Big n Bumpy

Some days it isn't about surfing so much as getting wet!  Today, the surf boats are loaded on the truck, and we are going on the search. We are hoping to find some green faces but know that good surf is going to be elusive so we throw the whitewater boats in the truck too.

It is a big day.  We scout a couple of breaks.  Some are big and beautiful and a bit out of my league while others are barely breaking.  We don't have the time to wait for the tide to change.  It is sunny and 70 degrees, and we are jonesing to get wet.  We head to a surf spot where we know we will find a mellow paddle out and waves of all sizes and shapes.  This is a spot we commonly refer to Chase- A Peak Bay because it changes so fast and the peaks are often elusive.  We know that today the likelihood of finding a clean green face is slim, but the likelihood of finding lots of bouncy, bumpy fun water is good.

We grab our whitewater kayaks and paddle out.  It is HUGE!  Waves are exploding into the headlands. It is exhilarating just to be out there on the edge of so much power and energy.

The swell is quite powerful - 8-10 feet at 20 seconds.  Needless to say, we decide to stay on the inside in our little boats.

It is quite fun.  We are catching waves on the inside that are bouncy and bumpy.  They sometimes let us get a long ride and other times just die out.  Even though the tide is coming in, we have to work to maintain position and stay inside as the longer period swell tries to suck us out into the big stuff.

The swell was so powerful that waves were rebounding off of shore.  We could catch these and surf back into the incoming waves.  My favorite wave of the day was when I was surfing toward shore and hit one of the rebounding waves straight on giving me a whoop-dee-doo on my ride.

Is this surfing?  Doesn't really matter.  It sure is fun.

Share this post