3.25.13 A No-Go Averted at SouPa

I'd spent the entirety of the dry part of my Sunday frothing over what could have been.  The waves in Oside that day showed some real promise, especially as the tide continued to drop.  Because of my appointment, the session was cut short just as it was beginning to really turn on.

Monday morning resulted in my waking up and jetting up to Oside.  Unfortunately, the surf had dropped to the point where it was being smothered by the tide.  I didn't bother checking Jetty/Harbor and looped back down onto the 101.  North north Carlsbad weakened my optimism with its usual lack of luster.  I was about to cement this day in history as a dry day when I made the fateful decision to keep on keeping on the 101.  

I spotted an oh-so-surfable set and I pulled into the just-off-the-street spot, next to an older couple solving their respective Sudoku puzzles.  I suited up and bounded down the cliff.  

I was especially excited at the prospect of surfing by myself.  I paddled out and was surprised at the froth surging through my frontal cortex.

The inside was very abrupt shorebreak on which you could maybe get a turn in if you were in the right spot and extremely efficient in your drop-turn-smack progression.  I opted for the rarer, meatier outsiders.

After paddling and missing a couple due to lack of steeps, I caught a left which had some slope to it, but fizzled quickly.  The lip slid down the face more than it crashed.  I jumped over it.

It took sixteen minutes of a lot of frustrating paddling and pulling back from lame mushburgers before I stood up again.  This time I was on a right.  I thought I'd caught it, then thought better.  I set my chest down on the deck and windmilled with both arms.  I did finally drop down the face, to be greeted by a closeout as the entire section felt bottom at the same time.

I caught a quick left not five minutes later, more towards the inside.  I pumped up and down a couple of times, then did a mid-face slash.  I felt the falling lip hit my board and it threw me off and down into the water.

During the ride, I heard a guy hoot from the cliff.  I looked up and he was wearing a road crew vest (fluorescent yellow) and gave me either thumps up or shaka.

I was so excited to see a decent left that on my next wave, I leaned too far forward and on my front foot.  The fins gave out, not in a good way, and I awkwardly shoulder-checked the wave.

My next wave was an umph-lacking left.  I pumped up, then slowly back down.  I then did a really weak fade cutty so as to stay closer to the source.  There was no pleasant surprise at the end of this one and I kicked out.

I caught a right and gingerly set my feet.  I knew any mistake would crush my chances with this relative gem. I pumped up very slightly, then rushed up to the lip.  The lip came at me sooner than I'd expected.  I elevated and leaned back and was either elevated by the lip or levitated up to it.  I hung up on the lip then managed to bring it around.  It looked like a longboard floater.  It felt a lot cooler than it looked on the GoPro.

I'd had enough letdowns for one day, so I packed it in.