BaNZ California Surf Safari

[BaNZ]

Billie suggested I made a post about my California surf trip. I doubt anyone is interested in my boring surf trip! But here goes nothing hehe.

1st day I went shopping for my new surf board. I was up by 5am, checked online to see if my favourite board is in stock. Good news, a few shops in SD has it. I drove to La Jolla Shores. Went to a girly shop that is catered to women surfers. The guy wasn't at all interested in helping me as he was probably busy with something else. He went to check his stock and say come back later in the afternoon or if I wanted to rent a board. I'd say screw that, time to head to Huntingdon beach. On the way I saw Encinitas and dropped by Hansen surf shop. I saw the board I wanted. I had the option of choosing 7"6 or 9"0. Then I spent the next hour trying to make up my mind. The forecast was 1-2 feet all week so I think 9"0 would be better. The guy helping me was very friendly and a nice surfer. He explained all the pros and cons of getting a funboard vs a longboard.

Eventually after tormenting my gf for 2 hours. I've made up my mind and got the 9"0 longboard! Bought some soft rack and mounted the board up. Time to head to Huntingdon beach! When I reached 40mph the rack was making whirling noises. I stopped on a gas station and read the instructions again. Great, just need a few twist on the straps and we're good to go. Once we got onto the freeway, it isn't the noise. It's the board flapping. My gf face is going pale at the moment thinking I'm going to kill the guy behind me. The board was moving so much and it moved back at least 6+ inches. She wanted me to get off the freeway but I was determined to make my way to Huntingdon Beach. Eventually we hit the traffic and a 2 hours drive is now 4 hours. So I decided to head to Black's beach. Got lost on the way and I ended up in Torrey Pines state beach. I saw surf boards on a few cars and just followed them. Hey if they're bringing surfboards, then it must be good right? I followed them to the car park and what. $15? for parking? Seriously, that's the most I've ever paid to park and surf.

The temperature must be like 30C+ and I had difficulty waxing my board in the sun. It was just like putting glue on your board. I couldn't get it to look nice but hey, who cares. It is summer and you don't need that much wax anyway. I put on my 3/2 and by the time I got to the beach I was about to past out from the heatstroke. I was searching for the surf spot but I couldn't see any. I went to a spot with a few SUP but it was just terrible surf. Messy and 1-2 feet. I got out within an hour and a half. Probably caught less than 5 waves.

Day 2.
Woke up at 6am due to jetlag. Checked all the webcams within South SD on surfline. It looks like Scripps Pier might have some surf. I drove there and was so happy cos it felt like I hit a jackpot. I parked right infront of the beach. Although I don't know how the parking works, I just took my gf staff pass and parked it there hoping that it will be fine. There was probably a dozen of surfers. I thought I'm smart this time so I went in without a wetsuit. Just boardshorts and my God it was cold. I instantly regret it. I swam to the line up and I've touched the disgusting kelps and whatever seaweed was in the water. I've never encountered this before. I didn't want my legs to touch them so I paddled really far.... Once I got up to the line up, I looked down to make sure there are no more seaweed. Then what do I see? A shark..... shark?! straight away I jumped up the board. There was a guy next to me but I was really scared. It was a small shark but still I was frightened. I didn't want to swim further outside. I kept looking back at the lifeguard to make sure he will be able to see me and he is doing his job. In my mind, I kept thinking that I'm going to end up like Mick Fanning. The video kept looping in my brains. Eventually I caught a few good waves and forgot all about it. Since I wasn't bitten nor did the shark took any interest in me. When I got back to my car I see a few other people car all had fines on them. Luckily my pass worked so I didn't have to pay a $65 fine.

