SW WIND 20 KT INCREASING TO 25 TO 35 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 9 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 11 SECONDS.
Stinkin' wysiwyg won't let me post a pic, so I'll paint a sad little picture...
Headed to the coast today. Had some work to take care of. Got done about noon. Headed down to a break I trust. Nobody out. Some 'lil peelers a'peelin. Contemplation. OK, it's a go. Open the back of the wagon. BRRINNNGGGG! Hello? You need what? When? Now? OK, I'm on my way.
No surf. Just a 2 hour drive to a meeting. Some days just ain't meant to be.
Figgered it out.
S WIND 15 TO 20 KT WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 25 KT THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. WIND EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT BY LATE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 OR 3 FT. SW SWELL 14 FT AT 10 SECONDS. CHANGING TO N WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 5 FT. SW SWELL 13 FT AT 10 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SECONDARY SWELL NW 8 FT.
Lotsa people give it a less than 'A' rating...and often with good reason. It can get crowded, it's a known beginner magnet and there are almost always better waves somewhere nearby. But when it's on, it can't be beat for location, setting, accessibility and variety.
SE WIND 20 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 5 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 6 SECONDS. CHANGING TO S WIND 30 TO 35 KT WITH GUSTS TO 45 KT. COMBINED SEAS BUILDING TO 18 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 7 SECONDS.
3' at 6 seconds...? When I was a kid and the surf went this flat we usually broke out the skateboards and headed for the hills. Skating pools was in it's infancy and bombing hills was king. Along with slalom, nose wheelies and 360's. I must have lost a pound of flesh on the concrete and asphalt from 1970 to 1975, when I skated the most.
Local Report:
North coast this morning, Lake Pacific.
...scored on glassy clean chest high waves during mid tide...
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BUT LOCALLY TO 20 KT NEAR COASTAL GAPS WITH SOME GUSTS TO 25 KT. WAVES 2 FT...BUT TO 4 FT NEAR COASTAL GAPS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. CHANGING TO SE WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 4 FT. S SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
Local Reports:
...was expecting chop and mush, but woke up to clean quality beachbreak...
...7:45am...very high tide...expecting the small waves to be pure mush but to my suprise found clean well formed rights starting in the middle of the bay breaking all the way into the beach, nothing big but long and fun and only one other guy out.
N WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. TONIGHT NE WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 4 FT. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
Certainly suitable for a little mind surf.
Local Report:
...sunny lite offshore head high 3 to 5 out some real nice zippers threw a couple up on the lip nice fan with a bit of rotation on the reentry felt good...
...low tide...paddled out into some clean waist to chest high rights...
W WIND 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 5 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANGING TO N WIND 20 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 4 FT. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
Turbidite geological formations have their origins in turbidity current deposits, deposits from a form of underwater avalanche that are responsible for distributing vast amounts of clastic sediment into the deep ocean.
Our own Shorty's is a classic example of this rock formation.
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
Perhaps my favorite shipwreck on any coast...the Glennesslin...I particularly like the prospect of surfing that little right off of the bow.
On the first day of October, 1913, the Glenesslin bound for Portland, 176 days out of Santos, was sighted sailing unusually close to the Nehalem shores. It was a beautiful fall day, the ocean lay calm, and the sky was flecked with light clouds. Visibility was almost perfect and the gentle breeze should have been the delight of any deep water man. Suddenly and for no understandable reason the vessel pointed its bow directly for the devilish waters about the base of Neah-Kah-Nie, five miles north of the Nehalem River. Those who observed the strange antics of the ship thought they were seeing an apparition. But this was no Flying Dutchman; it was a staunch iron ship with a crew of live men. All sails were set and she was coming in fast. At precisely 2:30 p.m. an underwater ledge of rock, ripped a hole in her bottom plates and the ship crashed head on against the precipitous base of the 1600 foot Mountain.
Cresting breakers nipped at her stern with terrific force. With only a ballast of cement to keep her steady, she worked unceremoniously on the jagged teeth beneath her.
