Really Cold, Really Fast

Sunday selfie

Cold weather is here…already. It seems like we went from warm to cold in no time this year. The only good thing is that the leaves are changing and the beauty of fall surrounds me. I witnessed a pretty scene last Friday during my usual bicycling commute to work and my weekly visit to a wetland area near my work. Pretty orange and gold leaves surrounded the damp wooden walkway, and it made me feel at peace. I'm particularly glad that I've been able to bicycle to work and for recreation. I've also been able to run. But, when it comes to surfing, I've not gotten to surf as much as I'd like. As I've mentioned before, timing is everything for surfing in the fall. The cold fronts move in and if the swell has already been built, then the north wind cleans up the waves. And, as I've also mentioned, I have to be near the water when the waves clean up because they are not going to last long. I rarely get there fast enough, which means I don't get the clean waves very often.

The past couple of weeks, cold front after cold front has crossed the coast. I've missed them all so far this year. Work is unusually busy and full this year, and the fronts always come through on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. And, with the days growing shorter, I can't make it down after work because it gets dark too early. But I still have the weekends. I had some bad news concerning my usual Friday afternoon surf sessions. Beginning in 2015, I won't be able to get off early on Fridays anymore. My 9-40 schedule has been replaced with five 8s. Oh well, it was good while it lasted. Until then, I hope to get some Friday afternoon surfing in. This past Friday, though, the wind and the rain made it impossible to surf.

By Sunday, the wind had kicked up some surf. It was a messy, windy, cold day, but I knew I had to go surfing. My surfing pals gave me mixed reviews about the waves. A couple of surfers said it wasn't worth going out, while others said that if you have a board and time, to always, always go surfing. That's what I did Sunday. When I made it to the 43rd Street jetty, no one else was out. A couple of people were out at the Pleasure Pier, but I decided to just stay where I was. I paddled through the windy chop and made it past the end of the jetty. Missed the first few waves, even got pummeled by one, but by the fourth one, I was able to pop up and have some fun. The rest of my surf time was hit or miss. I missed more than I caught, but the ones I caught made it all worthwhile. All of the waves I caught were whitewater, probably because being on the outside Sunday meant paddling way out, which was nearly impossible in all the windy chop. By the time I left, several other surfers were catching waves…all on the inside. I also had to wear my 5-4 wetsuit. I haven't had to wear my 5-4 this early since I started surfing. Most of the time, I don't usually wear the thick suit until January. I'm usually just barely getting in my 3-2 about now. Unfortunately, I think I'll be in the 5-4 until spring. But, at least I can surf. And, that's all that matters.