Day 3
San Onofre- I remember Billie said I need to visit this beach. Surfline camera is looking good and the forecast is "poor to fair". When I arrived the car park. It felt like it was the first time seeing the beach. Within minutes, I was in tears. I parked right at the entrance and got out the car to take photos. It was high tide and forecast says mid tide is the best, but who cares! I couldn't wait and didn't put on my wetsuit because of the long paddle. It was full of stones but hey, my local break is like that too. So I'm not worried at all. But little did I know that the stones are much bigger here and it goes all the way out. Within the first 10 seconds I was bleeding on both feet. I had cuts everywhere. But I had to man up. Look at all the other girls and young kids going out without any shoe. Didn't have much problem getting out the shorebreak but my feet is stinging pretty badly. Then I thought to myself..... this is going to attract sharks! So I swam to the busiest lineup and seat with the other surfers. Hoping that this will scare off the sharks. The bleeding probably stopped after a bit. Then I caught my first "real" wave. For the first time in my life that I actually felt like I was surfing green waves. It just goes on and on and on and never seems to close out. I was going up and down, doing bottom and top turns. I didn't even know I could do things like that. I surfed for a few hours and decided that is it. I'm quitting my job in UK and moving here. Even if I died from shark attacks, at least I know my life is now complete.

Day 4
San Onofre it is again. This time I got there at 10am and stayed till 6. With wetsuits and booties this time. I couldn't care less if I looked stupid. I wanted to stay warm and safe this time. Again the waves were amazing even though the signposted on the entrance says it is poor conditions. I've never seen anything like this before and the crowd is so mellow. I surfed for about 2 hours and decided to take a pee break and top up myself with some snacks. As I sat down the bench a guy came to look at my board and said he likes it. He also said he saw me yesterday but I couldn't remember him. Then he reminded that our boards collided yesterday. I apologised straight away but he didn't care at at all. He said he shape his own boards and he has got over 30+ boards. He was so friendly and even offer to let me use his boards! I got back in the water for a second session but this time I was too exhausted already. I thought I've recovered but I haven't and I'm not as fit as before. I lost the board as a big set came in and I think I might have hit a child but we weren't sure. As he also lost his own board as he was playing around when he got wiped out by it. The environment here is very different, people take off all very close to each other and are not bothered at all. I'm still not used to this type of behaviour. I had a shortboard even going up and down on me. Whenever I go top he goes bottom however this scares me because I can't control the board that well and he is way too close. Another kid tried to do the same but he got infront of me and blocked me off. I was on the wave for a long time already but hey, I think it must be just me. Perhaps he gave me enough space and it was just me being bad at surfing. By then I was really tired, I was getting very wobbly when I popup as I'm completely drained. I was also in pain due to the rash I've accumulated over the couple of days so i decided to call it a day since I'm most likely going to be here again tomorrow!

[jaffa1949]

Don't worry about the rash it is probably the beginning of the mutation caused by the nuclear reactor at San Onofre.
The mutation is probably the first stages of the change happening within you that will make you a real surfer.
Bleeding in shark infested waters , no worries , soft feet on rocks still going out more mutation!
Disapproval by girl friend but still going out , already thinking about tomorrow's surf, definite signs of terminal mutation there!

[drowningbitbybit]

In my mind, I kept thinking that I'm going to end up like Mick Fanning.

What, really good?

[dtc]

Mate that's a brilliant write up. I'm in the midst of a chest cold and you made me laugh, which turned into 30 seconds of coughing. People thought I was about to die

If it's any help, only 3 species of shark are responsible for 90% of attacks and 98% of deaths. So if it's not one of them (great white, bull or tiger) you are almost totally safe

[BaNZ]

