Hurricane Waves, Three-Day Weekends

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!

Natural Neti Pot

Many years ago, my mother swore by a Neti pot. A neti pot is an old fashioned way of cleaning sinuses. My mother had one that was plastic, but the original Neti pots were clay I believe. When I did some investigations online, I found this definition on a Group Health Initiative Blog:  "Of eastern origin, the neti pot was originally introduced to the western world about 30 years ago. Rooted in hatha yoga practices, usage of the neti pot is considered a yogic body cleansing technique. However, originally neti (sutra neti, to be exact) employed the use of waxed cotton thread to 'floss' the nasal passages." Basically, you fill the Neti pot with a saline solution and then pour the solution in one nasal passage and it exits through the other, fully cleansing the sinuses. What in the world does this have to do with surfing you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. Today, at least three times, I received a Neti cleansing without the use of the pot when I pearled during my surf session.

I didn't surf Friday because my reports indicated that the water was just too rough for surfing. Waves were small and messy, and certainly not worth a drive down after work. I was really wanting to surf too! It seems that I had been reading about pretty waves earlier in the week and, frankly, I was dying to get down to G-town and play. I contemplated going down on Saturday after my bike ride, but weather forecasts were "iffy." As it turns out, waves were pretty clean early in the morning, but by Saturday afternoon, were a mess again. Rain came in spurts. However, the showers were light and didn't include lightening, so many people went out to surf. Forecasts suggested that the wind would die down a little by Sunday, and they did.

This morning, I loaded up Roxanne and headed down. I made it to the island about 8:20 a.m., and into the water by 8:45. It wasn't as windy as the Saturday, but the waves were still very choppy and the current was strong. I paddled out in the rip current near the 43rd St. jetty, but it didn't take long before I was pulled down the beach. In a way, I was glad I had the help of the current since the waves I wanted to surf were midway between the 41st and 43rd St. jetties. (Since I'm a goofy-footer, I tend to take waves left, which takes me to the jetty. So, I like to start a little to the side of the jetty, so I can surf the wave as far as I can before hitting the jetty. Apparently, many goofy-footers like me tend to sit to the right of most surfers.) I struggled at first, but eventually caught a nice wave and rode it a long way in. The waves were very inconsistent and hard to read. I pearled a few times and had several "Neti" falls where the water "cleansed" my sinuses.  I popped up from under the water coughing, but I eventually cleared my sinuses and realized the salt water had actually helped me breathe easier. Ha! I hate that I pearled, but, sometimes, I need to be reminded how much I still have to learn. I had some good rides and turned consistently. I even managed to walk on the board to make sure that I got the most out of the wave. Several people on short boards were tearing it up in the waves, and they made it look so easy. I saw others pearl and miss waves and can only guess that the irregularity of the waves made them hard for everyone to read.

This week, a hurricane (Hurricane Isaac) is forecasted to hit somewhere along the upper Gulf Coast. Surfers are chatting about this on the Internet since the storm will cause unseasonable North winds in Galveston and make the waves a little bigger and the sets cleaner on Monday, Tuesday and, possibly, Wednesday. I think I will be paying a visit to the island this week after work!  Hmmm...I'm a little anxious and excited about this.