Latest Surfs...

[oldmansurfer]

I am in the middle of a three day weekend. Yesterday I surfed Middle Horners which is a left break mostly. A really fun day with head high waves but a little choppy. I had several fall from the sky takeoffs which I love and caught a few fun waves but no serious carving due to choppiness (I caught a lot of waves). I actually got tired from paddling without any major current to fight. Today I went to the middle sand break and it was the usual chaos. Fun too but not quite as much as Horners was. The swell seems to be coming up so if it continues tomorrow should be really fun.

[IanCaio]

Jaffa showing how it's done!
That's a beautiful wave man! Bet you got some nice tubes there!

[oldmansurfer]

Third day wasn't bigger but it was fun. I went back to Middle Horners and caught a bunch of waves. I was so tired by the end it was difficult for me to lineup because I was catching a wave paddling back out catching another paddling back out without rest. I managed a good backside off the lip snap and a backside cutback all the way into the whitewater followed up with a good bottom turn to cutout because thew wave went flat. I only had one falling steep takeoff today and it was on my last wave. I was tired so I didn't get my board swung around completely maybe also hesitant since it was questionable if I was in the right place to catch it but decided to go ahead and took off with the board crooked and just a paddle or two and stood up the board managed to straighten itself out on the way down plus I put my front foot to the inside rail which may have helped but it was just the drop because the wave went flat after that. I felt so pumped afterwards, all my chest and arm muscles were tight and toned. I always feel better after surfing.

[oldmansurfer]

I went out at Middle Horners again . Memorable to me waves were a couple of backside bottom turn to backside cutbacks and a wave that I rode all the ways to the inside break where I got pelted by the lip, it was tubing but too small for me to try to tuck in. On one wave about head high or a little higher I tried to tuck into a left breaking (backside to me) tube but got clomped by the lip right on my shoulders. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad of a wipeout, really mild in fact. That is one reason I like that Middle Horners break, the waves are often quite forgiving. The wave I caught to go in on took me all the ways back to where I paddled out and where I usually exit.

[oldmansurfer]

Back to Middle Horners again and I had the best wave I have ridden in a while. It was a slightly overhead left and I started with a bottom turn to a cutback where I went all the way back into the whitewater then a bottom turn and speed turn down the line almost getting tubed then a bottom turn,off the lip bottom turn off the lip again and cutout. I also had a wave that connected with the inside break and I almost got tubed there but it was too sketchy (shallow reef) for me to stall and tuck in. Finished off the day with a ride that I slowed down too much and got covered in whitewater and even though I grabbed the rail to stabilize myself I got dumped and then my leash broke. I swam so hard because there are rocks and reef along the shoreline in that area. I was tired already but after swimmingly like heck to get too my board I got there when it was 10 feet from the rocks. I jumped on and paddled to a safer place then just hung out there for a few minutes while I caught my breath.

[Brian]

Been out of the water for over a week, surfed HB northside pier today. Waves were 2-4 feet, inconsistent, with two noticeable swells in the water. Despite the inconsistency I managed to get a ton of rides. Caught a good left where I did a hard bottom turn and snapped it of the lip into a few pumps and a cutback. Felt good to get back out there. The water is super warm around here right now, about 70 degrees. It's nice to only be wearing my spring suit.

[Tudeo]

.. and then my leash broke.

Any idea why it broke?

[oldmansurfer]

.. and then my leash broke.

Any idea why it broke?

I forgot to check the little cord that connects the leash to the board. It wore through. I have been surfing my newer board but lately switched back to the old one and just didn't check it

[Tudeo]

Good nothing serious bad happened. Another lesson learned, you're never too old for that..

[oldmansurfer]

Went to outside Horners today. It was well overhead but I only caught two waves because it was breaking all over the place. I did manage to get caught inside by a 3 wave set but fortunately the pounding wasn't too bad. I find another spot if it looks like I may get caught by sets. That break can really deal a heavy pounding if you get caught inside. The next break over which we used to call Crabs was looking good and I tried to go out there but I never caught a wave due to not figuring out that ineup which is why I only caught two waves. I had to sort of share the lineup with another surfer who was making better use of it than me. Really there was such a wide area we didn't try for the same waves except on my wave in and I was lined up deeper and so I had priority. Oh well I got some exercise and I am ready for the next time.

