Morroco…89…my first proper stand up barrel… in and out…witnessed by friends!..still etched on my retina
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I kind of thought of this thread as an excuse to talk about my best wave ever…Rincon, about four years ago. A big swell, 4-6 feet (6-10 foot faces). Crowded (oh really, you ask?). I was getting a few by moving inside. A big set comes. I’m scrambling for the shoulder. Someone on it, seriously charging from second (third?) point. Another one, still scrambling for the shoulder. A long boarder in early. A third one, no one on it, but I’m too late. I barely make it over the shoulder. One more, even bigger and shifting way out into the channel. It starts to break. Again I’m too late but this one’s kind of mushing so I turn to go. I get swallowed by the whitewash. Next thing I know I fly out onto the shouder belly boarding. Not exactly elegant, but hey I’m on it. The rest of the wave is double overhead and I’m just climbing and dropping, like a roller coaster, nothing fancy (no way I’m going to try to bust a big move and blow this waves). Everybody inside is just scrambling, trying to make it over and no one is even close to being in position to drop in. I make it all the way through.
When I get to the beach I ask my wife, who sitting there with a camera taking pictures, if she got me on that last wave. “Was that you?”
When we get the roll developed I find she was taking pictures of birds.
One of my best sessions ever was at Rincon. Indicators 2-3ft overhead and theres only me my buddy and one other guy on it for at least 2 hours…that was better than sex.
mine has to be from last march in eleuthera, waves where easily 10 to 12 and a really nice off shore breeze was hollowing them out and giving us 200+ yards of aquamarine perfection. and there where only like 8 guys out there to, so getting your own wave was really easy.
A clean up set rolled through and i let everyone else go on that series of waves becasue i took a pretty good fall when i didnt make it out of the barrel the ride before. when the next set started to roll through the wave was easily double over head maybe a little more. i had perfect position, stood up nice bottom turn a few off the tops and then set up for the really hollow inside section. i was in so deep and was still standing up. something pretty difficult when you are 6’4. i made it out and all my buddies saw it as they where paddling back out.
i got a lot of other good waves that day too, but that was the first real good barrel i ever got so it really sticks out in my mind.
Yeah, J T,
Soooooooo many unreal sessions over the years! Its also easier for me to remember whole sessions than just one wave. I remember 2 days of epic Puena Pt back in the mid 80’s. Way outside the rock island and just flawless ruler edged walls absolutely roping! I remember having a 7’0 Rawson pintail that was very stiff but it rode in the tube like heaven. The sets would start breaking slow motion at the indicator way outside Police Beach then it would be these perfect glass, solid 8’ Hawaiian walls. (Or 2’ our scale…Haha!) I never surfed waves so perfect before or since. The rides were sooooo long and very fast down the line with powerful spitting barrels all the way.
I also surfed some of our secret spots just unbelievable also but I’ll just leave it at that.
CN,
I’m with you on this one. I tend to remember sessions more than the single wave. After a while it’s hard to remember the best wave. Every winter I swear that I just had the best session ever at Rincon and Little Rincon, and Pipe and Shores and Hueneme and El Porto and P.V. and…
One of the most memorable sessions for me was 4 years ago October, in Kauai. My wife and I paddled out at Pakala’s (Infinities). It was head high and absolutely perfect shape. Only about six people out and plenty of waves for everyone. We’re both goofyfoot and were in heaven for about three hours straight. We couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. There was barely any wind and the shape couldn’t have been any better. The only flaw was this one grumpy local girl that made it a point to snake my wife whenever possible. Couldn’t figure it out, everyone else was really friendly. It didn’t matter though because we were having such a good time.
My best wave happened tomorrow.
No matter when you ask.
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One of the most memorable sessions for me was 4 years ago October, in Kauai. My wife and I paddled out at Pakala’s (Infinities).
Oh yeah… Many classic sessions out there… True story from early this summer. Before I started shaping my own I was trying out a new Tommy Tanaka 9’2" in head high Pakala’s and was driving down the line. A few people were paddling back out in my way so I went high then tried to do a cutback before I got to the little group paddling out. I kooked out, dug a rail on the new board and it went straight into one of the main bruddahs who surfs there ALL THE TIME. Hit him square in the leg. I knew I hit him but didn’t know where. I felt so bad I told him these exact words… “Brah, I’m so sorry! But you gonna feel better if you give me a crack so go ahead, give me one good crack!” I felt so bad I was begging him to whack me a good one. He said, “Brah, no worry! I not like that!” I finally gave up trying to let him have a free punch then we paddled back out. I was telling one of my Kauai friends the story then noticed the guy going in. I chased him down and caught up to him while he was limping down the beach. I offered to buy him lunch or whatever! I felt so bad!!! He was SO COOL ABOUT the whole thing! Now everytime we see each other we laugh! I always tell him, “No worry, if I’m gonna run anybody over it won’t be you!” I got insane waves at Pakala’s but I remember that the most! Haha!
San Miguel, Baja maybe 1974?. Big SW most waves making it across in front of jetty. Got one easy 3X OH room to stand straight and put arms out and stay dry. Long time looking out the end of the cannon barrel. Then the end fills w/ gnarly black jetty rocks. OHMYGOODNESSGRACIOUSHALP!!! Bailed off the back and got several cycles up and over. Ended up chest deep in the rocks. No dings, no cuts, no bruises. Someone was lookin’ out for me big time. Epic rock climb-paddle race to get free.
two actually: my first one and my last one.(even though it was only a two footer)
Soo many ‘best’ waves!!!
