This was a few years ago and I wouldn’t consider myself an experienced > surfer now let alone back then! It was maybe the second time I’d been to > Santa Barbera after meeting my wife. She’s Californian, I’m British (and > used to British waves!)The first time I went surfing at the northern end > of the main beach off the right hand point there in (very)small mellow > summer waves. The next time was a different story, it was December and > there was a decent sized swell with 6 ft, maybe 8 ft waves pounding the > main beach. I broke lots of rules through enthusiastic ignorance and > paddled out towards the Northern end of the same beach maybe a hundred or > so(maybe more) yards short of the area of the point. I was the only one > paddling out there (Yeah I know!)and I was riding a 7 ft 10" x > 22" big boy hybrid type board. The surf looked great from the car > park! It turned out to be a quite a bit bigger than I realised as I was > paddling out. I made it out without too much problem but I had that > shakey, nervous feeling once I was out as the realisation crept in while > watching as the shoreline seemed to be moving along at quite a pace!! > Maybe the trecherous currents were partly why no-one else was out there! > Anyway, in for a penny, in for a pound. I paddled for one of the smaller > set waves and got a short but fast right and as I kicked out was flung up > in the air much harder and higher than I was used to! I paddled back out > again relatively unscathed and with over-confidence creeping in went for > another wave and this time didn’t kick out in time and boy did it kick my > butt! Once I emerged from the sea bed I was in thigh-deep water and it > sucked me straight back out into the shore break which happened three > times in quick succession and while struggling for breath I was starting > to think I was in deep trouble!(I also now knew for certain why no-one > else was out!!)It’s funny what things you remember when you are in > situations like that and I remember seeing a guy sweeping up in the car > park and he stopped what he was doing and put his hands on his hips while > watching me more intently. I think that signalled to me that I had to make > a concerted effort to drag myself out. I learned a lot that day and became > a more cautious and respectfull surfer and was gratefull that it only > kicked my butt!! I can’t wait to get back to California and back for some > mellower spring waves. Hope I havn’t bored too many people but wanted to > share that. definitely . … not boring at all , . . . brits have such great . . . what is it, "in for a penney . … " great . … want to know where you’re writing from . … from Europe??? If so . … this’ll sound stupid … but all that flooding going on there a month or so back… what was it from? I guess I am asking rain or river overflowed or . … ??
I’m writing from here in the U.K. and I probably visit once a year on average. I still havn’t surfed Rincon yet but dying to, maybe next visit. I also saw the break by the harbour entrance working well from a distance on one visit to S.B. Is this a very hazardous break to paddle out to. It looks a lot of fun. The floods in Europe, they havn’t really come close to hitting the U.K. but I guess Checheslovakia (ignore the spelling!) and Germany were hit really badly, I think from unusually heavy prolonged rainfall.
Not spectacular - but scary. 3 foot wave early AM in Harvey Cedars NJ, alone. Fell on a sloppy take-off and somehow the leash gets wrapped around my neck. Couldn’t stand up, couldn’t swim, couldn’t figure out the twists in the leash. I was sure I would drown and still don’t know how it came off - except that I did pray while chocking and having my board knock me in the head a few times. Or, for the scariest wave I never caught… Paddling out at overhead Laniakea, first time in ‘real’ (for me anyway) Hawaiian waves. Very crowded. I felt like I was sitting inside… yet everyone else seemed to be futher in than me… I tried for a few and never caught one. Just terrified at the power, the crowd, and my own lack of ability.>>> I was just thinking about it. I mean I’ve never surfed the kind of > monsters that maybe some of the guys here have surfed, but have caught > some alright ones. But the one that scared the daylight out of me was in > Australia, last year, at Bondi, my bro lives there. It was maybe 4-5ft but > chunky, although fairly clean. I’d paddled out my 9’6 which was hard work, > and maybe I shouldn’t have bothered. However, after a little breather I > was straight into a couple, really fast waves you know, I was having fun. > But, after a short wait the next set came rolling in, but behind them a > really wierd kinda bump, and I thought sh*t. The whole line up paddled, > like crazy towards the on coming waves, and I could now see this rogue > rearing up towards us, and it was just huge, totally bigger than the waves > all afternoon. I made it up the first, and through the top of the second, > but the third was starting to break onto us. I tried to get some of the > board under, and through the wave but it got me, and even most of the > locals on their shortboards. The thing, just rolled me under water until I > thought the old lungs were gonna explode, before dumping me up onto the > beach, with a tonne of sand up the legs of my wettie!!>>> What about you guys?? and Girls??>>> Peaman
It was the winter of 1980-81 and I was at the south jetty in Oceanside Ca. There was a large winter swell that wasn’t breaking real clean. I decided to walk out and jump off the jetty instead of paddling out through it. When I reached the end of the jetty and prepared to jump off I was blasted off the jetty by a very LARGE wave. God was protecting this fool at this point because I was unhurt and my board didn’t even get dinged. I quickly paddled out into the line up to calm down and catch my breath. I was able to catch a couple of steep, fast and short rights before getting totally locked in and crushed by the biggest wave I caught that day. This wave was the first of a four wave set and after getting worked and bounced on the bottom by the first wave each following one worked me a little harder. by the time the last wave of the set was through with me I was sucking water and as close to total panic as I have ever been in my entire life. I know that if it had not been for my leash keeping me connected to my board that morning I would have drowned. I pulled my board to me, climbed on and paddled for all I was worth and rode the next white water to the beach on my belly. I layed on the beach coughing up water for about 30 minutes before I could walk back to the car. This episode taught a cocky 19 year old how unforgiving the ocean can be to stupidity. Ever since this happened surfing has been about fun and not about trying to impress other people and that lesson improved my surfing more than anything else I have ever done. Best wishes to everyone, Jon
I’m writing from here in the U.K. and I probably visit once a year on > average. I still havn’t surfed Rincon yet but dying to, maybe next visit. > I also saw the break by the harbour entrance working well from a distance > on one visit to S.B. Is this a very hazardous break to paddle out to. It > looks a lot of fun. The floods in Europe, they havn’t really come close to > hitting the U.K. but I guess Checheslovakia (ignore the spelling!) and > Germany were hit really badly, I think from unusually heavy prolonged > rainfall. Where do you surf in the UK???