Day 5- woke up at 6. Sat around 2 hours waiting for my photographer gf to wake up. Eventually she agreed to come with me to the beach. It is overcast and no sign of sun. I was excited like a 6 year kid going to Disneyland for the first time. I wanted to show her what real waves looks like. We got there and it was cloudy, windy and choppy waves. She only had 2 hours so I tried to put on my wetsuit without touching the rash part but it is proving difficult. I really pushed myself trying to land some good photos but today was the worse day I've ever surfed. I kept face planting and losing my balance. I think it was a bit of mental pressure and my exhausted body that I just can't perform in the bed beach. I was surfing really close to the shore hoping that it will land me some money shot. By then I was exhausted. I saw a fat kid in front of me and I decided that it is my wave and I don't want to get bullied by a fat kid. He didn't look behind at all so he didn't see me. I grab my board to get out of the way but too late. I smacked my face with my own board and my nose started to bleed. Then I recalled that everyone from surfing wave forum is laughing at my misfortune and shark phobia. So I man'd up and swam out to the furthest line up. I couldn't care anymore if I don't have any descent photos nor if a shark tracked my blood. I caught a few waves and my time was up. I got into the toilet and checked the mirror, I look like a meth addict with a scar on my nose. Overall it wasn't a good day but at least I wasn't eaten by a shark.

[dtc]

Good to hear you are still alive.

[jaffa1949]

BaNz does nose riding now!
Please don't try getting hang time

[saalro]

Was it a GW? Juveniles are real common along the shorelines of Cali, usually only interested in fish. When i was in LA i saw a couple on different days looking over Manhattan Beach pier and when i was out surfing we had someone shouting at us that there was a shark near us, i didn't get to see one when i was in the water but i can only imagine it still gives you a good fright ha, but it's reassuring to know they aren't generally interested at that age and size, and all the locals are happy to stay in the water, and SUP board over them.

And San Onfre i did the same thing but not as bad, i had no idea about the rocks and shortly cut my foot.

If you are up LA way check out this spot, it's super nice: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Nep ... baadb595c8

[dtc]

No no, don't suggest it was a GW!

[billie_morini]

Luis, your entries are surfing gold! Thank you for sharing your terrific stories. Now let's meet up no later than next weekend.
Billie

[BaNZ]

It's most probably a leopard shark, only 1-2 feet and the water probably magnifies it. But nonetheless I was so scared....

Day xxx - can't remember. The wave is so small so I spend most of my time checking out the bikini surfing babes. And my God, how could any men surf with these creatures around. They all have the perfect hair, body and curves. It's like poster material and all photoshopped. They all look like jailbait though.

[jaffa1949]

I think BaNZ is about to check into "Hotel California" we haven't heard any reports of his progress for a while.
The Eagles are playing his song.

[billie_morini]

Fear not! BANZ is not only alive and well, he is surfing his buns off in SoCAL. We spent Saturday together surfing at San O! There will be more reports and photos, too.

[billie_morini]

This just in ....
BANZ is headed to Rockaway Beach on Long Island in Queens, NY this very morning. This is a long way from SoCAL! What is responsible for BANZ travelling to Long Island's beaches when enjoying SoCAL's finest surf breaks? BANZ clarified his response by providing the following direct quotes.

BANZ: "There's 2500 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark out, and we're wearing sunglasses."
Mrs. BANZ: "Hit it!"

Meanwhile, billie morini and his Deutsch nephew are watching the surf build on the left coast thanks to a storm near New Zealand. When asked for comment about BANZ' surfing safari turned wide-ranging Odyssy, the following quotes were provided.

billie: "BANZ' logic for going to Long Island sounds vaguely familiar. Kind of like a scene from the Blues Brothers movie with Ellwood and Joliet Jake."
Deutsch nephew: "Genau!" ("Hell yeah!" in this context)

[BaNZ]

Luckily enough I didn't end up in Long Beach CA. I was puzzled when I saw it took 3 days on public transport to get there on Google Map. I was smart enough to realise that there is two Long Beach, one in CA and the other in NY.

However not so smartly. Yesterday me and Mrs. Banz was flying out of NY. One from JKF and the other from Newark airport. We decided to buy a near identical suitcase. It wasn't until she reached the airport that she found out she got my suitcase with wetsuit heading over to a conference. I got her suitcase full of dresses, bikini and work laptop.

