Squeezing In Surf Time

Beautiful blue skies, clear aqua water and clean waves make my heart smile. If I squint real hard, I have that every time I get to go surfing. Of course, in reality, I might have the blue skies, but the clear water and clean waves can be hard to come by. I take what I can get though. As I've moaned before, the good waves rarely appear on the weekend, which means I have to take what I can get. Last week, I made the trek down to Gtown after work on a Monday evening, because I could see a little surf on the webcam. It was rough and quite a few people were already out, so instead of surfing at 43rd as I usually do, I went out at 36th. I surfed for about two hours until it was almost too dark to see. It was a great way to end the day. 

SUPing is fun when I can't surf.

By the time the next weekend rolled around, surf had disappeared…at least on Friday. Saturday kicked up very rough, but un-surfable waves so a running friend and I decided to go paddle boarding. She had always wanted to do it, and I knew I wanted to get wet. So, I contacted surf Dude (aka Brian) and discussed either renting a couple of his SUPs or asking him to give us an SUP lesson. He was more than happy to do it and took us out to 99th street -- the bay behind the golf course. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we had a great time. Neither of us fell, and because the water was so calm in the bay, we didn't struggle to get up or find our place in the water as I had the previous times I had SUP'ed in the wavy Gulf. We floated through the water, laughed and paddled into some of the canals. Later I learned that gators hide out in the marshy area, which was a little alarming and may stop me from heading back to that area again. My friend said she was more frightened of snakes, which also had never crossed my mind. Fortunately, we made it out of the bay unscathed by the experience. But, although I will SUP again, I will definitely have to think twice before going out at 99th. 

This weekend, I made my first surf trip to Surfside. Many Houston surfers believe that Surfside is THE surf spot. On Friday, I loaded up and headed down. Waves were rough and the current was strong that day in Galveston, and the conditions were no different in Surfside. It's a new surf break for me, so I wasn't sure where or how to get to the outside. I saw three surfers outside, but most were just playing on the inside whitewater. I opted for the second choice since it was my first trip. I had a rough time even doing that. I don't know the beach, so I wasn't quite sure where to line up. Because the current was so strong, I got pushed quite a ways down the beach right from the start. I caught a small wave in and walked back down to my original spot. Basically, I fought the current the whole time…and watched the guys on the outside. I only stayed a little over an hour, but I plan to go back. I'm hoping to connect with some gals from Chica Brava, whom I've never met, but seem pretty cool through email and social media. 

Yesterday (Sunday), I surfed at my "home break." Again, the current was strong and the wind was

ridiculous, but I just had to get wet. I took the rip out and caught the first wave coming my way. It reminded me why I love to surf. I rode the wave forever, and even though my subsequent "rides" were weak and pretty awful, that one ride rejuvenated my soul. I can't wait to surf again!

Possible new surf venues and some new pics

A Mardi Gras crowd and strong, north winds made this weekend a flop for G-town surf. Although it looked on the surf reports that it might be a good weekend for waves, it didn't really develop until today (Sunday). My "live" surf report from surf dude differed slightly from what I saw on the webcam. He suggested that there might have been small but surfable waves on Saturday, but I only saw small ripples on the cam. I could see some waves starting to build, but nothing worth getting wet for, especially when it requires a 5-4 wetsuit and at least 15 minutes of bone-tingling cold when stepping out of the wetsuit. I really hate getting out of a wetsuit when the air temps are below 45 degrees. It's just not fun. I'm not sure how the California surfers can accept having to wear wetsuits all year. Granted, they don't have to get out of them in cold air temps, but the hassle of having to wear them all the time must get tiring. But, then again, they have good waves all year. They rarely have to sit out a weekend because it is flat.

Surfside exploration drive

Since Mardi Gras festivities are in full swing this weekend and the next, larger than usual crowds are parked all over. Campers and RVs line the seawall. Surf dude said campers had grills out and picnic tables set up for their dining purposes. I remember seeing that during Mardi Gras the last couple of years. It makes parking at the 43rd street pier more difficult. However, both years I was able to park on the other side of the street, with the only difficult part being carrying the board across a very busy Seawall Boulevard. I have managed it though, and I am pretty sure I can manage it again this year. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that next weekend we have some waves. I just looked at the Surfline report and it's not looking good, with a norther scheduled to cross the coast late on Thursday and still blowing through strong on Friday. Next Sunday's report hasn't been posted yet.

A bathing suit from Buc-ee's?

Today, I decided to investigate a possible alternate local surf spot. Most of the surfers in this area have at one time or another surfed at Surfside near Freeport (see photo above). It's been ages since I've been down there and I've never surfed it, but I wanted to check it out and thought a Sunday afternoon would be the perfect time to do just that.(Funny note: The Buc-ee's convenient store near Surfside was having a bathing suit sale, which tickled me. I can't imagine telling someone I got my suit at Buc-ee's.) I timed the drive out and it took approximately an hour and ten minutes. It usually only takes about 30 minutes, or less than half of the time of today's drive, to get to the 43rd Street jetty. However, I think it would be fun to try Surfside and to possibly include it as a surf destination at least once or twice a month. I texted with my surf pal A., and she said that she would be willing to try it out with me. Who knows? Maybe next weekend, if there are waves, I will include a surf excursion in my surfing schedule.