Met AstroMan at his favorite surf break for an early Saturday session. As is usual this time of year, the tide was minus low. Thursday and Friday had brought horrendously powerful winds; by Saturday a decent wind swell was breaking across the reef. You know how it is with this sort of swell, inconsistent, peaky, lumpy waves with little power. But hey! We were surfing!

AM paddled to the lineup first, but I joined him soon after. We shared a few nondescript rides and a bit of casual conversation. In the midst of it all, AM got one or two decent waves that connected several sections. I, however, only got the short gutless rides you would expect from wind swell.

The lineup was choked with thick ropy kelp patches, made all the more irritating by the lower water level. Long dark tentacles undulated across the surface, more than once snaring me in their grip. The kelp also had a penchant for grabbing the fins of surfboards that might be riding a wave. The unwary rider was pitched over the nose of the board, which stopped on a dime when snagged in the kelp. We call this kelp diving.

Soon I tired of this game, and came ashore to snap some pictures. Unexpectedly, a variety of birds graced the scene. Must be surfing birds. Turns (terns?) out they are the real photo stars of this column.

Also included are some shots of the extra-low tide and the exposed reef. I also got one long sequence of AM riding one of the available waves. It's June, there are waves, only two in the water, what's not to like?

CU Out There,

DogMan