Captain Owen Williams, master of the stricken ship, was aware of his hazardous position. Little time was lost in shooting a line to the rocks, where willing shoreside dwellers had arrived to make it fast. All 21 crewmen reached the rocks safely. Those aiding in the rescue had plenty of questions, but Captain Williams remained silent as did the other officers. There was no mistaking the odor of liquor on many of the survivors. Some were actually said to have been drunk.
Local Report:
Unpleasantly flat today on the ocean. With the negative tide and low wind
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANGING TO NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
Local Report:
NW WIND 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FOOT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANGING TO NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
It's been a long while since I've surfed this spot. I've caught it good a few times, but have been tempted out on many more occassions only to find it not nearly as good as it looked from the cobbles. The best I ever got it was a winter morning, probably 10 years ago now, it was chest high, lined up and just peeling. I had a 9' 6" Hynson single fin that you could just swing it around, line it up and go...
Local Report:
...went to check a spot I had looked at often but never seen anyone surf. It was working like a charm...we bush wacked our way to the beach and enjoyed waist to chest high peelers for a few hours. As the tide filled in the wind picked up and turned everything to mush. Tons of fun little rides in the sun with nobody around.
5' @ 14, Light E wind. The conditions were clean and bigger than the previous days. I surfed on the 7'4" and found a few nice overhead rights early, and a screaming left.
Agate was handing out ice cream headaches in the am. Got to see somebody catch a couple big ones way outside. Shoulda paddled out there, but I kept playing chicken just outside the shore pound.
NE WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANGING TO N WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
A 4' swell in winter? Dust off the longboards...although I'm sure a few will try to wiggle and waggle those shortboards into these relative ripples. Then again, the period may allow a enough of a push to riiiiiip!
Local Report:
Smaller surf with head high 2-3 wave sets every other set or so. COLD air in the morning!
Surfed some brilliant, small waves on the south coast yesterday. Sought warmer air and less wind and scored perfectly in the protection of Cape Blanco. Two sessions on perfect little a-frames with three other surfers in the water and lots of good vibes. There was some hooting going on -- cheering each other into waves and down the line. This state of ours can be magic.
Fun waist to shoulder high sets in the early am, but started getting mushy after 12. Too bad that last suck out in the rip tide was still lingering in my head, taking up valuable surfing space...
...my first wave. Mis-timed my drop on got my ass handed to me. Knocked around. Sucked back over, and dumped onto the sand bar. Came up coughing up water and confused. It was only a chest high wave? Made my way out of the impact zone and North for an easier paddle out. Got a few more waves, but the lung full of water forced me in.
Yeah, the head high waves were packing some juice today. I was out at low tide up North and got my ass handed to me a couple of times and my board shows it (i.e. rail to rail stress fractures). Easterlies this AM and surfing with my son and some good friends...it does not get any better...
...Smugglers today...a few shoulder high rides. Cold and at one point conservatively counted 50 people in the water and guessed there were about 100 on the beach.
3.5' @ 14, light E wind, cold, 8'. ...I kept tucking into the pit and getting slammed. After about five beatings, I managed to spit out of another barrel.
NE WIND 20 TO 25 KT...EXCEPT E 25 KT NEAR SHORE. WIND WAVES 6 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 14 SECONDS.CHANGING TO NE WIND 15 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
Local Report:
Cold. Cold and windy this morning on the North Coast. Tide was low when I got in and the outside sandbar was working on the smaller sets, but you had to sit inside to catch the smaller waves and then the larger sets would march through. Larger set drops were 3-4 foot overhead and most closed out but every once in a while, a little nugget would pop up. I got a couple of those. It was really cold taking the wetsuit off.
Windy (NE) but good where I went. I spent 3.5 hrs in the water and was completely numb when I got out. Lots of really fun rides today... mostly waist to head high. I even dusted off my longboard. My face is all red, either I got a sun burn or maybe it's frostbite.
Nice afternoon sesh. All by myself - waist to shoulder high. A lot of close outs but every so often one would peel just right. Not much waiting around either - got lots of rides in about an hour and a half. Hooked up with just about every wave I tried for (very unusual for me). Hope for a repeat tomorrow.
A repeat of last trip just a little more offshore wind, a little more period in the swell, and a little more slightly OH perfection I'm putting in my request for the next session now.
