Land of the Rising Sun

Going overseas, so come back around the 2nd of July.

Parts Unknown and Known

Last Wednesday, I headed up the coast to some place south of Zuma. Zuma was blown out and I got there a little later than I normally hit the water. The beach is pretty secluded and I'd post the name if I actually knew what it was. There's just a small number of parking spots on the street devoted to the break and from there, you walk down a bunch of steps to hit the beach. It's a point break with lots of rocks. On the inside section, it's really hairy cause there are huge boulders submerged that you can't see, but can feel once you step on them.

I didn't catch too many waves cause the tide was going out and the rocks were freaking me out too much for me to enjoy it. I bailed as soon as possible on the few waves I did catch. The sets were rolling in pretty consistently at first and were about head high. They seemed mellow till they hit the inside and just start bowling over. There was only two other guys in the water and only one guy near where we were surfing by the point. He was nice enough to give me the low down on where it breaks and during what periods of the day. He said that he caught about 40 waves that day and I don't doubt it. The other guy was farther south at another peak, though I hardly saw him catch anything.

I took out the same 7'3 board the next day to my blown out home break where I met up with a friend who was driving from far, far away. We paddled out to some waist high waves, that were still pretty fun. I got dialed into that board rather fast and find it pretty fun. It's pretty easy to catch waves on that board, but it doesn't have a rocker at all. It might as well be a skim board by how flat it is on the bottom.

The weekend was a non-factor. I didn't paddle out either day, Saturday cause of a graduation I attended and today cause my lip is jacked from surfing 5 1/2 hours at San O last week without enough sun protection. Don't be dumb like me, get some sunblock on the lips and the rest of your exposed body. It's not a fun thing and I plan on seeing a doctor about it tomorrow. At least I had a really good day last week at San O. Guess it's my price for catching some of the best waves of the year.

To all those commenting, thank you very much. I don't always check my own site so I reply really late. I'll answer any questions you might have and at some point, I guess I'll start posting up pics.

San Onofre Wonders

Pull off on Basilone Rd, head west, stay in the right lane. and you'll come up to a sign that says "Surf Beach." It's right next to the Nuclear power plants on the border of Orange County and San Diego County. If you have never gone and you long board, then you're seriously doing yourself a huge disservice.

Make sure of three things before going there during these upcoming summer months:
1. Check to see that there's a swell when you plan on going there.
2. Get there early cause there's only a limited number of parking spaces (more on this later).
3. Invest in some booties cause walking out and walking in over rocks hurts!


I got there at 6:30, which is just under the gun in terms of finding a decent spot on the south side. The sky was a bit over cast, so I suited up and paddled out. The water was warm! Walking out, I was reminded how painful that part was. It's a great place to learn to surf, if the person learning has booties and can deal with the shiatsu massage your feet get. The paddle out to the outside took awhile. It's a long, long paddle, but the waves don't punish you as they break on you.

The waves were perfect. 3 - 5 foot waves rolling through, pretty consistently, too. I caught my fair share of waves during the morning session. Stayed out there over 3 hours and just kept catching waves. The big ones were loads of fun and you can take off late. It's as if they want you to take your time and figure out how best to enjoy them. Even when you pop up, there's a ton of time for you to make your bottom turn and cut back to the curl of the wave. I couldn't imagine a better day than that day.

The afternoon session was good, but not as good. The winds picked up, giving the surface a bit of a texture. It wasn't long before my arms gave out on me that I just couldn't paddle anymore. I caught one more wave then called it a day.

Sunday was back to the home break and it was just crowded. I can't believe the absolute zoo I found out there. What gives? These people were in wetsuits and yet weren't around during the winter months. They come out during the summer months and start dropping in on people. I only caught a handful of waves and then just left after an hour. That was cause my shoulders were toast from the day before.

I wish everyday could be like Saturday.