[oldmansurfer]

I went back to Horners today and there were about 6 or 8 other guys out. It wasn't that good but I guess better than elsewhere. It's been a while since I shared a break with that many other surfers. I think I only made one rule break. I dropped in on someone on my way in. It was a small wave and I was way over from where the other surfer was and I thought it was going to break by me and it didn't so I cut out immediately. It was overhead again maybe some double overhead waves (6 foot Hawaiian) but short rides. I caught more waves today than yesterday even with more guys out. I caught most of the waves further over and further out than the rest of they guys, don't know why. I did something different today, I made a midface turn after takeoff I guess because the peak was still in front of me and I needed to get down the line. I moved my front foot to the inside rail to do this and just squeaked by the lip coming down and had enough speed to get back in front of the wave. Very exciting waves because of the size but not too much in the way of turns. I had one wave with a nice bottom turn around the breaking wave and up to a top turn in the pocket just below the lip to another bottom turn and then the wave slowed down. The first wave I caught my board was acting squirly and I wiped out because I didn't get my bottom turn done. I checked my fins afterward and they seemed fine, in retrospect I think I hit the boil when I was trying to bottom turn. I love to ride waves like these because it is all reflexive and my reflexes are still good. I am familiar with these waves having ridden them so much in the past. If the wave looks like you are in the right place then you are too shallow and need to get deeper for a better ride.

[oldmansurfer]

Wouldn't you know it. Today when I had to work late there were double overhead rights in the sandbar area I usually go to with long walls to carve all kinds of turns on

[IanCaio]

Been getting frustrated sometimes lately, felt like my confidence was dropping. I think I'm still getting used to surf with a thick long john and it's making me tire way faster than usual. Sometimes the waves aren't as big as somedays I surfed a few months back, but I'm having some trouble lately because of paddling endurance (don't know if it's only the john's fault.. with the winter cold, I'm not surfing as often as in the summer).

Today it was about 3-4ft hawaiian in the spot I usually surf, but breaking really far out. I went in with a friend, paddled a lot and then felt my shoulder asking for a rest. I saw how far from the outside I was, so I decided to sit and rest a bit (the waves were getting chubby where I was, so I wasn't taking many to the head). Then I would paddle a little more, rest, paddle. But I was always far from the outside. Waves were breaking a little stronger, and I started wondering if I would have the endurance to get back there, and if I did, if it was a wise idea to get under some heavy waves out of breath. Ended up bailing out, frustrated of course. Watched my friends getting some waves. When one of them went back to the sand, I talked to him. He said he thought he wasn't going to manage his way out too, but eventually he did. He asked me if I wanted to try again in the same beach but about 800m away, where it is usually a bit weaker. After wondering a lot (I couldn't even feel my toes because of the cold!) I decided to try it.

My arms got tired even faster, but the inside was calmer, the outside was closer and I really pushed myself to get there (gotta say I was close to my limit, felt like that last push up at the gym). It ended up being good, I catched a few good waves, one of the last I could get a head dip (probably didn't look as cool as it felt ), almost air dropped a set wave. My mood would probably not going to be good if I just went home, thankfully my friend was there to give me some incentive to try again!