4' @ 14, light E wind, 8'. The swell was fat and was throwing overhead barrels on the sets. I took off on one huge set wave, made the bottom turn and looked up at the bottom of a lip 50 yards long. I found a doggy door, straightened out into the foam and ditched my board. Later in the session, I took off on a set right, made the bottom turn and tucked into a stand up barrel. The sound went hollow, the door was open, and I thought I was going to squirt out, but the wave pitched a section of lip that landed right on the nose of board, knocked me down, sucked me up the face, and slammed me into the pit. But it didn’t matter; I had gotten barreled, even though I didn’t make it out. Then, right before I quit, I found the Holy Grail. I took off just to the left of the peak, turned right, and shot into an open tunnel. I squirted out of my first legitimate 100% shack!
NE WIND 25 TO 30 KT WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 6 FT. NW SWELL 9 FT AT 16 SECONDS. CHANGING TO NE WIND 25 TO 30 KT. A FEW GUSTS UP TO 35 KT IN THE EVENING. WIND WAVES 6 FT. NW SWELL 10 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
Nothing more frustrating than being sick. On Wednesday, checking waves, I opted to not paddle out. It didn't look that good and I didn't feel up to the task. On the drive home I felt crappier and crappier and realize now why the surf seemed less inviting than usual.
NE WIND 15 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 25 TO 30 KT WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 35 KT NEAR GAPS. COMBINED SEAS 9 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 13 SECONDS.
My dad worked as a biologist at Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego in the 60's and 70's. He brought his father-in-law on alot of the trips as a working guest. This isn't one of his pics, but it is a classic...pretty shapely. My grandfather took many pictures on these expeditions. His collection of slides was unceremoniously taken to the city landfill by one of my less farsighted relatives. Fortunately, an employee at the dump, a landfill technician (?), happened to come across the contanier and rescued it. He contacted Scripps, they sent out a representative who retrieved the images. The slides recorded people, boats and images that there was no other record of...a veritable treasure trove. How many like things have been lost in a similar way throughout the years?
N WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
Despite efforts and hunt...no success on surf front. Checked multiple spots throughout North Central Coast to no avail. The final check, two hours from start yielded potential but did not warrant suiting up. There were a few people in the water, and I even saw some marginally passable surf...but there wasn't enough juice to float the boat. Did see some geniusii that thought it'd be a good idea to take their Nissan lowrider onto the beach and got stuck.
Local Report:
Had a couple really good rides after almost two months of all work and no play. Had it all to myself after 3:00, which isn't saying much, and then saw a couple groups going out when I was in the parking lot. Otter is not a bad place to be on a 9 ft. day. For the record, it didn't wrap around at SB, and i don't know if it ever will.
N WIND 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 11 FT AT 11 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
Tomorrow I'm on it...
10PM: Load gear in vehicle. Check for spare leash. Pack Lunch. Fill water bottle
5AM: Eat breakfast. Make coffee. Go...
6AM: Pull up to break...it will be perfect. Find shitter.
6:30AM: Scope surf. Suss out channels.
6:45AM: Suit up. Paddle out.
7AM: Catch ungodly amount of waves. Some tubes...offshore of course.
9AM: Sun comes over the mountains...I pause to take in the beauty. More waves.
11AM: Catch massive barrel on my backhand. Call it a morning. Paddle in.
11:15AM: Change into clothes. Wind switches to gusty onshore. Blows waves to crap.
12 Noon: Eat lunch. Head out, passing many on their way down...Howzit? they ask.
1PM: Work. This blows.
5PM: Off work. Half day. I guess it wasn't so bad.
5:30PM: Visit the pub. A few beers with the boys.
7PM: Home. Dinner. Satisfy the wife (and self).
9PM: Update Blog.
9:30PM: Re-satisfy wife.
10:30PM: Peruse Surfer's Journal. Plan future surf forays.
11PM: Bedtime. Contemplate waking wife.
Local Report:
Tues. 10 am. surf sucks and its snowing. NICE!!!!!!
N WIND 20 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 5 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 14 SECONDS. CHANGING TO N WIND 20 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 6 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
It's a tricky thing, setting up to get barrelled surfing. Force it, and it won't work. The waves have to cooperate, the wind needs to be right and you need the proper board.
