had rubbish surf (still better then good day at work)

[danny1]

thoguth this morning was gonna be perfect for my fav spot. Was so confident paddled out at 6.30 in near pitch black just to get me eye in. As sun rose realised the swell was wonky. Had a few good drops but that was it.

[Gunn67]

Saturday morning, couldn't eat my breakfast because I was so jangly about the five star, long period, 5-7ft forecast for the point. Got there to find it barely working, though it was such a nice morning I opted to make the long paddle out and see what happened. Sat bobbing around and freezing with nothing happening for a good half an hour.

Some walkers on the cliffs decided to sit and watch me, but soon lost interest and left, probably wondering what the hell I was doing. Sat deeper and deeper on the dropping tide, trying to get on the ripples rolling through, but then the inevitable happened and a hefty set arrived out of nowhere. Shat myself, as usual, made the drop on my belly, stood up in stages, failed to turn right and ended up riding the foam ball straight back towards the beach.

Saw a guy setting up with a camera on shore. Paddled back out, thinking it was all starting to work, and then sat another 30 mins with my teeth chattering and nothing happening. Set of the day then arrives and I miss every single fecking wave in it, being either too wide or too scared to commit fully. Guy with the camera packs up and leaves. It goes totally flat and I give it another 30 mins before paddling for shore. I'm almost there when, not paying attention, I'm hoovered up by a wall of whitewater rolling down from the point and fired into the shallows where a bunch of kids and their parents are playing. Usual "what's that man doing, mummy?"..."he looks like a seal", comments. I ignore them and stagger back to the car, unable to feel my frozen feet on the rocks, but counting the day's single shonky foam ball ride as a victory at sea.

[ATTMFKH]

^^ that should be a Stoke post

trying to swing a trip up to Orkney - we have some work getting done up there with Opus , now Fjord Processing on Flotta.

[Gunn67]

Give me a shout if you get up. Wave or a beer. Or both!

[Black]

Managed to position myself right under a hollow breaking bomb (will I never learn?) and as it hit I thought thats got to be a broken back - felt like it bent me double. Waiting for the pain... nothing... hmmm, start paddling out again still waiting for pain to kick in then complete wetsuit flush on the duckdive. Feel round the back and all I can feel is rash vest! A split/rip from one side to t'other. New suit required! Luckily it happened at the end of the session so didn't really miss anything.

[tootes]

thoguth this morning was gonna be perfect for my fav spot. Was so confident paddled out at 6.30 in near pitch black just to get me eye in. As sun rose realised the swell was wonky. Had a few good drops but that was it.

I was on the beach before it got light as well. Wind was howling from the wrong direction and it was slop. Should have got in on Friday really. Missed the whole of last weeks swell. Bumholes.

[ATTMFKH]

Streaky Bacon arseholes ................. just cos you watch it for an hour doesn't mean it's going to get any better....should've stayed in bed

[Black]

Forgot it was bank holiday weekend & went to Newquay, soooo busy - had to pay stupid money to park AND had a crap surf.

[Voyager]

meeehhh........Saunton today- 3 dark blue stars on magic seaweed, but the threat of 28 mph winds offshore....mehhhh... unfortunately they were right, if was horrible, actually it was yesterday as well, I was flying my 10'1" Blacker log like a kite most of the time, and then to top it off the water was utterly full of 'that' brown slimy....sh*te....meeehhhh.. Day was only rescued by fish and chips in Ilfracombe and double jaffa cake ice cream!

[rodent]

Paddled out on a spot I'd never surfed for the first time on Saturday

Was carried down the coast for about a km by the current and ended up on a cracking peak in the middle of nowhere with waves ranging for shoulder the well well overhead, 'twas one of the best surfs I've had in years but was kinda ruined but the board getting blown off the car by the wi d (do t ask....) and one of the hardest reef beds I've ever had to walk a cross that seemed to go in for ever

[ATTMFKH]

[quote="rodent"]

Was carried down the coast for about a km by the current and ended up on a cracking peak in the middle of nowhere with waves ranging for shoulder the well well overhead, quote]

Local knowledge

[rodent]

Weekend / offshore + pumping, with no one around for miles, I'll be back

[ATTMFKH]

Me & the Janitor drove miles on Saturday morning & never got wet - should have gone in at the 1st spot but by the time we got back the tide had killed it

[Chris F]

Never turn your back on a wave....

[Leven]

Never turn your back on a wave....

This. Done it numerous times, and always ended up wishing I'd got in at the first place I'd been....Also, set myself a New Year goal of if I drive somewhere for a surf, I've got to get in. It's led to some fun session, and some absolute hammerings....

