Surfing Waves

Was firing while most of LA was flat. My 2nd time surfing the 'Bu. The first time I felt pretty noobish, and I was...I had only been surfing for 6 months. A year later after surfing exclusively beach breaks, I hit the 'Bu again, feeling pretty confident...

That feeling evaporated pretty quickly. Wow, did I get schooled! Everybody is sooo much better there. Even the worst guys surf pretty well. And getting in position is a completly different beast. I was paddling too early, paddling too late, catching the wave at the tail end, and turning too slowly.

Has anyone else travelled to a new break and had a similar experience?

Yepserini, on a off day I suck everywhere especialy a new break.. HA HA
Where do you live Lomax ????

Lomax wrote:Was firing while most of LA was flat. My 2nd time surfing the 'Bu. The first time I felt pretty noobish, and I was...I had only been surfing for 6 months. A year later after surfing exclusively beach breaks, I hit the 'Bu again, feeling pretty confident...

That feeling evaporated pretty quickly. Wow, did I get schooled! Everybody is sooo much better there. Even the worst guys surf pretty well. And getting in position is a completly different beast. I was paddling too early, paddling too late, catching the wave at the tail end, and turning too slowly.

Has anyone else travelled to a new break and had a similar experience?

I've been to malibu two or three time, and the crowd factor is just crazy.
I can't rip a section I want to with 2 guys dropping in on me everytime .

oldgrom wrote:Yepserini, on a off day I suck everywhere especialy a new break.. HA HA
Where do you live Lomax ????

Well thanks...now I don't feel so bad. Guess I'll go back to feeling like a ripper at El Porto (that's my home break)

pkbum wrote:

Lomax wrote:Was firing while most of LA was flat. My 2nd time surfing the 'Bu. The first time I felt pretty noobish, and I was...I had only been surfing for 6 months. A year later after surfing exclusively beach breaks, I hit the 'Bu again, feeling pretty confident...

That feeling evaporated pretty quickly. Wow, did I get schooled! Everybody is sooo much better there. Even the worst guys surf pretty well. And getting in position is a completly different beast. I was paddling too early, paddling too late, catching the wave at the tail end, and turning too slowly.

Has anyone else travelled to a new break and had a similar experience?

I've been to malibu two or three time, and the crowd factor is just crazy.
I can't rip a section I want to with 2 guys dropping in on me everytime .

Yeah that's the other thing. I'm used to having waves to myself, but it just doesn't happen at Malibu. Every wave has 4 or 5 guys paddling for it, and they're all rippers...even the little kids!

Lomax...if you had invested about 10 more minutes and got to northern LA the crowds were much less and the waves were fun.


The bu is a place I go when I need to raise my BP. I do surf it when it looks to epic to pass up like if I am working in the area....but on a normal run to surf, I would have to pass a few really good breaks to drive to bu so I stay to north LA OX and Ventura.

Lomax wrote:Has anyone else travelled to a new break and had a similar experience?

I felt exactly that when I first moved to maroubra

Getting used to it now though, but I still know not to bother going out if its epic - the locals will be just all over it.

Same thing at every Sydney City beach. Even Bondi, more famous for its nosediving backpackers than its skilled surfers, becomes a magnet for good surfers as soon as the swell gets impressive. On such days I will pretty much just float about helplessly, waiting for one wave to get by the hordes of surfsharks so that I can feed on their leftovers.

But hey, paying the dues, right? I am slowly getting to the point where I can outmanoeuver and outpaddle other intermediate surfers. So I guess that if I am willing to stick with it, one day I might be a modest shark myself. Until then I will just float about on 'epic' days ...