Hurricane Isaac waves had been forecasted this past week! Local surfers, including me, were anxiously awaiting them. Last Monday morning the north winds started blowing a little, and before you knew it, sets were clean. However, the forecasted swell never really occurred. The high pressure over us kept the waves from building. That doesn't mean there wasn't anything to surf though. Surfers were out on Monday, and one of the surfers that hangs out at 43rd said that he surfed for five hours straight. I had an after-work commitment that night, so I knew that all of my "Isaac" surfing would have to be done on Tuesday afternoon/evening. I kept my fingers crossed that there would still be waves and, fortunately, I found that there were. By looking at the webcam, I could see that the 43rd Street jetty and the 25th Street Pleasure Pier/Flagship had an overabundance of surfers. Surfers Bob P. and Brian thought we should go to 36th Street, and that was a good call. We found only a couple of other surfers at that spot, which made the evening much more pleasant. And, even though I don't have the rip current to pull me out like I do when I'm at 43rd, I like it there because it seems much more "open." (I'm sure this feeling of openness has something to do with me being goofy-footed and crazy idea I have that, as a goofy-footer, I need open space to the left of me -- a space that I don't usually get when I have a jetty with which to contend.) I surfed until the sun started going down (about 2 to 2 1/2 hours) and had a ball. I love it when I can read the waves and, when I pop up, have the room to maneuver any way I see fit. What a great night!
By Friday, the regular choppy mess was back, as was the wind. The wind messed up the waves in a bad way. I was very disappointed. For the first time in a long time, I was going to be working in the afternoon and evening, which meant I was going to have the morning free. I very seldom have an opportunity to go surfing early in the morning during the week, so I was really looking forward to it. Oh well! My surf report was bad, so I just stayed home. Saturday morning's surf report wasn't any better, but by Saturday afternoon, the waves were nice. Unfortunately, I already had plans. Even if I hadn't though, I probably wouldn't have gone simply because of the Labor Day weekend crowds. My plan was to get up bright and early and head to Galveston on Sunday and hope for the best.
That's exactly what I did. I was on the island by 7:15 a.m., which allowed me to have prime parking and get out in the water with fewer surfers. Two were in the water when Dude Brian showed up and he and I paddled out. The WSW winds made the waves a mess! And, just about every time I made it to the end of the jetty, I was pushed halfway down the beach. I got pummeled by waves a couple of times...one time so hard that my eye even hurt as if I had been punched. However, I caught more than I missed. I had to paddle a lot to stay in a surf-able spot. Dude Brian went way to the outside, while I stayed just to the end of the jetty, which meant I was outside, but not quite as far as Brian. He eventually went in and others replaced him. After about three hours, it was quite crowded. My surfing friend Bob H. made it out. (I met him on the beach a couple of years and see him while surfing from time to time.) He is an outstanding surfer and fun to watch. He and a couple of the other guys made it look easy. And, even though I caught some waves, I still wish I could have caught them as often and as easily as they did. Since tomorrow is a holiday, I could go surfing again. However, the forecast suggests more southwest winds. I worked so hard paddling today, though, that if the winds are as bad as they say they might be, I will probably take it easy on the arm exercises and, instead, give my legs the workout by participating in one of my other favorite sports -- cycling. I love three-day weekends!
