N WIND 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 4 FT.
NW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS TO 30 KT.
BECOMING NE 15 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 6 FT...SUBSIDING TO 4 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
Historically, Oregon's beaches served as major sections of the coatal highway...
A prominent feature here, was the path carved into the rock, for passage during high tide, at Hug Point...
Curious, I don't see any boards sticking out the back of that car?
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
The forecast wasn't much different from yesterday's but the conditions were...
Definitely a solid ground swell pushing through and not terribly windy, slightly onshore though...
Saw enough lefts and rights muscling through to talk myself into paddling out...
The sets were surprisingly raw, enough power to require waiting on the inside for a chance to scramble back outside...
I was surfing between work shifts so only had an hour or so to spare, which yielded 3 waves, a right and 2 lefts...
Only one other out, a shortboarder...and he wasn't having much luck finding any sections...
Perhaps tomorrow will yield some better nuggets...
W WIND 15 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
Been checking out the retro Bing Karma boards lately...
Pretty sweet...
Pretty steep...
Been checking out the retro Bing Karma boards lately...
Hmmmmmm...
Or maybe the Lotus...
Or maybe the Bonzer...
Been checking out the retro Bing Karma boards lately...
Arggghhhhh!
NW WIND 15 KT...BECOMING W AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
I have hope...
I have a board...
There is a swell...
A small swell...
But a swell nonetheless...
I can stand...
Not as quickly as once upon a time...
But it is standing nonetheless...
There is a swell...
I have a board...
There is potential...
I have hope.
N WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
That's applicable for the next week...heading to the Wallowas in Eastern Oregon.
Thus, it was necessary to do a short 3 day surf session prior to departure...from which I have just returned and now face the rigors of packing gear.
Friday surfed the North Coast...got in the water about 7pm...just in time for the waves to smooth out as the wind died...mostly thigh to waist high, but pretty fun...I rarely surf weekends and so was fortunate enough to witness the Friday evening arrival of the weekenders...instead of thinning out, the pack increased until sunset.
Saturday...surfed early off a North-Central Coast cape...again the weekend nature of the session had a decent sized pack on the right by 7am...still there were plenty of waves...nice big peaks that lined up for a backside race down the line.
Sunday, after all the drinking I did on Saturday it's a miracle I even paddled out...but I did. It was quite a bit smaller off the cape...still plenty crowded tough. The beach break to the south was working decently and was a bit bigger...the rights rolled down the beach at about a 45 degree angle...so many waves taken would deposit you well down the beach.
See ya next week...
N WIND 15 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 20 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 6 FT.
NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 20 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 6 FT...SUBSIDING TO 4 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
I don't know specifically where this wave is...
But it's a frothy pit not unlike some seen in these northern reaches...
If you can't make it out of this black hole...
It's sure to transport you to another reality...
NW WIND 10 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 2 FT...BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.
NW SWELL 7 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 15 TO 20 KT.
WIND WAVES 4 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
World Surfing Champion in 1970 at 18...
Goofyfoot son of Marshall Matt Dillon...
Ditched the surf scene shortly after victory at Johanna...
Impressive aggressive backside attack...
Humble, positive and upbeat...
"Whatever happened to Rolf Aurness?"
Born in Santa Monica, California...
Fractured his skull at 9...
Surfing was the cure...
Daily dawn-patrols and distance swims...
Trips to San O, Baja and the Ranch...
Surfing the beach at Makaha..
Mentored by Buff and the West Side crew...
Dominating juniors contests in Cali...
Featured in ads for Bing and Hang Ten...
May 13, 1970, his 6'10" Bing Foil brought Title...
Dominating the shortboard pack...
Champ, but still "the Marshall's son" in the media...
Returned to California under the influence...
Of certain psychedelic gurus...
Family tradgedy forced seclusion at the Ranch in 1980...
Surfing reentered his person...
Rolf is alive and well
Surfing still a part of his life.
~adapted from Surfline and Drew Kampion
~1890...with some fun waves showing!
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
GUSTS TO 20 KT OUTER WATERS DURING THE MORNING.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 7 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 7 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
These photos show the demise of Jump-off Joe, a sea stack at Nye Beach, Newport, Oregon. In 1890, the sea stack, composed of middle Miocene concretionary sandstone of the Astoria Formation, was a prominent Newport feature. Yaquina Head on the horizon is composed of middle Miocene basalt flows and breccia. 100 years later, wave action entirely eroded the stack, reducing it to only a few remnants.
~1990
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 7 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
Saw a couple little tubes pulled off last time I was out, in what was otherwise pretty sloppy windswell...It's always a nice payoff when the crumbly takeoff transforms itself into a reeling little barrel on the inside.
N WIND 20 TO 25 KT.
WIND WAVES 5 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 20 TO 25 KT.