…From Hill st. in SignalHill,Ca. on a clear day you can see all the > way to Disneyland.If that isn’t enough to scare you… the > intersection at the bottom will.Herb THAT’S SCARY SHIT. I’M STILL SHUTTERING…
Double overhead at a point called byberg about 1 year ago. I was scared > like shit, the waves was the steepest and fastests I’ve ever been out in. > Paddled out around the point 3 times (a good 20 minutes paddle) just to > get cought on the inside of rogue sets with no chance in hell to duckdive > the whitewater. Got washes up on the rocks every time. Went home like a > dog with tail between legs but was glad to live another day and with even > greater respect for mother ocean.>>> Havard 20+ years ago i moved up to the central coast of Ca.& ventured out to a certain reef and was introduced to power and what appeared to be a block wall the wave broke across.sunny,galssy,with what was solid 8’ waves.no big, i am use to surfing big, right points and reef breaks that are a fair distance from shore, but this was different.it was thick,plus the reefs I was use to were submerged, not in your face, so that was intimidating to say the least.the upside to that first go out was I was able to watch a pipe master (from the early/mid 70’s) rip the place, as well as pick up a few pointers about that spot.
which break . …if next time you are there, there are surfers, then perhaps it will go against your very past encounter . … I hope so. Thank you for the flood info, yes knew it had not hit UK, but looked devastating. I am sure it is like in the U.S. - a natural disaster in one place doesn’t hit all, but looks as if it can. Anyway take care, and safe trip here next.
Where do you surf in the UK??? I surf mostly in the South West on the North Devon and North Cornwall Atlantic coast. I used to and occasionally still surf the North sea coast around Yorkshire and Cleveland. It can get good but tends to be a bit more fickle. It also gets bloody cold!! There’s plenty of spots around the U.K. and my mother just moved to Pembrokeshire in South Wales so I’m sure I’ll be hitting the surf there soon. Are you in Southern California, and have you surfed in Europe at all?
I surf mostly in the South West on the North Devon and North Cornwall > Atlantic coast. I used to and occasionally still surf the North sea coast > around Yorkshire and Cleveland. It can get good but tends to be a bit more > fickle. It also gets bloody cold!! There’s plenty of spots around the U.K. > and my mother just moved to Pembrokeshire in South Wales so I’m sure I’ll > be hitting the surf there soon. Are you in Southern California, and have > you surfed in Europe at all? Hampo I wish I did live in California, but sadly I’m stuck in London for the time being. I surf down at Croyde and mainly Putsborough Check out www.surfsystem.co.uk (live zone,Devon&Cornwall then Woolacombe)I’m sure it will bring back a few memories eh? So, I spend my weekend doing 550 mile round trips just to get wet. I do two trips to Australia every year, and maybe in the next few montha a might try get into France, tp give that a whirl. I was actually up in Scarborough last weekend, there was a nice wave, but sadly my board was banned from the trip by the missus. Oh well. Oh and yeah it the sea looked black and freezing!!! Take it easy Peaman
I live in Milton Keynes and do similar sort of round trips but nowadays thanks to the internet it’s not nearly so hit and miss! Where in London are you? Do you have to negotiate much traffic before ‘breaking free’ onto the M4?
THAT’S SCARY SHIT. I’M STILL SHUTTERING… …Chris,SligBlade, I ate it on that hill twice in my life out of say a couple hundred runs.The worst was in the 1977 SignalHill Skateboard Speed races held annually on hill st.I snapped my kingpin on my front truck(that bolt that holds the trucks together)at the top of the hill.I had to bailout about mid hill,sliding and tumbling for about 100+yards.I was clocked @ 54mph at the point of impact.It would have beat the fastest stand-up time that day by 3.5 mph.No injuries occured,due to a good set of leathers.I still use leathers everytime I race.Herb