After spending hundreds of dollars and rescheduling flights. We have fixed this and we left with the right suitcase. As I got on the plane I was sat next to this hot, young Eastern European girl. I couldn't believe my luck. I'm so glad Mrs Banz wasn't there. While she was adjusting to her seat she had her butt in my face and kept nudging me. That's the most action I've ever had on this trip.

I was determined to recover my jetlag asap so I put on my earplugs and eye pad. While the plane was taking off, I heard the loudest shriek ever. I found that there is a young toddler sitting adjacent off me. The high pitch noise was killing me and the ear plugs wasn't helping. I had to listen to the young boy cry and scream for the next 3 hours. By the time I landed in London I was so pissed off like all the other passengers. However the young boy was so happy that we landed and was giving everyone kisses and hugs. Everyone adored him to bits but little do they know I wanted to strangle him for tormenting me the past 6 hours.

As I landed, I got a text from my surfing crew in UK. They are heading over to my home break. Whether it was the sleep deprivation, I decided that after staying awake for nearly 24 hours, travelling for 12 hours. I thought it was a good idea to join them. I wanted to tell them about my SD trip and show them my tan sunburn lines. The forecast was pretty good for our local beach standard 3-5 feet swells 7 seconds interval and 20mph wind. Realistically it was 2-4 feet but 4 seconds interval. When we arrived I was so eager to jump into the water to show them how much I've improved. Instead of using my normal longboard I decided to rent a 7'6 funboard. I can't duck dive nor can I turtle roll with it. I struggled for about 10 mins to get out. It was an absolute mess and like a washing machine. I regretted it when I got to the line up as the rip was so strong I didn't even had the energy to paddle and stay in one place. Did I mention that I went from a 33C NYC to 6C London? The water was cold and I was wearing a 4/3. I didn't even warm up properly.

It took me 20 mins to rest and I caught my first wave of the day. It felt so good and everything was worth it. My adrenaline was pumping and I paddle out to the line up again. A big wave was coming and I did a failed turtle roll. I tried to resurface and kick my feet to bring my body out the water than I felt a sharp pain on my lower leg. For a split second I thought I was bitten by a shark! It turns out I had a very bad cramp. It contracted so hard that it puts my erection to shame. I had to grab my feet as I was in pain and couldn't swim. The wave was coming from every direction I'm at a sitting duck at the impact zone. I looked to the lifeguard tower and saw it is all females. There's no way I'm letting girls rescue me. I mean everyone knows me there, I might be a nobody but I'm considered a well known mediocre surfer at my own break. There are also a bunch of locals taking photos. So I just try to stay afloat and keep my head above the water while I float back to the shores. After I made it, I decided to call it a day. I'm still limping very badly from the spazm earlier.

I think this was a close call and it wasn't a good idea to go surf when I'm sleep deprived. Since I didn't surf for a couple of days, I thought I was just mentally tired and not physical. I was wrong! Well it is midnight in Uk now and I can't get to bed. Doh!

[jaffa1949]

I can see it now, BaNZ's book in Mandarin, Taiwan version 请问这个人成为一个冲浪爷爷.
"Will this man become a surfing grand father?"
Chapters.
Will he be able to tell cramp from shark attack?
Ancient Chinese herbal potions make erections harder than cramps.
Potions also cause you to stay in cold water to relieve above affliction.
Ancient sage Qi Gong technique attraction of butt.
BaNZ you are a great delight to this forum both with your surfing journey and your narrative of it!

[Big H]

At least you didn't cramp up on the transatlantic....

[BaNZ]

Wait a second.... did I forgot to post my NYC surf trip? I managed to popped up on my first try on a shortboard. I think I've done very well.

[oldmansurfer]

Awesome. That thing almost looks like the skateboard I mentioned in the surf training thread

[billie_morini]

Comment for BANZ' post dated Sun, Jun 30, 2013, 7:15 am: KAWABUNGA, Dude!!