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.

Beautiful August Waves and a Birthday

A birthday weekend would only be perfect with all three of my favorite activities! So, I celebrated by surfing, running and cycling, which means that this weekend wasn't all that different from my other weekends. On Friday, I turned 50. It's a milestone birthday so I received a little extra recognition for it. My office mates surprised me with a cupcakes and goodies on Thursday, which meant I definitely needed the cycling, running and surfing to burn off all the extra calories. Surf dude sent an email early Friday saying there would be waves on Friday afternoon. They were a little inconsistent, but should be easy enough to catch. I stuck to my Friday ritual. I worked until noon, then drove home, loaded up the car and headed to the 43rd Street jetty. I'm so glad I did. Because it was my birthday and other activities I had scheduled, I only had a couple of hours to surf, but those two hours definitely were fantastic. Roxanne definitely made my time in the water a good time.

Waves were a little difficult to catch, but that didn't stop me from trying.  I caught several, and the dude B. caught twice as many, making it look easy to be a surfer. I watched and was amazed. I turned the board a couple of times, but only to the left when heading toward shore. Turning left is the natural way for a goofy-footer to turn. But because the waves in Galveston usually break left to right, I almost always turn the wrong direction. I still sometimes get long rides, but I think it might be better if the waves were breaking the other direction. I've attempted to ride the wave the other way, with my back to the wave and face to the shore, but that never lasts long. I'm not completely sure, but I think that would look funny also. Nevertheless, I had fun on Friday and had a few pretty little rides. I will definitely have to explore and practice the direction I go on the waves.

Dude Brian gave me the
coolest gift. An original
Glen Campbell album
for his hit "Galveston."

I was a little hesitant to make my usual trek to Galveston on Friday because of all the news during the past few weeks about Red tide, which was depriving the fish of oxygen and causing shorelines to be littered with the carcasses of hundreds of fish. The worst of the Red tide was occurring on the west end of Galveston and in Surfside, but my surf pal, Robin, said that she could see washed-up fish bones in the water near the 43rd St. jetty on Wednesday. By Friday, though, they must have already been washed back out in the ocean. I never saw anything. Of course, the water is quite brown in Galveston, especially when the wind is blowing out of the west like it had been, but I never felt any as I was stepping into the water either. Brian gave me a cartoon on top of my awesome birthday gift (see pic). He said he had printed it last year, but with the "Red tide" in the news lately he brought it out and gave it to me. It is a picture of two surfers and a guy on the beach says that if he were them, he wouldn't surf because of Red tide and a sewage spill.  One of the surfers says to the other: "Good thing he's not us!" And the other replies, "Good surf is good surf no matter what color it is." I'm not sure I agree, but I had checked some of the environmental sites and found out that the water was safe for humans.  I sure hope so! 

On Sunday, I had been planning to make it down to surf early. However, a 6:30 a.m. report from Brian and a quick glance at the 43rd St. webcam, indicated that it was flat in G-town. The tide was in, and, on top of everything else, it was raining. So, I went to the gym and spin class. After spin, though, (around noon) I took a quick glance of the webcam on my phone and couldn't believe what I saw. Tons of surfers were taking advantage of some waves that had developed. I called Brian who decided he would go down and take a look at the waves. He called back from the beach a few minutes later and confirmed that the waves were, in fact, pretty. He thought it might have to do with a tropical system in the most southern section of the Gulf. However, I'm not too sure it wasn't some sort of strange North wind, which is really odd in August in south Texas. It doesn't matter. I just pretended it was a special birthday gift to wrap up my birthday week. I loaded Roxanne, drove to 36th (43rd was too crowded), made my way out and surfed. The waves were incredible, and my surf session was marvelous. Happy birthday to me!