Hanging at the Hook in Santa Cruz.

Some mornings are foggy, cool and small.  Still a surprise to see one sneak by.

Summertime weather is not a common thing in Santa Cruz.  Beach weather we don't get a whole lot of.     From Memorial Day through Labor Day you are more likely fog in the mornings and wind in the afternoons than a sunny, hot, calm day.  But we do occasionally get some fine weather.  And when it is less than ideal, there are some places that are better than others.  Sure you can duck behind the cliffs at 4 Mile, but the wind still hits you on your walk in and out.  One of the real positives of the relatively new sea wall on Pleasure point is how much sand is getting caught and making some fine little beaches.     It is pretty much a low tide thing only, but when the water is out, it is the place to go.  And it is were my son and I have been getting our beach time recently.  Turns out a few surfers like to catch the waves  near there as well.

The reason why I am here.  Fun times with sand castles.

Everyone is getting some, whether you are out on the skiff looking for fish, or on a fish looking to skiff.

For each their own.  The Hook is very longboard friendly, especially on the smaller days.

If you are willing to work it a bit, it is well worth being on the small board.

It makes it easier to throw some buckets off the back.

It is pretty much perfect for hanging out with a two year old.  Paved, free parking lot right at the end of the avenue with a bathroom and outdoor shower.  A short walk across Eastcliff Drive, down about seventy steps, and you are there.  Sandstone benches are up above the high tide level and living reef showing only on the negative tides, with hard sand beach in between.  Right at the bottom of the steps is a great spot for charging the shore pound.  As you head south it becomes mellower, but the real good stuff is the series of tide pools that develop when the water pulls way out.

The long boards do have a little bit of an advantage, especially on the small days.  This was the wave of the morning.

A fun looking section speeds off down the line.

Lining one up.

This guy came down the stairs, paddle outside, and caught one of the better waves of the morning all in about 3 minutes.

Right in the middle of rush hour.  

But there were still a few of these sneaking through the pack.

The surf does not suck either.  If you like that kind of thing.  My guy mostly ignores the action, but occasionally will watch a set or two.  He is more likely to check out your stick and hello as you enter or leave.  And he will have a way better session than you when it comes to measuring with a stoke meter. He owns the beach and rules the shore pound.  Sure, it is more like shore wash down at the Hook, but that just allows me to chill and eat a breakfast burrito.  Up at 4 Mile the pound is pounding and requires a much shorter leash and much more attendant father.  Anyway, this is not a blog about how cool my son is, it is about the surf, and the Hook really does offer up some fun looking surf.  Its been a long time since I surfed the spot.  Crowds are not really my thing, but the wave does have a lot going for it.

The wave break just off the beach making for a very short paddle out.  And a few lefts come through as well.

The Hook forms a nice little pocket that will sooner or later rifle off down the line.  In other words, it is pretty fun.

What crowd?  Father and son heading out for a nice quite session.

This guy is just trying to spray that bird up there.

When a solid south swell hits, the Hook can get super fun.  And super crowded.

But when you stand about 4'6" you tend to not have folks caving in your waves.  Who wants to be that guy who drops in on grooms?

For one thing, the paddle out takes about ten steps and seven strokes.  For some that is a huge plus.  You will not get tired surfing this spot expect on the biggest of winter days.  In the summer you pretty much chill out for ten minutes as you wait for the sets to arrive.  Little to no current to battle.  No crazy sets having you paddle hard for the horizon.  You are not really going to get held down.  Just some fun sized, mellow, easy surf to rip up.  The real challenge is the crowd.  It is not just the size of the crowd (recently when a decent sized south swell arrived on a Sunday there were 45 guys out), but the mix.

I think he is a pre teen.  Not too shabby.  Better watch out for this guy.

Lots of eyes on you when you surf here.  Better rip that thing apart.

While not the juiciest wave around, the Hook does often have quality shape.

Plenty of opportunities to move some water around.

Or you can opt to lift off the lip.

And while not the best south swell spot in town, it does focus some water.