Do you need to disappear totally to "claim" a tube? Or does the liquid sheet have to pass you just a bit? If the wave collapses and you break through, but not pop out...was it a genuine barrel?
There are few moments in surfing that compare to tube riding...that moment you know that everything is going to come together and you slide further and further back as the wall steepens and lengthens in front of you and you slip under the curtain or the lip launches over you as you step on the gas and race for your life.
Local Report:
Woke up at 7:30 at Moolack. The sets were really clean in the morning and the winds were perfectly offshore. However I noticed how far out the waves were breaking, there was no way I could have done it... Settled for Ottter, waves weren't working well at first, you had to sit on the inside just to catch them. At about 10am the winds calmed for a brief period and the best waves started coming. I took off on a right. It was fast and about shoulder high, it was my longest ride of the day. The longshore current was picking up alot throughout the afternoon, odd waves throught the rest of the day.
S WIND 10 KT VEERING TO SW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FOOT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 17 SECONDS. CHANGING TO W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...VEERING TO NW 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 4 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
I haven't surfed this spot in a few years. I check it pretty often, but generally there are not alot of takers. I'm sure the locals are on it when it's good.
When it gets big, entry and exit can be a little hairy. Very rocky and swirly, bull kelp and boils, barrels and bare reef.
One memorable session there, I pulled up after checking a few other "friendlier" spots and saw a guy out soloing it. It was solid overhead and I saw him catch a few fun, hollow rights off the reef at the north end. The southern peak was working too, only softer and fatter, and much more appropriate for fitting the only board I had with me, a 9'6" Hynson single fin.
I suited up and made my way down the cliff. Jumping in at the channel, I scrambled out to the lineup. The other guy paddled over, and we chatted a bit about what was working. He said the north peak was great, but was breaking pretty shallow. I opted to stay to the south as he paddled back to his choice of peak. It turned out to be a good decision when, about an hour later, I watched him get eaten up on a solid right tube and then get dragged inside by about 3 set waves before he finally escaped and made it back out to where I was.
He said he had been bounced hard off the reef by the first wave and had had enough. The surf was definitely building and he caught a wave in. I watched him scramble out onto a big rock slab and head up the cliff. I surfed for about an hour, watching the north tube open up...it seemed to be calling me. The tide was coming in, and the rock he had exited on was underwater now. I reasoned that the reef was at least a foot or two deeper than it had been when he got bounced, it definitely wasn't coming over as hard as it had been earlier, so I paddled over to take a look.
The 9'6" gave me the advantage of early entry, so on the first wave, a head high right, I was up and out in front of the tube comfortably. I caught a few more and then set up a little deeper. An overhead set approached, I paddled over the first two waves and turned on the third. It was well overhead. Dropping in backside, I came off the bottom and set up for the tube. The board wanted to badly outrace the wave so I crouched and dug my right arm into the wave, applying the brakes. As the lip passed over my head, I pulled my arm out and stood up, racing down the line and popping out into the channel. The guy up on the cliff pumped both his arms into the air. I pumped my fist back at him and paddled back for a few more.
The wave was very consistent and lined up so there was no real worry aside from making an stupid, unforced mistake. I caught about 6 more waves, getting tubes on two of them before calling it a day. The inside was a little thumpier compared to the paddle out three hours ago, and I searched for a likely exit spot. I inched in bit by bit, timing it...a few waves washed through and I rode in on their backs. About ten yards out I slipped off the board and felt for the flat shelf, finding it in about four feet of water. A surge of crumbed surf approached, I faced it and jumped over, washing in closer. Another wave pushed me in further yet, and as the water drained off the rocks I scrambed in across the broken rocks and boulders, wanting to avoid the waist high approaching breaking waves.
As I stepped onto a boulder my foot slid across it's slick surface and I drove my toes hard into the rock below. I was clear of the surf, but my toe was throbbing. I went up the cliff and limped to my car. The other surfer was saying that the tube had rally opened up after he had got out. I nodded and pulled off my boot, grimacing as I did. I turned it over, dumping out a stanky wash of blood and water. I had ripped up the toenail and it was bleeding pretty bad. The dialogue ended as the guy ogled my ruined toe and moaned. I wrapped it in my towel and pressed on it, feeling every heartbeat pulse at this extremity of my body. He tried to make me feel better by describing the battle wounds he had suffered here over the years. It didn't work.