BECOMING NW 15 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 5 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
This week looks to be a running about a six to seven foot swell with mild winds...
We'll see if that holds up...
Supposed to be cool and drizzly...
Hoping for some morning glass...
Rather than the short period mess I got this weekend...
Don't get me wrong...
I love disorganized slop...
Just not as much as clean, lined up surf.
N WIND 20 TO 25 KT.
WIND WAVES 6 FT.
NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 20 TO 25 KT.
WIND WAVES 6 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 6 SECONDS.
Nothing too special about today's waves...
In the water early...
About waist to chest high...
Lumpy and bumpy with the short period...
The lefts were non-existant...
The rights breaking along the beach...
Depositing you far south...
Which, considering the strong south current...
Necessitated a walk back to the peak...
Better than yesterday.
N WIND 15 TO 25 KT.
WIND WAVES 5 FT.
NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
What did four foot at seven seconds equal today?
Dick...
I looked, I saw, I concurred...
It was knee high and closed out...
Hope it got better for someone...
Certainly not for me...
Don't tell anyone I boogieboarded today...
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT.
BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.
NW SWELL 7 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 4 FT... SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
Not that I have any issues with 7 foot summertime swells...sure, I'd like a little longer period...but we aren't far away from fall and winter swells...when busting through feathering lips is replaced with getting piledriven into the sand (or reef!) by thick, frothy ones.
N WIND 15 TO 20 KT.
A FEW GUSTS TO 25 KT S OF CAPE FALCON IN THE AFTERNOOON.
WIND WAVES 4 FT.
W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT NW WIND 15 TO 20 KT.
EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 4 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
Terry Fitzgerald
An early 70's surf pro...
High performance power carves...
TK was the "total surfer"...
He could ride any wave...
Anywhere...
On any board...
Surfing at Maroubra...
And playing by his rules...
A Queensland Kirra Boardrider...
It's where the action was...
HQ was Larkin's factory...
With McTavish, Drouyn, Townend and Peterson...
Holding court...
Not a bad lineup to learn from...
Hot Buttered in Brookvale...
Was one result...
Surfing Rocky Point and Sunset...
Blowing minds...
Morning of the Earth...
Drawing speed lines with flair...
Brewer and Abellira...
Hawk and Owl...
Spiral vee and wings...
Super-hot surfing at Narrabeen...
Airbrush work of Martin Worthington...
Leaping dolphins, psychedelic sunsets...
1975 Australian Open win...
Victory at Velzyland...
Bali Pro at perfect, big Uluwatu...
9th in the world in 1977...
Grajagan in '73 with Gerry...
body-torque surfing at J-Bay...
Earned him the moniker...
"The Sultan of Speed."
~adapted from Nick Carroll and Surfline
NW WIND 10 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 1 FOOT...BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.
W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT NW WIND 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING N 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
It's a great feeling...
Long or shortboard...
The wave gets ahold of you...
You stand and make the drop...
Relaxed...
Sensation of speed...
Just lean it over in the trough...
Hard off the bottom...
Feeling the G's...
Project down the line...
As the wave sections...
Do it over and over again.
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT...VEERING TO N AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
How many times have you been out when the waves have been perfect and it's getting dark? You catch a great wave and decide on just one more in the fading light...and one more...and one more. Pretty soon you're the only one left and it's hard to see the approaching waves.
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 5 TO 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BACKING TO SW AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
In 1965, George Greenough shaped/sculpted/invented his hull-shaped kneeboard, the Velo. It was unlike any surf vehicle that had been made, an unusual and distinctive spoon shape. This spoon design has been a guiding principle of Greenough's boards since then. The spoon offers a performance characteristic that Greenough refers to as "neutral handling," the board itself flexes, much in the same way that his tapered fins did. The spoon resembled Simmons-like plan shape, but was floated only by a foam-filled rail section, the middle of the board being solid fiberglass and tapering to a flexible glass tail, the board itself barely floated.
Velo weighed only about 6 pounds and was powered by an 11-inch high-aspect fin designed and built by Greenough. The skeg was wide and thick at the base, sweeping and tapering to a raked tip This fiberglass foil loaded up on torque and propelled the kneeboard out of turns with alarming force. Velo (and its powerful fin) is credited as the inspiration for Nat Young's 1966 World Championship board, Sam, and for the vee-bottom shortboard experiments of Bob McTavish and his test pilots in Australia in 1966 and 1967. Thus, in many ways, Velo may be considered as the catalyst for the shortboard revolution itself.
~adapted from Surfline
N WIND 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 2 FT...BUILDING TO 4 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT NW WIND 15 TO 20 KT EASING 10 TO 15 KT DURING THE EVENING.
WIND WAVES 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
There are surfable waves off this cental coast town...just generally no takers.