Shortboards and longboards.  A few spongers and an occasional SUP.  Newbs, kooks, groms, gapers, rippers, dweebs, pros, and old dudes make for a variety of skill and style.  So you need to pay attention and paddle for the right one.  If you are on it, you generally score quite a few fun waves.  But other days are mellow.  This morning for instance had a good 15 people on it with little to no surf.  As things got closer to noon, the tide filled in a touch, the swell started showing at waist high and only four surfers were out in the line up.  Timing is everything.

Some of the locals patiently wait for high tide.

Traffic can often suck.

Mind surfing the empty waves.

The best part of a wave like this tends to be the top three inches.  This guy has got that figured out.

Keeping it tight in the pocket is key.

So many copy cats out in the water these days.

If you are not a fan of siting shoulder to shoulder with 40 of your closest friends, there are other options around.  Shark's Cove is one of my all time favorites.  Not really a short board break when smaller than head high but a very nice wave none the less.  Shark's pretty much starts where the Hook ends in a closeout.  It bowls up nicely and then wraps into a cove sometimes offering up a very long ride.  I hit it about a month ago.  I was planning of taking my log out to 2nd Peak but a contest had the Point closed down.  I was about to turn around and head home but decided to give a look see.  Sure it was small.  Ankle biters.  But ankle biters that bowled, barreled and then wrapped for rides that required a good 100 yard paddle back.  Hell, I was looking for exercise and it was just about perfect.

One thing I need to work on is my focus.  Maybe a wider range of focus is what I need.

This guy did not care.  He boosted anyway.

Dragging fins.

Looking east toward Capitola Wharf.

When it is this glassy, even the small days can be loads of fun.

I just enjoy this shot and had some many opportunities to snag it.  I thing this is the best one from this roll.

And if you are not yet enticed, there are the other breaks on your way to Capitola.  Privatess, Trees, Piles are just a few of them.  You'd be surprised what makes its way in there.  Of course you will want a fair amount of foam along this stretch of coastline as the surf tends to roll much more than throw.  But you also tend to have a little more space for yourself.  And it is certainly mellower than fighting for waves at First Peak.  The really cool thing is when the tide is pulled way out, you can walk all the way from the Hook to Capitola.  Grab a quick bite if you plan to beat the tide back.  A few of the points get a little tricky once the water starts to fill in.

The booze cruise takes in the sights.

Typical day at the office.

Here we go.

Making the most of a smaller one is always a lot of fun.

And still, every once in a while one would come through and make it look like an empty line up.

This set caught my little guy's attention.

Some times you just need to sit tight and let the wave do its thing.

But this story is really about the wave at the bottom of the stairs.  It really is a pretty decent wave.  It picks up swell from pretty much every direction.  I've only been there on the lower tides recently, but it seems to break on the negative tide, and gets great form before one foot, and was still breaking nicely over 3.5 feet.  So it pretty much works through all the lower tides.  It also seems to work pretty nicely on even the smaller days.  While under three foot it tends to be better suited for the long board, the better waves that line up offer an opportunity for those of you who know how to generate speed on your small boards.  But you will need to wait a while if it is anything like this morning.

Staying in the pocket is what you will want to do on this waves.

The Hook is tucked pretty much in the upper reaches of Monterey Bay.  

Tuck just a bit further in is Shark's Cove.  

Getting ready to walk up toward the nose.

As the south fills in, the wave really pulls some water out of the bay.

The wave is pretty much ruled by the long boards, but that does not mean you can't get out there on something smaller.

A classic California roller.

A little further down the way a group hangs out at Privates.  

Now, I can really only attest to what I have seen this spring and summer, but the wave really wakes up with some size.  It does not need the super long period stuff, but that does not seem to hurt it either.  But get some chest high stuff in the 11-14 second range and things really start to perk up.  If you are smart, you will sit on the bowl, wait your turn, be diligent about getting it, and pick the good one.  At head high plus, things really start cook.  You better be ready to build and handle some speed.  There will be a guy on the beach with his kid trying to snap pictures of you throwing water around.  Hell, if all you do it point it and cruise it, I'll probably still snap away anyway.

The big souths wrap and peel all the way to the Capitola Wharf and beyond.  

Shark's Cove is a classic California point break.  

Tucked up in the top of the bay.

Are you just a little bit jealous.

Back up at the Hook the short board crowd is ruling the line up.

Yes, please.

A nice solid head high wave.

