short boarding; and a bit further away conditions were better for hybrid and long boards.  The beach was the most crowded I've seen due to all the sun bathers.  All in all, a good surf session.

Bayou Texar to Penscola Bay

 

Return to Bayou Texar

 Made it back out today on Bayou Texar, beautiful conditions and lots of bird life. A few ospreys catching fish along with several great blue herons along with a few pelicans splashing down in the water.   I’m hoping to get out along the intra-coastal regions next. 

In Search Calm Water: Stand Up Paddleboarding in Bayou Texar

 Good morning,

I just got back from my first stand up paddleboarding adventure on the serene Bayou Texar surrounded by Pensacola's East Hill neighborhood.  I moved back to Pensacola about four years ago after living in Oceanside, California for two.  I've done a little surfing in Pacific Beach last December and then again in March but didn't have tons of success riding waves.  The conditions by PB Pier are a bit less favorable than half a mile north at Tourmaline Surf Park.  I also tried to teach my then five year old son how to surf back in the late Fall but he didn't take to the cold water and the surf was all but flat.  

 I've had a kayak in my garage for years which I recently refurbished but it hasn't been out in the water since 2010 in Corpus Christi!  Not the easiest thing to transport so I've been eyeing getting an inflatable paddleboard for a few years now.  Ultimately I would like to take it out in the surf on calmer days when catching waves with a shorter board would be a bit of a challenge.  Amazon had alot of boards but they all have very mixed reviews.  A  good friend of mine recommended the Bōte Brand and I found a very good deal for the Bōte Wulf at the local Academy.  I also picked up a paddling life jacket, waterproof phone case, and survival mirror and whistle.  

I set out around 7:30 AM at the Bayview Park Boat Launch; there is a $5 boat launch parking fee but I think I could have parked a few spots down and parked for free since I didn't have a boat trailer hanging off my car!  There's a nice pier and small boat floating pier next to the second boat ramp where I was able to inflate my board and stow my excess gear back in the trunk.  I set my paddle length to just over 6" above my height, attached the leash, and pushed off the dock while kneeling and stood up and took off.  Pretty easy to get moving; definitely don't get the speed you'd would expect from a sit inside kayak but you feel more connected to the water than sitting inside a kayak.  I headed north up Bayou Texar for about 25 minutes and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  Several racing sculls were out and a few slow moving motor boats.  Fish were splashing here and there and there were some beautiful houses along the water front.  I'd recommend checking out this boat launch, conditions are nice for a beginner with little to know surfing or paddle boat experience.  More updates to follow.

Hey guys!,

It's been forever since I've last posted.  Moral of the story: If you surf in North Carolina, you better have a long board.  Waves around central NC aren't much to talk about.  Too unpredictable to be worth the drive.  Luckily, I've moved to beautiful southern California and have been getting back into the joys of surfing.  Some (attempted) surfing around Tamarack but we/ I couldn't get past the waves in to the break.  Still trying to figure the name of the break but I've been there 3 times now and I've been able to catch some decent waves.  Nothing too spectacular, but it is the summer time (No wetsuits needed!) and it's great to get back out on some waves.  Maybe I'll get a long board, who knows.  Been rocking the 2012 Beetle and the inflatable roof  rack has worked great!.  Stay surfing, my friends!

Dawn Patrol at Newport Beach, Saturday April 27th 2013

I finally did it.  I've been meaning to ride the waves in the LA area for a few years now, and now that I have a board out here at my disposal, I finally got the chance.  I also forced myself to get up to the beach early on, not quite as the sun rose, but pretty close.  The waves were averaging about 3 feet or so, with some bigger sets coming in at around 4-5 feet right along the pier.  I caught a couple waves, but conditions were much better for long boarding.  Had the Go Pro running, I'm still trying to figure if it's a distraction or a benefit.  I've got it set up so it turns on with one touch, so I have to take a couple seconds focuses on turning it on.  However, it also forces me to slow down instead of trying to catch every wave.  Things got pretty crowded and I decided to call it before the break was completely packed. 

Oceanside Battle, Oceanside CA, Saturday, April 7th, 2013

I've been fortunate enough to get back out to Cali and ride some waves.  It's been way to long since I've been surfing and I didn't have a board on the West Coast.  Sounds like something that I need to fix!  A quick trip to the Vista Play it Again Sports, and for under 150 bucks I was back in action on a fiberglass Progressive surf board with a pointy nose and a short fish tail, leash included.  The last time I surfed in Cali, I rented a board up at Beacons Beach.  I figure that it's simpler to know a board and then learn the break rather than try to do both at the same time.  The board already had some wax one it (more on that later) so I was off to the beach just as soon as I mounted my new GoPro surfboard rig.  I fought my way through the incoming surf out the break at approx 33*12’7.1” N 117*23’39.5W.  I wasn't close to the jetty to ride the rip, but the waves kept crashing down on me.  I finally managed to get out to the break, a 4-6" left hand break that a goofy footed surfer like me usually loves.  Unfortunately, the wax on the surfboard just didn't do the job, even with the surf booties I wear in cold weather that give me extra grip.  I ended up getting pushed out of the break and towards shore.  The grip was so bad that I had trouble even bodysurfing ontop of the board in the smaller waves closer to shore.  Lesson learned, always have wax, even when you don't think you need it! I also set my board down on the beach and the go pro ended up popping loose; so make sure that you give the glue time to set before you hit the beach!  The camera shot some clear footage, but since I never caught a decent wave, I don't have too much to show from it.  Ride on.

