Huntington Surf Session

I suppose I was inspired by the Vans US Open of Surfing...

I went down there on Sunday to check out the Men's Finals with my roommates. It was packed. Thousands of people crowded the pier and beach area. I got there just in time to see the two Brazilian finalists go head to head. When the guy in blue won (it was announced over the speakers), he put his hands to his head and his competitor in yellow pointed at him as they both caught a wave all the way into shore. Hundreds of people came into the water to congratulate him. He won a hundred thousand dollars. I think the other guy got some Vans. There were cool Vans too of every stripe- from high tops with Yodas to classic designs, a lot of hats and apparel. The surf industry almost seems more about style, fashion, and merch than surfing. It's sort of the bad boy, rebellious image that people relate to- and I think Dogtown and Z Boys showed that from the start, skating and surfing drew from that same well; guys that were rejected by society or from poor backgrounds, that devoted themselves to performing dangerous physical stunts. Guys like Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, and Rob Machado have brought it to a class of professionalism and athleticism. But even still, in the US, surfing is often looked at as an escape and not a destination.



The waves have been small all summer, though Huntington usually has a significant size. I was down there mid-week two weeks ago to see a different bit of the competition and it was tiny. So going back yesterday, it wasn't clear what I'd find, besides serious traffic. I left at 3:30pm but it took until about 6pm to actually get there. It was windy driving down from the north and there were a lot of kitesurfers- always a bad sign if you want to surf. But beyond the pier there were a few guys in the water. I parked and changed into my wetsuit and hit the water. It was nice to be in again. I think it'd been a few weeks- possibly since the Ocean Park surfing competition on 7/15. it was already late by the time I got in the water but also, the wave formation wasn't great. Waves would crumble before getting to you or split in different directions. They had size but it dissipated. There were probably three fields of waves to get through before the line-up (though only about ten of us there). One of the nice things about Huntington is how broad the break is. Waves seem to be the most competitive to catch near the pier, but they break all over.

For more than an hour I sat out there on my board, bobbing around, waiting for something. There was a current drawing me south away from the pier but I kept trying to stay somewhat near the other surfers. I had only put two dollars in the meter. As the sun started to set behind the pier, I was getting bored and thought- this was a dud...when I saw a nice set roll in. It's weird but I knew I would catch the first one. Normally you skip the first one so you don't get caught in the impact zone of the second one. They usually come in 3-4 waves. But I grabbed the first and it was large. There was a big drop- felt like 5' but not really sure. I was riding a 7'8 board and caught it and stood, and it moves so quickly when you're riding them. But I was able to turn some and ride it into shore almost like the Brazilians had done a couple days before. I was so stoked and psyched about the drop. That's normally where I fall. But I think all the MMA conditioning has actually improved my balance a lot. We've also been doing a lot of squats and jump-squats and core work, so all of that seems to be helping. I paddled back out enthusiastically- and the next one I caught was stronger. It had already broken actually- but was so big it was still breaking, and it felt like I was going about 90mph. I wasn't able to stand in time and ended up bodyboarding it. But the final wave was cool and made me feel good. I stood again on a good size drop and bottom turned, which is the first step towards real surfing.



It's amazing how long it takes to learn to surf. It takes real dedication too- just to get out to the waves on a consistent basis. But as I was in the water out there yesterday watching the sun set behind the pier, and the moon is out, and it's just me on this frontier of nature and society, it felt really beautiful and good. I remembered what I loved about surfing- because I got pretty negative on it for a while. I kept cutting my feet open on rocks or wiping out or just not getting good rides. But for me, it's really about that sense of unity with other things and that sense of peace and relief you have when you're out. You're tired in a good way and sort of proud. Changing back into normal clothes you're grateful or basics like water and heat, or a good song on the radio. It's just such an awesome feeling... and so rare that people feel that way in regular society- maybe because it's such a physical activity, and so many of us are in our heads all day. Find me on Instagram at @devastrado1 if you want to see more photos.

Cheers-
GPR