The SUP dude was back out once the swell hit and had no problems finding a few gems.

But then again, this is not really about the wave either.  I guess it is about the beach and how much fun it is to spend the morning there with my two year old.  And if you are thinking you should head on down there with your little lad or gal, do it.  Choose a day when the sun is out and the tide is low.  Mid day is best, before any strong winds develop.  We hit up mornings and stay until nap time.  The past two have been warm and sunny.  Tomorrow should be in the 80s downtown.  No better place to be than sitting at the Hook chilling with my family.

With water just over the reef, it is time to head out and get a few.

Head out, headed in and getting some.  

From up on the cliff it is pretty easy to see all the action.

One more empty one.

Tide pulled out negative with a pack sitting on pretty much every workable wave.

This was a Monday, mid morning with 2nd Peak way up in the distance.  Doesn't anyone have a real job?

Don't stare into the water for too long.  

Gonna finish it off with a nice tapered one.  

New Board

Looking from shore can often feel like you r are locked up.  

For me a new board does not come along all that often.  It was about a decade ago that I returned to the snow and started sinking my toy fund into all types of AT gear and goretex.  And that stuff ain't cheap. But it was fine because I do take real good care of my surf gear and boards can last me for quite some time.  But this past summer my wife decided it was time for a new board and declared it my birthday present.  So I began my search for a shaper to work with.  As luck would have it, in June we moved in to our new home, across the street from local Santa Cruz shaper Buck Noe.  While I had never looked closely at any of his boards, I did notice that a lot of the pictures that I had captured of folks ripping it up in the water were riding a Noe.  Seemed like a good endorsement to me.  Apparently, his boards work just fine.  So I walked across the street and started the conversation.

Small days brings you right in front of the cliff.

Sometimes it feels like freedom just chilling on the cliff.  Guess it depends on your perspective.

Sandstone and Ocean.  What a combo.

I've been trying to get decent shots of folks just as they stand up.  Its nice if the wave is just standing up as well.  The Slot works.

"Wa'SUP?"  Pretty sure this guy was taking a business call right here.  He's got the best office in town.

Even the smaller days of spring can offer up a few fun ones.

I've always been a big fan of working with a local shaper.  As a kid I spent a few years making boards. While none of them were state of the art (like, we used a blue/yellow marine resin instead of clear) it was great fun playing around with different shapes and building up our quiver.  Still, my performance short board was a Kechle, and nothing we shaped even came close.  But they were still plenty of fun to ride.  When I got a few years older, and earned a little cash, I started working with Mike Moran at Syco to get me a few boards.  I still have a Syco big wave gun that was actually designed for out here.  Anyway, when I first moved to Santa Cruz in the 90s I was dirt poor and broke, so I  was purchasing local boards from the used rack.  Once I got my feet under me, I started to search out someone to work with.  Eventually I moved in with a dude who was an apprentice shaper.  We worked out a great deal, where I paid for materials and he shaped me boards.  I did a lot of the design work, fine tuning what I was looking for.  He got to practice planing and glassing.  I got to practice air brushing.  And just to make sure the system worked perfectly well, I bought the beer.  Looking back on it all now, some of the boards came out great, some okay and a few, well, would work well maybe at Puerto.  But I had grown and rounded out my quiver in the period of a few years and I was stoked.

Like I said, some fun ones rolled through from time to time.

Dropping

A good demonstration on how to attack the lip.

Got it.

The Slot doing its thing.

I just like how my camera focused on the wave face on this one.  Everything else is a blur.

Then slowly life changed.  I surfed less, and more importantly, had less flexibility of when I could surf. So often I was is sub perfect conditions.  And I got older.  Let me warn you about that, because it happens to all of us.  I used to be able to literally surf 12 hours a day.  Now a days, after two hours, I'm pretty much done.  Old folks get tired.  And now, twelve years since the board bonanza, I have pretty much the same quiver, with only my daily driver having been replaced, by a near replica of what I was surfing a dozen years ago.  Oh, the other thing that has changed drastically?  Board design.  So, yeah, I was stoked to try something new.  Noe did exactly what I hoped for.  We talked.  About where I surf, how I surf, how I'd like to surf, what I did not like with my current boards and so on.  And he looked at my boards.  After running some numbers, he made some adjustments to his daily driver and presented the idea of a 6'0" x 19 1/4".  Sure.  I trust the shaper, let's give it a try.