Surfing by Surf City before Tropical Storm Emily

Drove down to surf city today. Tropical Storm Emily is slowly working it's way up the coast. I've surfed twice on Topsail Island before, both North and South ends, but never at Surf City, which is in the center part of the island. I surfed off the pier, and caught a couple good waves, I felt like the waves were better than off Wrightsville beach. I ran into a guy with another Kane Garden board, he gave me a tip that I should keep my legs together while paddling, I applied his tip and I could feel a difference. I had cargo pocketed board shorts and ran into some problems with the pockets scooping up water. Still, all in all, a better than average day of surfing off the east coast.

Beacons Beach, Encinitas California

Didn't get a ton of surfing in while I was out in Cali, and checked out Tourmaline on a pretty small day. Ended up surfing last Saturday off Beacon's Beach for the first time. The break was pretty good, but got steeper as the tide rose. Didn't catch anything too spectacular, but I was on a crappy rental. I wanted to get a long board but got talked into a 8' board with a longboard shape. My buddy tried a 9' board which I was surprised at how poorly it paddled. I'm looking at getting a Walden Magic Epoxy this summer for the smaller East Coast waves, still waiting to hear back from Walden on the best length for my height and weight. I'll let you know about it when I get it. For now enjoy these pics of the West Coast:

A little here, a little there... Surfing Two Coasts

Sorry for the long delay, however things have been pretty crazy. I managed to get a surf session in down in San Diego while I was out in Yuma Easter weekend. Tried surfing in Vibram Five Finger's but my toes kept slipping out, that and the long boarders kept stealing my waves. Also got a session in down at Wrightsville when I got back, but that's really all the surfing that I've managed since April! Hopefully I'll be able to get a Walden Magic Longboard to really catch the NC waves. I'm out on the West coast now and should be catching some swells while I'm out here. Take Care!

Low Tide Closeouts

Went surfing today, back to paying for parking again. Luckily I didn't have to struggle into those gloves, I'm definitely gonna have to get a size bigger, stupid gloves are tearing and I've hardly worn them. Waves were breaking the farthest out I've ever seen them at Crystal Pier, they were pretty closed out so you really could only catch them before you lost all energy. I think there must be a big sandbar out there, a gradual sandbar produces cleaner and less barreling waves. Supposed to be pretty big today, I'll be out around 1 or so to see what I can catch.

Finally getting waves in February

After a long hiatus from surfing - it seemed like every time there was good waves I was busy working - I was finally able to get out to the beach. I decided to go to Bob Hall pier today, there were surfers out but things weren't all too busy. A lot of people walking up and down the beach though. Waves were pretty choppy but smoothed out and lined up as the day progressed; the outer break was really the place to be for good waves. There was a good amount of drift that would push you away from the good breaks. I ended up out by the pier and was greeted by a couple friendly dolphins not more than twenty feet away. I'm not sure if it'd be safe to get much closer, but I was sure tempted. It was good to get back out in the water, I guess I'll just have to cross my fingers for good waves tomorrow! Better get out of this wetsuit and stop soaking the furniture.

.

Surfing at Sundown on a Friday

Went surfing late today. The sun was setting and there were knee to waist high waves coming in. It was a beautiful day and it was a magnificent finale out on the beach. Almost too distracting with the way the light was reflecting off the waves. The waves were clean but small, still a good half h0ur or so of surfing. Man oh man I can't imagine what it would be like living out on the west coast with big waves coming in every day. I don't know why the waves are so small on this side of the country, but it sucks. They are fun to ride, but even with my fish, I'd have more fun out off Padre Island when it comes to shredding waves. It's beautiful, but rarely all that exciting. Gotta wait for storm action, and then it's pretty sloppy. Still, it's motivating knowing that I can surf in water 10 degrees above freezing. Lets see what tomorrow holds!

Surfing off the Oceanic Pier

I got a pair of Xcel surf gloves after last times botched adventure. The waves were breaking in the knee to thigh range and luckily I'm working the night tonight so I was able to get out. It was still kinda chilly, 44 degree water and a 40 degree air temp tend to do that, especially with gray rainy conditions. I did catch some fun little waves that I was able to ride towards the beach on. Part of me feels like I get alot better after every time I'm able to surf in Cali. Hopefully I'll get out there this March and shred some waves.