Santa was generous to the surfers in Ventura County this past Christmas. While the winds howled from the north east on Christmas day, a solid north west swell built along the shores, spreading from north to south. By dawn of December 26, the wind was a whisper, and the waves were solid.

By Wednesday dawn, the air was clear and brisk; the ocean was smooth and lined with corduroy. Many came to play in the waves, braving the chilly temperatures for the memorable rides on the watery slopes. Were the snowy slopes any better for board riding? That would be difficult to believe.

Since it was a holiday, many folks didn't have to work. That left them free to surf, surf, surf. And a tribe of waveriders took the chance to do just that. Though these pictures don't really show the crowd in the water, rest assured there was a large gathering. It was tantamount to a wetsuit convention.

The swell angle was such that multiple takeoffs were working, helping to spread the crowd along the coast. On the other hand, individual waves didn't much connect from one spot to the next, so rides were shorter than usual for this place. This also helped support the large crowd; one surfer rode a wave into a closeout section while another surfer caught the wave down the line in front of that same section.

The best waves were overhead, and slightly hollow. No wave broke completely top to bottom, but some offered compact pockets where a cleaver surfer could hide from view for a few moments. Curling lips were everywhere, and a fine spray flew from the wave crests headed backward toward deeper water. The modest offshore breeze insured this phenomenon.

Longboarders were interspersed with shortboarders, and at least one butt surfer shared the waves with everyone else. A couple boogie boarders also played in the waves, making for a mellow and mixed group. However, no one was trying the stand-up-paddle style of surfing.

As the pictures show, the different styles of wave riding vehicles in the water supported different styles of surfing. Longboarders carved and glided, shortboarders slashed and turned like skateboarders riding half-pipes. Most went right, but a few went left, against the prevailing swell direction.

It was a short-lived present from Saint Nick. By Thursday dawn the swell had decayed back to the marginal level. It was rideable, but not nearly so juicy as the day after Christmas. Gotta get the waves while the humps are happening.

CU Out There,

DogMan