[oldmansurfer]

I went out at Horners again (Left reef break) I caught a couple waves on the middle part before heading out to the main break. There were a bunch of guys out a mixture of bodyboarders SUP and old farts like myself. I only caught two waves in my time out there. The first one I went too high on the wave after the bottom turn and lost the wave and the second one was fun. I got to make several power turns and rode it in to the middle break so I decided to try there again since I only had 5 minutes left in my allotted time

[oldmansurfer]

Back to Honers again today. I forgot to say it was breaking 4 to 6 foot Hawaiian yesterday and today a little smaller maybe 4 to 5 foot with a surprise 6 foot wave. It was breaking a little different to day. The wave was initially steep and fast then went to a slow section then a small gap to another steep section. I was out there surfing with only 1 other guy initially and he was on a 9'2" gun and me on my 8 foot funboard. We were both getting caught by the inside section. I didn't see what he was doing but he said he was getting clipped by the section. I would take off and make an angled takeoff (unlike the usual radical steep drops I usually have there) I angled at the top rather than paddling at an angle so I had a lot of down the line velocity by the time I reached the bottom so then I would jam a bottom turn and then a really hard turn off the top because the wave was slowing down then may another turn before the slow section, and for most of the waves I waited for it to wall up but it did in a peak 20 to 30 feet in front of me and since I was just cruising I couldn't get into it. Initially I tried to turn around it and failed to get around it then next time I got a little further down and tried to tuck in but I was too high on the wave and ended up almost free falling to the bottom and pearling. The next few times I cut out rather than trying to negotiate it. I figured after a bit that I needed to get some speed before the second peak launched over so then when I got to the flat part I immediately did a speed turn and made it through that section with a bunch more power turns but I had used up my 30 minutes so I continued on in. Fun and my kind of crowd (1 other guy)

[dacsus65]

The Wall at Hampton Beach today with my boy. Little 1 foot waves but water and air temps were great, board shorts and a swim shirt for me in New England ... sweet. Surf was small so by the time I caught a wave on the 10' board and got up, I had run out of room. Does 3 seconds count as "catching a wave"? My boy was popping up like a pro and had some decent rides at least. Fun day had by all.

[oldmansurfer]

So my weekend was spent on lefts again at Horners. I have gotten a lot of practice surfing backside. I think typically I might go a month and not have a backside wave. Now I have had a few outings with sizable backside waves and a monthe of backside surfing. Not so big this last weekend but overhead. Yesterday I had a fun wave with multiple turns but today only a couple with a bottom turn and a cutback. Yesterday I took more waves on the head than I caught but the poundings were mild. I got lots of practice learning to judge the waves in different conditions there. Not that I don't appreciate getting to practice my backside riding but I hope to get some big frontside waves to challenge me

[jaffa1949]

We have a fairly weak east coast low sitting off shore from Merimbula supplying all the local beaches with a SE to east swell collection with some good surf enough tp spread the frothing masses over many beaches
Running on the sets to head and a half high on about 15 seconds.
Light grooming surface winds and a small and lessening crowd as I paddle out.
15 out.

Jaffa's match fitness quite low as the frequency of surf has been dismal and anything that presented itself was barely underhead!
But none the less out I went, a couple of tentative waves ridden at a low level of competence.
Not a good start , serious self doubt, could have been a destructive option.

THEN a bigger wave of more than set size, nobody to defer to of compete with ,Jaffa was there for it!!!!!!!
paddle hard wave has a double up section which often stops you catching it ( but if yiuy makes a thick heaving barrel.
So blow the match fitness, GO, thoroughly and hard! Wave double jacks right in the pop up stage I drive the nose hard and down with my standing push , looked like a full blown somersault nose drive wipe out was likely. Certainly on a 9ft, step back engage the tail as I freefall other than the last 9th of my board fin and tails rails full engaged.
Swing the classic soul arch pivot bottom turn and swing out to the open face, step forward to engage, all channels and bonzer jets engines and emarge from a short an intense barrel section, in control under the lip and running a high line.
Was given the thumbs up and wow comments by the crew.. I might be back to some skill again if I build on that.
mega smile the wave that make the day caught and ridden

[dtc]

[oldmansurfer]

More lefts today but it looks promising for rights tomorrow. I caught one really fun wave that I did a bunch of turns on including a top turn just under the pitching lip that I must have pulled at least a couple G's on. I was upside down on the very top of the turn, I put so much pressure into the board. It felt awesome. Right after that three surfers paddled out to join me. Slowly getting better on my backside.