Clean 3’ plus surf with offshore breeze and air temps in the 50s. Time to get an endorphin fix to offset the recent craziness. Surf paddle sessions are free (if you have the equipment already).
-sing
4 Likes
Fog has cleared. Surf’s up! Very clean 3-4’ swells in the 10-11 seconds range. Perfect waveski day! (With 38 degree water temp, minimum of 5/4 full hooded wetsuit and neo mitts REQUIRED!!!)
-sing
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Sun broke out, albeit after I was done with the session. Water was wicked refreshing. 
My waveski roll is off. Thankfully, didn’t have to swim. I made my 3 “combat rolls” by the skin of my wetsuit… Whew! Despite the brisk water temp, it does feel like spring is around the corner. Jovial surfers and friendly beach walkers abound.
Mahalo!
-sing
5 Likes
It truly is amazing the diversity here, some people just like poking down a small lazy river, @jeremysart, some people like big open water, @PaddleDog52, some people like Whitewater, @tdaniel , some people race, @Craig_S and some people don’t travel to anywhere in particular, they like surfing waves, @sing …I guess its all paddlin.
It must be spring!!! Water temp just topped 40 degrees. 40.8 degrees to be exact. 
But heck… we got 4’ plus waves with 11 second intervals in MassBay again from a quick moving disturbance overnight.
PLAYTIME!
-sing
Endless Winter - Snowstorms every night, water temp is 36 getting itchy to get out and paddle, probably not for a month though.
Hey, nothing says “spring paddling” out west than ice melt whitewater!
On another note. Have you ever surfed an old school (11’ finless) IC, Mega Jester?
-sing
I believe I have, but was many years ago. If I remember right I liked it but the cockpit was very tight. Boat was very skinny in the bow. I bought a necky jive from the owner who used to live in Malibu; I don’t remember his name.
Your positive memory is a good starting point. If the sharp chines of my longboat can hold on a waveface, the sharper rails of the the IC should too, sans fins.
Yes, small cockpit. Closer to an ocean cockpit than the more modern small cockpits.
Yes, “spearpoint” like bow. Don’t know how that will ride. Guess focus of cutbacks will keep the nose from pearling into the trough.
The boat looks to be carbon/kevlar (light is good, especially as i get older) and the price is beyond good given upcoming tarriff war.
-Stay safe with snow melt water.
-sing
The boat I tried belonged to somebody who had sold one of his homemade surf shoe designs to Malcom and Mega when they were starting out. He was a super gung ho whitewater paddler and told me to come off the waves in an “ender”. This was at San Onofre on a morning very early when we were the only people around on a weekday. There was a really strong backwash coming back from the beach and he showed me how to bury the bow right at the clapotis and then pirouette (or more often land on my head and back). The bow was very easy to bury in the deep foam, but I imagine you could break the boat doing this in usual conditions.
I’ve been trying that with the longboat (the Stratos, NOT the Progression). I end up with the same results–combat roll practice. LOL. I’ve yet to successfully pivot around and end up facing out to the waves.
I think I’ll make a play for the Mega IC.
-sing
1 Like
Will pick up next month.
Should be fun doing “stoopid” kayak tricks (with a finless) again on a waveface (well far away from other surfers). Have not done any 360s, 720s and backsurfing since I sold my Mega Venom and Wold Epic surf kayaks in favor of waveskis long ago.
-sing
3 Likes
Found this video of IC (finless) surf kayak finals at Davenport, from back in the day. (Two of the finalists you know are no longer with us). May actually be one the events you witnessed.
Anyway, just checking out the riding style for finless ICs:
-sing
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Nice waves, and good down the line surfing. I couldn’t tell who won, but could pick out Grossman,;he had a very athletic style. It’s probable I was at Santa Cruz since my son was still at Stanford then, but I don’t remember being there for this final. When those big sets pump up outside in the video, I get a woozy feeling in my stomach, having sat at ground zero and a lot of those waves are either drop in or get a real punishing day at the cliffs.
I remember you mentioning the sessions and events at Davenport. I have only been to sessions in Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, Dana Point and the spot you took me to in SD.
Not sure if I’ll get to surf west coast any time soon. I was intending to do Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia this summer but am scrubbing that. Maybe PR surf for upcoming winter. Still have not had a chance to use that Kalua SofT waveski from several years ago.
More places I want to surf (would love to see Irish surf) but time is flying by faster.
-sing
What got you into Surfing so much? All other forms of Kayaking involve some kind of destination, not Surfing, , it is just Surfing to be Surfing. It is kind of unique.
I think the wildest day at Davenport ( November 2005?) I was on the cliff taking video. I think those were still “Expression Sessions” triple overhead. Davenport when it’s big is the scariest place I have ever surfed. I thought I had the triple overhead day on youtube, but it seems to have been taken down, I may have used music that the copy right judge at youtube wouldn’t allow.
I’m hoping to get in more surfing in California and New Zealand before I punch out but health issues and family health issues are not looking good. Going to have to be satisfied with Class III whitewater this summer.
Can’t speak for Sing, but I got into kayak surfing encouraged by my son when he was about 14. Since then we have had the chance to catch waves together in Mexico, California, Hawaii, New Zealand etc .Surfing has two components, one is an adrenaline rush and the the second is the feeling of being connected to the ocean and using the power of waves formed by winds blowing hundreds or thousands of miles away. Once you feel “the stoke”, learning to tap the energy of the ocean to do what you want becomes very addictive. Some people get it, some have no clue. Here’s a video that gives you. an idea of why some of us do it.
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It is just interesting, every other form of Kayaking involves getting somewhere, that is part of the experience. Surfing is just feeling the wave, feeling the water, that is the whole experience snd it is enough to addict you.
The other thing is, how do ya’ll get along with the Boards? They can be very possessive. One neighborhood group was actually criminally prosecuted for the tactics they used to protect a local surf zone from outsiders and they were other Board guys.