3’ plus wind swells in the 8-9 seconds range. With an onshore breeze, 60 degrees and hazy sunshine, the beach was largely wide open with just a few surfers (who either ate retired like me, or skipped work).
It rides loose and when I try to carve/edge the rails aggressively, I often stall and fall off the backside of the wave. A bit frustrating. But a mediocre day on surf is better most other things I would otherwise be doing.
Does San O have good, consistent surf in the summer? RI and mid Maine get consistent waves in the summer, because of the Bermuda High that takes over. However, these are usually short to medium period waves rather than long period, deep swells. I have been a member of RI Canoe and Kayak Association (RICKA) for several years, but have only made it down for one rock garden/surf session in all this time. Have to admit that I am not highly motivated usually to drive too far to paddle…
When it’s good, it’s very very good. South facing breaks pick up waves from huge “southern hemisphere winter storms” that form near New Zealand in the roaring fourties. Hurricanes make their way up the pacific coast and pump good surf into south exposed California Beaches. Consistent is not a good term for those events, maybe ten or so a summer and the rest of the time it’s relatively tame, better summer surf than I have seen on the East Coast when visiting, except hurricanes of course. I tried to find video for some epic swells with kayaks and waveskis a quarter mile out from the nuclear power plant but couldn’t find. Here’s a video of. “small waves” on a slightly above average day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqBSL74WNaI&list=RDRqBSL74WNaI&start_radio=1
Thanks. Fun watching some of folks go at it with finless longboards. I’ll keep going some more with the IC, as is, before possibly installing a longboard fin box on this ride. The tradeoff with a fin is better directional control and wave face grip, but harder time getting off the beach into the water. It’s been so long since I last rode a surf kayak, I forgot the whole rigamarole of getting on a skirt on the coaming and than fighting sunken fin in the sand to slide into the wavelets.
Glad I went. With lousier waves, I wasn’t concerned about trying for long rides. There weren’t any to be had. Tried instead for one good cutback, maybe two, and the rare three moves before the wave closed out. Had a better practice than expected! Reminded me of the adage often given to WW novice/intermediate paddlers who are inpatient to move beyond class II - “Hey, nothing wrong with working on class III moves on a class II venue!” True that.
Here you go. A “blast from the past”. Tyler Lausten found a “consistent” wave in New Mexico!!!
I didn’t even recognize the waveski “grom” from “The Search” until the reporter gave his name. New Mexico is a long way (in time and space) from Santa Barbara. LOL!
Tyler surfs a lot on the Los Animas near Durango CO , there is a surf park on the river there too and he shapes river boards for the locals. He is very into photography too. If I remember correctly his mom owns a ranch near the San Juan Mountains.
I think he will custom make whatever you want. A while ago he was making waveskis for adaptive surfing, and I think several competitors are using his skis.