I have surfed it when it's smaller, but when it shows any real power the risk outweighs the benefit...especially when you consider the the craggified nature of the the coastline.
There's also a rivermouth nearby that occassionally works, but again...very rocky north and south, heavy currents and aggro, non-human, locals...cold, fickle and sharky.
N WIND 15 TO 20 KT.
WIND WAVES 4 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 3 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
Surfed the only protected spot on the north coast yesterday...
Waves got pretty fun about 3pm...
Some head high ones coming through...
Decent crowd...not too bad...40 or so tops...
Spread out throughout the cove...
Middles was the best...
Some able surfers were on it...
Got a couple no exit barrels...
Pretty shortlived with a spin cycle ending...
Got one little in and out left barrel...
Chatted with a guy on the beach about his new board...
A 5' 6" Colyer quad...
It was a sweet board...
But my days of surfing anything near a 5'6"...
Not only went, they never came...
Shortest board I ever rode was a 5'11" transition single fin...
And it was far too short even in 1972...
Wind wasn't too bad...
It was holding the lefts up nicely...
A few rights coming through too...
But not as juicy...
Damn! I have had a nice run this week...
Surfed 4 out of the last 5 days...
May not seem like much to you lucky bastards living the dream...
But for us 9-5 inland family guys...
It is highly unusual...
And the wife wants to go to the beach on Sunday too...
Who am I to argue?
N WIND 20 TO 25 KT...BUT 25 TO 30 KT FROM CASCADE HEAD TO FLORENCE.
WIND WAVES 5 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 20 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WIND WAVES 5 FT.
NW SWELL 8 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
Beach camping on the Pacific Northwest coast...
It used to be alot easier...there are still places where you can camp legally in Oregon, but it's a lot more restricted. Although I am sorry to have seen beach camping go the way of history, I can't say I don't understand or agree with the decision.
I used to camp at a few different spots along the north coast, some you could drive into, others required a hike. There were many times that I was appalled by the mess people would leave behind. Hiking in a few days after a big holiday weekend I was greeted with trash and broken bottles on the sand. I picked up what I could, but there was no way to get it all.
It isn't much better at alot of surf spots. I have confronted people when I have seen them breaking glass or littering...a couple times a bit heatedly. But I guess I don't want to be the enforcer of beach cleanliness in Oregon, nor risk getting into a physical scrap with someone over it.
I still have made a few illegal excursions to some remote favorite places, but the risk of a ticket or being rousted and sent packing at 2am tends to put an edge of tension on it.
Swell is building today. I don't know if 8 foot at 8 seconds will yield much in the way of classic surf...but there is sure to be some fun out there somewhere.
N WIND 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS TO 25 KTs.
WIND WAVES 5 FT.
NW SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
Pretty uneventful out there today...
Caught a few head high sets...
Pretty thumpy on the inner bar...
Made for some last second mayhem...
South current was howling...
It was constant battle paddle...
Just to stay in position...
The occassional right only made it worse...
Still, felt good to get wet...
The waves were breaking...
That north wind was hollowing out the lefts...
But sloppy was the order of the day.
N WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 1 FOOT...BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.
NW SWELL 4 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
TONIGHT N WIND 15 TO 20 KT.
WIND WAVES 4 FT.
NW SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
They say a picture's worth a thousand words...
Here's about three thousand worth...
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
MIXED SWELL NW 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS AND SW 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
Today
It was a bit windier than the forecast...
And the swell was definitely crossed up..
In the water about 11am, still calm but getting bumpy...
Sideshore south current made for chronic paddle...
Some little a-frames came through, rights and lefts...
Little bit sluggish, but a few fun ones lined up...
Paddled all the way to the cape to escape the drag...
Waves much smaller and closed out as the tide changed...
Headed back south as the tide filled in...
Got a couple mini-mackers, spin, rinse, refill...
Actually caught my wave of the day, a ledging right...
That realigned my spinal column, feeling much better...
Back on the sand, enjoying the sun, and a couple beers...
All in all, coulda been better...or much, much worse.
Yesterday
Had a cancellation of an afternoon meeting...
Beach? Why not? In the water by 2pm...
I had a feeling it would be good...
I got more waves in the first hour I was out...
Than I have in the last 3 times I surfed...
The water warmed up too...
Lotsa waist to chest high lefts and rights...
With some sets that packed a bit more punch...
There were lined up and reeling sections...
Only got in about 2 1/2 hours...
But had the entire middle all to my self...
Only had to call off a softtopper one time...
Scraped into a few late drops...
Best wave was a walled up right...
That allowed several backside off the lips...
Sunny day, stiff offshore, cold ones waiting...
Chatted with a guy for a bit about some secret spots...
Home by seven and dinner was on the table...
My face hurts from smiling too much...
