Saturday, November 11th, 2023

 Surf's Up -

When I got out of my car at 7 this morning there was a lot of noise coming from the beach. The surf was 5 to 6 foot, well spaced and with periods of 3'+ between the big sets. Getting out would be all about timing.

It was 41°, sunny and calm. High tide was at 8 and the waves were pushing the wash way up the beach. I could see the swell well out beyond the end of the Avila Pier. The largest waves were breaking inside of the buoy line so we could still swim along the buoys and enjoy an elevator swim.  The water temperature was 53°.

Jodi was not feeling well so it was Tom Israel and myself.  We decided to focus on getting out to the end of the Avila Pier and then figure things out from there. Getting out had its moments and was exciting at some points. We probably starting our entry one wave too late, but Tom and I got out without getting washing machined. I was towing my swim buoy and deciding to leave it deflated until I was beyond the surf was a good idea in surf this size.

From the end of the Avila Pier we went to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the end of the pier, to the end of the Avila Pier, on to the last buoy on the east side and back along the buoys to the pier. Between the end of the Poly Pier and the buoy line the swell gave us a nice push. I found that I could use my buoy to ride in through the surf like I learned to do on a surf mat at Huntington Beach.

I've no photos today. When I turned on my GoPro at the end of the Poly Pier it didn't boot properly. I had a screen with tears and jitters and I could not turn it off. I left it to shut off on its own and after the swim it booted up normally so I guess it was just a softwear hick up. Before I was able to have my camera boot successfully I was glad I had reupped my GoPro membership. For $50/year the membership provides a replacement camera of the same model, no questions asked, twice a year for a $99 fee or $100 off a different model. New cameras are $250 to $450 depending on the model so it feels like a good deal.

When we were at our cars Duke stopped by on his bike so we got to talk for a bit. He is planning on getting in with me tomorrow at 11.

niel