The drive home was difficult, and sleep that night pretty much non-existent. The following day I visited my doctor who, after x-rays, confirmed my worries; a broken toe. It kept me out of the water about a month and a half. I have surfed Brokefoot Bay (not it's real name) many times since...and without injury. But I have never caught it that good since.
Local Report:
The rip was screaming, watched one guy get sucked out about a mile or so, watched from the top of the bathrooms at the cove as the police fire/rescue team and an ambulance showed up. Then they called for the air lift, luckily for him he managed to get to the inside moments before the orange ride showed up.
The waves were thumping first thing, but they lacked definition. Several surfers stared at the waves and waited for someone to make the first move and suit up, but nobody did. The morning passed and nobody went outside, as far as I know. Finally, about 2pm, I suited up with one of the comedy crew and we made our way outside. My buddy caught a couple and we both took a massive set on the head. I was starting to think I was skunked when I finally caught a big right, sped down the face, made the bottom turn and prepared to come up high and race the lip. I had no chance as the beast closed out, so I pulled the ejection handle and dove off the back of the board right before the wave exploded. I had enough and quit, it was a one closeout session.
E WIND 10-15KT BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2FT. W SWELL 7FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN. CHANGING TO S-SE WIND 10KT. WIND WAVES 1FT. W SWELL 9FT AT
14 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING.
Local Report:
Saturday Morning between 8am and 10am. Long peeling waves...waist to chest high. Got 3 waves that had to be the longest rides to date. Totally sweet. ...saw some beautiful barrels at an unknown left break. Went south...it looked so ugly I did not even suit up.
E WIND 20-25KT...BECOMING SE 15-20KT WITH GUSTS TO 25KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 5FT. W SWELL 6FT AT 13 SECONDS.
Gotta love those offshore winds...grooming lines into spinning cylinders.
Local Report:
...this morning made me think I slept through spring. Saw a little small wave kook madness going on at the popular spot, but went out there anyway. Glad its back on already. Weekend looks sweeeeet. Finally got some color back in my skin. More sun please.
Glassy and occasionally crackin' in the PC area on Sat. Very little wind and a suprisingly punchy swell made for some head over heels action on the dropping tide.
Sat: ...hit a rarely surfed beachy. We paddled out towards flawless tubing lefts. No one was able to tuck into the elusive left hand tubes, so we paddled in. On the way in I decided to hitch a ride on a ferocious mound of white water but pearled my board. While under water I could feel an unpleasent tugging sensation and then snap. My leash broke clean in the middle. I scrambled for my board and made it to safety and for session #2 where I proceeded to get pitched over the falls in some hollow right hand beauties at Chambers.
E WIND 20-25KT. SOME GUSTS TO 35KT...ESPECIALLY NEAR GAPS IN COASTAL TERRAIN. WIND WAVES 6FT. W SWELL 5FT AT 12 SECONDS.
It's a natural progression...and, in some ways, a natural regression...and a recollection...of developing skills in surfing. Although I have surfed for over 30 years, some years every day, others only intermittently...I have much to learn, and less time to learn it. My skills are also slowly eroding, yet improving on some levels. Progression and Regression. I remember riding broken, diminishing whitewash into the shallows until the skeg ragged in the sand as a child. Riding those same crumbled waves as got older, but struggling ever further out against those spent, failing waves to get longer rides. And never, would I go so far in as to drag skeg! Kooks!
As confidence and competence grew the level and desire did as well. Catching an unbroken wave proved elusive at times as a boy. But persistence and daily attempts paid off. There are moments that remain indelibly impressed upon one's memory...the paddle and drop in on a head high wave, the pop up and ever so brief carving bottom turn, the roller coasting frontside peeler, the reeling backside wave and kickout that sends the board spinning into the air...all these moments exist in me...but the one that has come back again and again is snap of the surfboard off the top of the wave, sometimes vertical, sometimes not...but always satisfying.
