April Showers Bring May Waves???

Rain and a busy schedule has kept me from surfing, and I'm really starting to miss being in the water. Thought this weekend and last weekend would give me at least one successful surf day, but I was wrong. With Easter and several other activities last weekend, I probably wouldn't have had time anyway, but this weekend, I had time to go down on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon or even this morning. I kept my eye on the webcam. Friday, during the day, several surfers went out and had a great time. I watched them on the webcam, but I couldn't leave work until 4 and, by then, the waves were gone and the rain was beginning. I was bummed that I missed it, but thought that after my run on Saturday, I would certainly be able to get in some surfing. By Saturday, the waves were still gone. It was very windy, so the water was rough, but no waves were forming.

I then thought that perhaps I would get a chance to surf on Sunday, but, again, waves were a mess. But….jump ahead to next weekend.

New post -- April 23

I started this post two weeks ago when finding waves was impossible. However, last weekend was a different story. I decided to take a weekend trip to Galveston. I registered for a half marathon that would start in downtown and then take runners to the Seawall before landing them back downtown. I ran the Diva Half Marathon last year, and because the run ended with the death of another runner, I knew that I needed to run it again just so that my last memory of it wouldn't be of a young girl dropping dead. I took last Friday off from work and made it to the island early on Friday morning to get in some surfing. Waves were disorganized, but at least there were waves. I went out on the east side of 43rd and caught a few. However, I kept feeling like it was carrying me close to the jetty because of the wave direction, which was definitely pushing west. I changed sides and went out on the west side, and even caught a few there. I missed several also just because of my inability to accurately read the wave. I was chilly when I arrived so I wore my 3-2. Since air temps were a little cool, I knew that with water temps in the 70s, I would be cold. I'm glad I wore it. Had a blast. I still need to work on my turning though. I always seem to ride toward shore. I might ride the wave at a little bit of an angle, but I always end up close to shore as if I'm just riding it straight in. I know I'm getting better, but I still have a long way to go.

Since I was staying in Galveston, I couldn't resist going out again on Saturday. I knew that I wouldn't have a chance to surf after my run on Sunday, so I decided to ride my bike down the beach to see where the best waves were. As it turns out, the best waves looked like they were across the street from the hotel at 51st Street jetty. I had never surfed there, but quite a few surfers were already out there. By the time, I changed into my suit and my shorty (my 3-2 was still wet) and headed out. I thought I would be cold, but I wasn't. Well, I was cool right at first, but I warmed up in no time. The waves had subsided quite a bit, but I still had fun. It felt good to be out two days in a row. I'm not sure that surfing two days in a row helped my run the next day, but I sure had fun. It was a great weekend.

Another new post…April 26

Now, jump ahead again, to this weekend. This morning (Sunday) I heard there were waves. I didn't believe it. The webcam didn't show very many waves. It looked flat to me despite a text from a Gtown friend who said he was going out. I had a crazy day planned, but I decided to head down and, just in case, I opted to take my SUP instead. Once I arrived there, though, I was wishing I had one of my other boards. The waves were, in fact, nice little peelers. A ton of people were out. I was glad I was there. And, I definitely needed the SUP practice. I'm thinking about talking lessons. I struggle surfing waves on it. I can catch them, but I don't get into the surfing stance fast enough. I feel a couple of times just because it was rougher than it usually is when I'm on my SUP. I saw an old friend who was in town, so even though I missed the surfing, it was still a great morning.

(Sorry to anyone who might be reading this confusing post. I need to get back into a regular pattern of posting. I need to stop letting life get int the way.)

Spring Excellence…Well Kind Of

Waves were a little mushy,
 but still surfable. It felt good
to be out surfing again.

Three weeks have flown by since I've been surfing. Rain, no wind, no waves and cold have been keeping me and everyone else who wanted to surf away from the beach. I've missed it. I've stayed busy  with my other sports. I've continued to run and cycle, and when that wasn't possible, I attended spin class. I definitely kept active, but was dreaming about being back out in the water. The forecast for this weekend did not look promising on Surfline early last week, but, by Friday, Sunday looked like it would be the best day of the two. I was beyond happy. I wanted to surf.

Sure enough, when Sunday arrived, I looked at the webcam and could see some ripples. Surf reports indicated that it was, in fact, surfable on a longboard. I couldn't wait to get out. I had some early morning conflicts so I couldn't make it down to the island until later…until mid-morning, around 11 a.m. I drove to 43rd, but it looked crowded already by the time I got there. So, I kept driving. I made it to 37th Street jetty, and, while the surf didn't look quite as big/strong, there was only one other person out in that spot. I was sure it was the best place for me.

I went out on the east side of the jetty because of the direction of the wind. However, I didn't feel like the rip current was very helpful getting out. It was better just to watch the sets and choose the right time to get out. I paddled out to the end of the jetty and was quickly swept toward the west by the current. The waves were mushy and not very powerful, but everyone once in awhile, the right wave would pick me up and I was able to surf it. I felt wonderful out in the water. And, the air was warm and the water was warmer than it had been. For the first time this season, I was able to wear my 3-2 again rather than my 5-4. That's always a good thing. I can move better. Surf has been "okay" so far since Sunday. I'm hoping I can make it out this weekend, but I'm not sure I will have the time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I want to get back in the pattern of surfing twice or three times a week. And, when there are waves, I need make the most of it. Happy Easter!

Wind, Waves and Wintry Weather

Once upon a time, a gal wanted to strengthen her surf skills so she decided to pick a couple of days week to chase waves. However, because of the beach she was forced to choose, she didn't get to hone her skills the way she had hoped. Oh well! The past few weekends have been flat. The waves have

I was forced to wear a 5-4 wetsuit. Brrr...

only made an appearance at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays when I'm at work. But this weekend was a little different. A strong south wind had sprung up by the end of last week and by Saturday, it had kicked up quite a bit of action. Surf forecasters had said that by Saturday afternoon, the waves would be head high. Several of my surf friends on Facebook were excitedly anticipating the waves and posting their surf plans. I decided I would need to wait until Sunday because of conflicting Saturday plans. And the forecast for Sunday was going to be about the same.

I was in the water by 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Several surfers were already out, and I stood on the seawall a few minutes to see how I would go out. The waves were crazy. They looked big, but soft. I was just trying to figure out how to get out past the rough waves to the outside. And, that would be my biggest dilemma for the day. I took the rip current out the first couple of times and had no trouble, but after about 45 minutes, the waves got even rougher. The rip current even got a little rough. The tide and the wind kept pushing me into the jetty, which I hate because the barnacles and rocks cut my hands and feet. I was tired before I made it all the way out. I decided to just stay on the inside to catch re-forms or white water, which included some fun waves. However, I am a little disappointed that I couldn't make it out, and I'm angry with myself for giving up. I should have kept trying to get to the outside, forcing myself to swim past/through the waves. On hindsight, I'm worried that I gave up too soon. Although, the air temp was in the low 70s, the water rep was still quite cold. Because of that, I was forced to wear my 5-4 wetsuit, which also seems to make it more difficult to paddle because it constricts my movement a little. Can't wait until it gets warm enough to either wear a 3-2 or not even need a wetsuit. I'm definitely ready for spring/summer.

Surf reports for this weekend show another weekend of waves, with 5+ foot waves forecasted. Not sure if the report will hold, but I think there will be some sort of wave action. Right now it is FLAT, but a slight wind shift is all that is needed for the waves to be generated. I'll just have to wait and see how big the waves get.