Almost all in.

Coming off the top.

Got to love it when the flow just starts to go.

Kneeling in adulation.  

Lining up forever with only a few folks out.  Oh, and the sun is shining too.  Can't beat that.

Morning glass looking into the sunshine.

Even if a new board is not your dream ride, it is a new board.  Seriously, there is nothing, other that a great surf trip, that gets me in the water more.  If nothing else, it is something new to try.  I am rather pleased with my new board.  It was shaped as a daily driver, for waves between say about thigh high up to a foot or so overhead.  A bit wider in the waist, and quite a bit so in the tall, than what I had been riding on but with a good deal more volume and glide it has been way better in the small and weak stuff.  Which is what I tend to get more often than not these days.  I'm talking about the sub chest high, not all that well lined up or hollow of a wave.  Or if it is a zipper, its a short one.  Anyway, the new board is way more fun.  Sure, it took a while for me to get used to.  I had been shimmying forward quite a bit on my old equipment, to get squared up over the foam, in the gutless stuff.  On my Noe, you actually stay with a foot on the tail.  Like you are supposed to.  In the better stuff it is a good deal looser than my old boards.  This is mostly a good thing, but you need to focus a bit more on the steeper, chunkier, more gnarly drops.  Again, though, I was out a day this winter in surf 2-4 feet overhead, and it was actually a day when I and the board were doing it right.  So much fun.  I was joking with my buddy that I am getting 33% more turns in on the wave.  I'm still old and slow, but having a lot more fun and getting way more out of the wave.  Even got my first air in years.

Returning to the source.

A smooth surface truly begs to be carved up.

Small days break close to the cliff.  Real close.

The view from the cliffs.

The view from the water.

I still have a lot of learning to do.  Hope to get out in a few hours.  And it is not a one board quiver by any means.  I still need to grab my egg or longboard for when it is truly small.  I can grovel a little, but it is not a groveler.  Not sure if I want one of those yet, but I have seen some guys getting really fun looking waves on a dedicated small wave board.  And for the most part, with a decent wave, it is super fun up to a foot overhead.  After that something with a bit more grip and drive might be in order.  Scrimping change already and selling off old equipment cheap to fund the next one.  But I know where I will be going to get one made.  And this is why I have always liked the idea of working with a local shaper.  They know the waves, they know their boards.  When you go back for round two, you just need to describe how you thought round one went.  Talk and refine.  Hell, if you have some money to float, you can get a board shaped, surf it 6 months and then sell it.  Yeah, it cost more in the long run than just keeping and taking care of a board, but you get to refine things until they are perfect.  Kind of like renting fins until you find the ones you like.  Kinetic has a pretty good program and that is how I found the ones I have now.  Anyway, new board.

Still ruling the roost even on the more crowded days.  

Indicators working all the way around the corner with a view of the Casino.

Sometimes you just need to pull out the rhino chaser and take it out for a few laps.  

Making the most of the inside shut down.

The 70s are alive and well in Santa Cruz.

Working it all the way through the inside.

So anyway, yeah, new boards are fun.  Bottom line is get one if you can.  Even if it is only new to you.  It will help keep your surfing fresh.  And if you are an intermediate or more experienced, you may want to consider a custom build.  I prefer working with a local guy, but some of the bigger companies have a pretty good program of making you the boards that will be right for you.  Or just go down to the local shop and talk with a shop rat about boards.  Something else that has been fun is the spring surf this year.  All these pics are from March and April at the Lane.  Nothing epic, but fun.  Looks like we are in a little dry spell right now, but if you know where to look, you can ferret out some waves even now.  It helps if you are stoked on a new board.

Palm Springs Surfing

So last year, when I went with my family to spend time with my parents in Palm Springs, I got out skiing a bit.  See, I am not so keen on the heat.  And I have a chlorine alergy, so taking a dip in the pool is not my favorite thing in the world.  But the joy my parents and my son seem to get out of each other is pretty awesome, so I agreed to Palm Springs.  Last year was a pretty thin year down south, but I was able to find some snow at the top of the tram (yep, they have one that brings you from the valley floor to above 8,000 feet) and around the back side of the San Jancintos via the Palm to Pines Highway.  Anyway, this year made last season look kind of epic, and with a south swell expected to hit the Southern California coastline on late Monday, I laid plans to get myself out to the coast.