Local Reports:
Got up this morning to see the ocean is flat. It was a nice four days of swell, though. Caught an hour to myself at a popular right point at uber low tide.
Tillamook Bay bar claims 3 more...
TODAY - N WIND INCREASING TO 20-25 KT. WIND WAVES 5FT. W SWELL 10-11FT AT 14 SECONDS. AREAS OF DRIZZLE THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT - N WIND 20-25 KT. WIND WAVES 5FT. W SWELL 11-12FT AT 13 SECONDS... SUBSIDING TO 10FT AT 13 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
TILLAMOOK, Ore. -- The U.S. Coast Guard is searching near Tillamook Bay for two men who were aboard a commercial fishing boat that went down early Tuesday morning off the Oregon Coast. A search was launched about 1:30 a.m. after nearby vessels reported seeing two distress flares, according to Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson.
The Catherine M. was apparently crossing the bar into Tillamook Bay when it experienced trouble. Anderson told KOIN News 6 that surf conditions at the mouth of the bar can be dangerous.
Coast Guard crews found debris from the boat and the body of 30-year-old Jeffrey King on the south side of the bay opening. Still missing is the skipper, 32-year-old Craig Larsen of Hammond, and 30-year-old Trona Griffin of Garibaldi.
KOIN reporter Drew Mikkelsen was on Bay Ocean Spit at noon Tuesday and said there was a half-mile-long debris field on the beach. He saw large sections of the hull, as well as three unused survival suits.
Local Report:
...Conditions were not what I had hoped for. All last week I watched as the forecast went from Sunny with 5K East wind to mostly cloudy with 10-15K N winds. The forecast was reading around 12' and I was really hoping for some screaming rights. Paddle out was tough and the waves were big and confused once I was out...hard to stay in one spot, clean ups rolling in with regularity...Maybe Friday will be better.
Waking up I realize it's a free day...no wife, no kids, no work, no way! It's dark out still, I could roll over and go back to sleep or...I get up and check the report:
S-SE WIND 15-20KT. WIND WAVES 4FT. W SWELL 13FT @ 17 SECONDS.
CHANGING TO S-SW WIND 10-15KT. WIND WAVES 2FT. W SWELL 12FT @ 15 SECONDS.
NE WIND 10-15KT. WIND WAVES 2FT. W SWELL 8FT AT 15 SECONDS BECOMING 10FT AT 20 SECONDS.CHANGING TO E WIND 5-10KT. WIND WAVES 1FT. W SWELL 12FT AT 20 SECONDS.
It's been a long cold winter...30+ foot swell just two days ago...now look!
Local Report:
Checked out many spots. Large surf and up to double over-head faces with lots o punch. Most places checked were not holding well. It just seemed like there had to be somewhere that was working, just didn't have the time to explore. Great sunny day, all day, at the coast
SE WIND 5-10KT. WIND WAVES 1FT. W SWELL 18FT AT 13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 16FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANGING TO NE WIND 10-15KT. WIND WAVES 2FT. W SWELL 12FT AT 11 SECONDS.
Things are looking up...a big improvement over 60 mph sustained wind with 90 mph gusts and whitewater to the horizon.
Sometimes it's just the sitting and waiting that makes the session...the undulation lulls you into a state of meditation...a sudden darkness on the horizon or splash of foam on distant rocks rouses you to action...moving to that one spot that will provide the reason for the wait.
Local Reports:
...headed out today to watch the storm hit. Sunshine, rain and heavy hail all within 2 hours. Watched a couple people out under the bridge in Newport. It was pretty choppy everywhere else.
Straigntened up nicely toward late afternoon and high tide. Surfing in the hail is like skiing on corn snow. The hail knocks down the chop and floats. You can feel it sliding under the board as you are skimming along - very cool.
As a longtime surfing person I have come to grips with the fact that Surf in Oregon is never a given...
A local report:
I just got out of the water from actually surfing for an hour or so. I caught a few decent head high waves with clean faces before the wind trashed it. This morning felt like the calm before the storm and right now it feels like it's knocking on the door. I think it might be a long night.