Most recently it would be a wide set at Angourie Point on my 6’1" single fin. Taking of into the big face gliding over and around the bowls and feeling that anga’s power.
There all fun!!!
Usually my last one.
last South we had (it’s always the LAST good one ya’ had, huh?) no name secret spot… left reef…10 yards from the takeoff the rocks start to show as the water sucks off the reef. EZ get in then the bottom 2/3 goes vert. Straight down to a crank the backside bottom turn, rocket up, tuck and hang on, dig the toes in grab the outside rail while it’s all over and on me to the inside and over the top out. Got two the exact same during a long lunch break session.
byron bay,1999, perfect glassy wall that just went on and on and as I came in my wife went into labour and give birth to a beautiful little girl four hours later, I’ll never forget that wave!
Well I have 2. I am 36 years old, it was about when I was 19 or 20. Big storm coming in the night before, rain, wind the whole nine yards. Got up the next morning at 3:00 a.m. Drove up to Rincon with a friend of mine in his V.W. bus, barley made it up the hills from Orange County on the 101. Got there, and it was 6 to 8 with bigger sets. But it was stormy, you know those dark days where the sky is purple. So we walk down in the rain to check it out. Nobody out. We mull it over for a while and decide to paddle out, by then there are about 10 guys out. The wind dies a little bit, then just stops. The sun comes and goes, but it is sheet glass. Surfing Rincon, good, with just a handful of guys out. Holy shi*, it is a dream come true. While we are surfing, I look over my shoulder, and out there is Chris Brown, Shawn Thompson, Kim Merrig. What a day, surfing perfect Rincon not crowded with these rippers. As I am paddling back out from one of my seems like 500 waves, there is this guy ripping the crap out of this wave. His style is like Tom Currens, back then everybody (including myself) was trying to imitate his style. I thought nothing of it, till he bottom turns in front of me and on his board has O.P., Rip Curl, Al Merrick on it. Holy shi*, on top of it all, now, the one and only, the man, Tom Curren is out here. And it is still not crowded. I surfed for 5 hours straight. And to top it off, while I am out there, sitting, I am having conversations with Tom Curren. He was so cool, answering questions that I was asking, giving me pointers, letting me check his board out. When it was all over, I am at the car, changing and eating a sandwich, he comes over to me says bye, and shakes my hand. Now that is a day I will never forget.
The second one was from last November in Hawaii. I have a friend that lives over there, we go over there every November (not this year, recovering from a 3rd back surgery). Anyway, me and my friend go check out Wiamea Bay, just to go bodywomp. As we are looking at it, Pinballs is actually looking fun. So we go home grap our boards, and go out. Surfing out there with about 10 guys, just doing big long drawn out turns. Not to big in size just a lot of fun. After about 2 hours we go in put our boards on the beach and bodywomp for another 3 hours. The water, as usualy is just clear as can be. The shorebreak was so fun, big open barrels, with the most beautiful water color (till the waves churned it around). You know the days I am talking about, when you can not get enough, and every barrel you are in you just open your eyes and wish it never ended. And when it did end you had the biggest grin, from ear to ear. The kind of day when you and your buddy go towards eachother in the barrel, just laughing your asses off. That was a day that made me feel like a kid again, no wife, no kids, just me and my friend acting stupid. Well there are my two stories, hope you enjoyed, I did.
Best waves ever? What a hard question…
Either as a little grom (maybe 11 y.o) watching surf vids with my mates all night with no sleep at all to be the first out at Kirra before the sun… The waves were OK but just getting out there first in those days was a claim.
OR
A local beachbreak/rock formation a few years back. Perfect (I mean perfect) 3-5 feet over head to much over head barrels with 10 guys out max and no sweep (that’s amazing in itself around here) and my best mate snaps his board in the pit standing up straight with his hands over his head after pulling in for the 100th time. He goes in and watches on the beach. In 30 minutes he counts me get around 16 made barrels, he then leaves as he cant stand it anymore. 2 hours later after being there for 2 already I get out, we drive to get his other board then go straight back out. It’s even better as the swell is pulsing now. Surf until almost dark and watch the most amazing sunset of all time just standing on the beach… GLOWING and screaming at the top of my lungs. THANKYOU!!!
The next day it was 6-8 feet and a mess. I could hardly raise my arms let alone want to try. Everytime we have a beer this day still comes up in convo. It will for ever I reckon. 'You remember that day at $#@%^&*"
On the way up to Noosa Heads on the aussie east coast i had a brief stop in at THE SUPERBANK. It was just before the Quiksilver Pro started, so there were literally the worlds best surfers out. It was 2-3ft and clean and an extremely low tide, which means long,fast and sucky tubular walls.
The board of choce was a 5’10 single fin KEYO egg, as i thought i may have the 'that boards cool, ill let him have a wave and see what it/he surfs like" act. After a hectic 30 minutes trying to position and maintain priority, there was eventually a set of 6 waves, which meant pretty much every surfer either caught it or got caught inside, exept for me who had the luxury of choosing which of the approaching 2 wally 3footers i would stroke into. The 2nd was my choice, and this lead me to a well and truly memorable several few barrels, and cutbacks and high lines, all for 300 metres down the point.