Early morning view on the drive up Palm to Pines.  The sun rising in the east and a dust storm blowing from the west. 

Making the most of a small corner at Uppers.

My buddies Jeremy and Jeremy were expected to be around.  The first lives in San Diego, I was my partner on the tram ski expedition. So I knew he'd be up for some adventure.  The second was from San Francisco, but had made the trek south to get a piece of this steep angled swell.  So no doubt he was up for adventure.  Those two hit up Cotton's on Monday Night, and the report came back as a building swell.  I decided to wait until Tuesday, to allow the swell to fill in a bit, and at least say hello to my parents.  So, SoCal is known for sunny warm days and clean crisp surf.  Right?  So I put on some shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops and hit the road around 5:30.  It is a two hour plus drive from the desert to the beach.  I opted for the mountain route to avoid driving through the sprawl that is L.A.  A half hour in, I thought it felt pretty chilly, so I checked out the car thermometer.  28F.  Certainly it could not be that cold, so I rolled down the window to take a check.  Yup, that cold.

Even with the mid morning low tide, there were plenty of super fun, lined up, steep rights coming through.  

While the lefts tended to be shorter, they were hitting the cobbles stones a bit nicely, and a few bowled up for inside barrels.

At least when I got back down to sea level the air temp had risen into the low 60s.  The flip side is it was raining.  In the OC.  Seriously?  It pretty much hasn't rained all winter in California, and today it was raining.  On me.  But I was here, so I took a stroll down to the water to take a look.  The walk down to the beach is not too bad.  I remember how I once heard it was such a long walk to Trestles.  But seriously, it is not too bad.  Lowers takes a bit more time, but it is certainly no trek.  With the drizzle and the chill, I headed down to Uppers.  I left the gear in the car, waiting for my friends to arrive.  The breeze was onshore, and the sky overcast, but when I got down to the beach, the surf was pretty glassy.  A good dose of morning sickness was on it, so I ended up driving around the coast a bit, waiting for the sun to come out, and the tide to fill in a bit.  By late morning, we were in the water, surfing overhead Cotton lefts.  It was good.  Real good.  I think the other breaks were doing pretty good as well, but the great thing about our choice is we had the peak all to our selves for over two hours, while 20 or so guys scrambled around Uppers and a good 30 plus were packed around the Lowers peak.

This guy looked like he was having some fun with the crisp and clean walls.

Providing a good demonstration on how to surf off the back foot.

With the forecast for the winds to push off shore through the night hours, I laid plans for an early morning session on Wednesday.  And earlier start had me arriving at the parking lot at 7:30.  A quick suit up, and walk down the water had us checking out a swell that had dropped significantly overnight. Waves were only running from waist to head high, so we opted to paddle out at Uppers because it was making more of the small conditions than Cotton's.  A good choice.  As we walked out over the cobblestone's a good five surfers paddled in.  The crowd dropped from 20 or so spread out, down to just 8 at one point.  Again, we found ourselves alone on a peak.  But only for 45 minutes or so.  Then, at about hour three of our session, I think 25 guys paddled out, all within 15 minutes.  It was shoulder to shoulder from Barbed Wires through the entire Uppers lineup.  Caught a decent one and called it a vacation.

He also had some front foot maneuvers he was playing around with.

Up high, there were some colder temps.

So, anyway, I took some out of focus pictures on day number two.  Sorry I did not do a better job, but I ended up using all my time to surf, so I just quickly whipped out the camera and pulled off a few shots. But man, did I get lucky.  As we neared our trip, I kept on hoping for a good snow to fall in SoCal, but we barely even saw snow in Tahoe in 2013.  So, I figured I take a day to surf, but of course, was not expecting much.  I mean, it is April.  Not exactly the middle of south swell season.  But, if you've never been, and you find yourself within a few hours distance, you should really paddle out at Trestles.  Those waves are a bunch of fun.

Back in the desert...