Turn On It, Tune Out, Drop In

SE WIND 20 TO 25 KT RISING TO 25 TO 30 KT THIS AFTERNOON. COMBINED SEAS 9 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 10 SECONDS. CHANGING TO S WIND 30 TO 35 KT WITH GUSTS TO 40 KT. COMBINED SEAS 12 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 8 SECONDS.

When I first started surfing in Oregon it was after a long, forced layoff. It's hard to surf when you live in Detroit, Michigan. After 2 years, I headed back west and with no job, no kids and a wife that worked full-time I was able to spend many long uninterrupted days on the coast, exploring southern Washington to the central Oregon coast and searching out little nooks and crannies where no one surfed...ever.

I still made the requisite visits to the popular coves, points and beachbreaks; but when they weren't working I searched out and surfed more unlikely spots. A cove in the Columbia river that worked when the buoys were over 30', under a bay bridge in the same conditions, paddling across rivermouths and inside jetty complexes, and surfing, what I now recognize as, extremely dangerous reef breaks that I would never consider paddling out to now.

I miss the free time and the search for surf. I still check some of those spots but it's pretty rare to find them working. If you live there and can be there when they happen, that's great. Now, I know I can surf on Tuesday and so am at the mercy of whatever conditions occur on that day. You hope for the best and pray the tides are right, that you make the right decision to head north or south, and that you don't pass on a spot to head an hour further only to find even worse conditions.

Local Report:

...went out around noonish, caught many waves, largest was head high...No swell, started filling in while I was out. Very inconsistent.

...small and fun, even a longboard out there. Perfectly shaped head high waves peeling with just a couple guys out. Mellow drops long rides no crowd.