[ATTMFKH]

Never turn your back on a wave....

This. Done it numerous times, and always ended up wishing I'd got in at the first place I'd been....Also, set myself a New Year goal of if I drive somewhere for a surf, I've got to get in. It's led to some fun session, and some absolute hammerings....

Fair enough but we know that usually if the place we checked 1st is working then further down the coast is usually better - it just wasn't getting through at the weekend though. Back to first spot and the Last SUPper, guy we know down there, was just getting out saying he'd caught a few but too much water now

[Nilaul]

Well today, had the wave forecast showing about 1.8m. Traveled all the way down to be greeted with a 0.3- 0.5m waves, turns out the swell was coming in from a different angle then expected so that lovely swell was practically non existent. However it was still surf-able and made a few friends; but dam that forecast was disappointing.

[roberdy]

Well today, had the wave forecast showing about 1.8m. Traveled all the way down to be greeted with a 0.3- 0.5m waves, turns out the swell was coming in from a different angle then expected so that lovely swell was practically non existent. However it was still surf-able and made a few friends; but dam that forecast was disappointing.

That forecast should not be seen as disappointing, that forecast should be seen as a learning experience, now you KNOW one of the directions that beach does not work on. Keep a note in a book, I have a log of many sessions in many places although I mostly keep it in my head these days. Make notes of optimum and bad wind directions, tidal states, moon phase and swell direction, then you will develop a better understand and it will become an innate skill.

[Chris F]

Well today, had the wave forecast showing about 1.8m. Traveled all the way down to be greeted with a 0.3- 0.5m waves, turns out the swell was coming in from a different angle then expected so that lovely swell was practically non existent. However it was still surf-able and made a few friends; but dam that forecast was disappointing.

All the way down from where to where? Based on your other post, I suspect 1.8m may have been a bit difficult for you to cope with?

[Leven]

Cross shore, lumpy, bumpy, troughs of deep water in front of the wave, closing out on an inside bank, and to top it off, I totally smashed my heel on the tail of my board getting a hammering. Hmmmm.

[Leven]

Absolute zoo today, full mainly of people who have no idea what they're doing in the water. Had a few ok ones, and a few of paddling in and going straight to avoid the 10 people with their eyes wide paddling straight at you. Session cut short when some clown ditched her board twice in the same wipeout, hitting me in the back first time and head the second. It's pretty hard to duckdive in an instant when a board is launched at you from close range. Her response? "Chill out mate. It's not like I did it on purpose....".

I now can't really move my back at all.....

[Philshoz]

Hope that mends soon Leven.(Arnica should help) Half term is crazy here also. I hope you blasted her after a response like that.

I thought you had gone off on a mission last week up North somewhere? Was I mistaken?

[Leven]

Hope that mends soon Leven.(Arnica should help) Half term is crazy here also. I hope you blasted her after a response like that.

I thought you had gone off on a mission last week up North somewhere? Was I mistaken?

Yeah, I made it clear that if you're in a busy line up you should be able to control your board. And if you can't, you should go somewhere quieter!

I did have a Northern mission, scored some fun waves! Relatively warm for the time of year too.

[Black]

Wouldn't want too many more days surfing like today added to the remainder of my life - things can only get better!

[Leven]

Surgical lunchtime strike today. Limited time, and it was small, fat, weak, gutless, and full of minimals. Hmmmm.

[Kookie]

Took a board to the face in the duck dive today. Nearly knocked me out. Have to wonder what if it had?

I don't know how this can happen.
I'm not really a kook any more.

It seems the better I get the less scrapes I get in but the worse the injuries when they do happen. The last one was riding into a closeout and somehow almost dislocated my shoulder so now I can't do an overhead press on that side and properly.

I think it might have been one of those double waves with the back one coming at a different angle... That combined with having just switched to a warmer wetsuit with a lot more buoyancy.


Lesson: observe the wave carefully, see if it's a double

[JayP]

Those doubles eh?

I had a mare today in epic waves. Made all the wrong decisions and ended up in 5 hours of paddling catching a grand total of 2 waves. 2. In 5 hours. Of non stop paddling. 5 hours. Non stop.

[JayP]

( Apart from the 2 hour break for breakfast ).

[Black]

Those doubles eh?

I had a mare today in epic waves. Made all the wrong decisions and ended up in 5 hours of paddling catching a grand total of 2 waves. 2. In 5 hours. Of non stop paddling. 5 hours. Non stop.

Eventually you get so old you can only do an hour - but you still get two waves, so it ends up epic!
You still paddle non-stop though.

[ATTMFKH]

fucking wind