Saturday, June 25, 2011

Big South Swell; The Rhythm Returns to San Diego

This morning found us at 15th street in Del Mar all staring  in awe at a fully mature SW swell.  After hitting Hawaii earlier this week, it began showing hints of it's potential in San Diego late Wednesday.  Thursday and Friday gave us a taste of the honey and like a bear drawn to a bee hive we all wanted more, more, more.  Various web sites were calling this morning 2-3 feet; 4 feet at best.  I don't know what ocean they were looking at or who calibrates their measuring devices, but about the only thing that was 2-3 feet this morning was the white water.  The sets were routinely overhead and the in-betweeners were shoulder to head high.

Screaming, bowling lefts were the soup de jour.  Some makable, some not.  But hey, it's only water; what's the worst that can happen?    Everyone took it on the head at least once, either paddling out, paddling back out after trying to squeeze in that one extra turn (which was one turn too many) or just getting hammered by the outside sets.

But everybody was also grinning from ear to ear when they got out of the water.  It was a morning that will fuel stories of late take offs, steep walls, cut backs, floaters, wipe outs, clean up sets, long rides, adrenaline rushes, near misses, snake attacks, and the best surf in a while. Some true.  Some not.

So, here are some memories from this morning's session.  
Big, fat and sassy.
Can you surf like a girl?
Maybe you should learn how

Chuck on a nice head high in-betweener

Did I mention it was glassy?

On the inside deep in the froth

Luke, slotted again

Captain Kurt, style master

Clayfish powering through

2-3 feet, really?

John, on one of the rare rights
Steve, setting up for...
...a cover up. 
And the wave of the day goes to Kris.  I ask again, can you surf like a girl?
Kris, just back from Bali, dropping into a set wave all to herself getting set up for...

...a 3G bottom turn
Smooth, smooth, smooth.  Great wave Kris!
Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

all photos copyright Gary Erbeck

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