Turn On It, Tune Out, Drop In

S WIND 25 TO 30 KT.

RISING TO 30 TO 35 KT.

COMBINED SEAS 15 FT.

DOMINANT PERIOD 13 SECONDS.

To be honest, I don't like to surf alone...but then I also don't like to surf where I have to jockey or battle other surfers for waves. I've done it for about 40 years and somewhere along the way it lost it's attraction for me.

I still head to popular spots where other surfers are sure to be found, and on most days you can still select your own personal peak while a pack selects what they perceive to be the "spot" and deal with the drop ins, snakes and bobbers.

Other days, out of the way checks yield irresistable waves that demand you paddle out solo. These places require a different level of preparation and committment. And in some cases, depending on conditions, the temptation of paddling out to perfect, empty waves is overruled by common sense and self preservation.

Most times, as I leave the house to go surfing my wife will give me the obligatory "Be Careful", the less frequent "Have Fun", and sometimes the query "You won't surf alone, will you?"...and when I answer reassuringly that I won't...my usual intention is to surf a typical spot. But sometimes I have to break those promises.