The Stoke of Overhead+ Windslop

Well there's nothing like several days of 15 to 20 knot NE to onshore mix to blow up some big disorganized overhead+ windswell. There are no sets and these aren't the clean long overhead lines featured in surf magazines. You're paddling out into large wind slop for a shot at the towering triangular peaks that shoot up as waves merge over just the right spot. They're unpredictable and you'll have to PLF to position to catch one, but if you're into big, quick, steep, drops down towering faces you might want to give this a shot.

This past Thursday Evening at the pier showed decent large windslop conditions. Though it prove less disorganized than I'd expected it was still rough and a serious side-shore current had set up; the current stayed strong even beyond the shore break it took constant paddling to keep from getting sucked into the pier. There's a great spot on the north side of the pier that tends to focus and peak up northeast windswell even under normal conditions and I could tell there was some potential there for some monster waves to form. Unfortunately every wave I caught from that spot put me inside fighting the worst part of the current.

I had been out about an hour -- fighting the current the whole time to keep from getting sucked into the pier -- and had caught a hand full of decent head-high rides when a wedgy 10ft wave loomed overhead. I chose to take it right at the peak which proved to be a mistake as it pitched me forward just as the bottom had flatten out and sent me for a big drop. I tossed my board and went under and didn't get worked over too bad.

I broke the surface to to find a long 6 foot line coming in. By this time I was exhausted and dangerously close to the pier and that was the most welcome site in the world. I pulled my board to me, caught the wave and let it carried me in all the way to shore. Silently I thanked God that I wasn't going to have to fight the current to get back in safely. I managed to walk 20 feet or so before calmly heaving up half my dinner.

A good day.

Stay Stoked,
DH