Say one thing about Santa Cruz; there's another reef just up (or down) the coast. So many places to make waves peel, so many places to ride, so many variations on a theme. This time up, it's a different reef, a different swell, a different crew, all coming together to shred.
Spin like there aren't any fins on the board
Young, flexible, and very very good
This particular break is not for you. No really. If you are not on the front side of your surf career, if you are not super flexible, good at wave anticipation, quick to accelerate from a dead stop, and hestitate the slightest millisecond popping to you feet, then you better not even think of paddling out here.
Cutting back with fanning spray
All to see
On the other hand, if you live in the hood, grew up with the crew, can ride a board shorter than you are tall, and spend as much time in the air as in the water while riding a wave, then this is the spot for you. Older more seasoned surfers such as me will watch and photograph your tricks and maneuvers, and turn them into a DogManSurf column for all to see.
Cut back
No worries
The action is quick, the lineup is microscopic, the reef is shallow and even exposed, and the waves are hollow. If you can surf here, I dare say you can surf almost any high-performance small wave right in the world. If you can't surf here, no worries, you are in a rather large club of folks such as me who surf other spots and have plenty of fun.
Curling lip
Part 2
Click back to the DogManSurf Chronicles next week for more pictures and part 2 of this column. Check it!
Swell:
Steep northwest swell 5-6 feet 9-10 seconds, south swell 1-2 feet 12-14 seconds
Wind:
Northwest wind, strongest mid-afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
0.5 feet at dawn, 3.5 feet at 11 AM, 2 feet at 3:30 PM, 4.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny, some fog at the coast
Best call:
Dawn patrol wherever there's a hole in the fog
Saturday
Steep northwest swell 4-5 feet 8-9 seconds, south swell 1-2 feet 12-14 seconds
Wind:
Northwest wind, strongest mid-afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
0 feet at dawn, 3.5 feet at noon, 2.5 feet at 4 PM, 4.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny, some fog at the coast
Best call:
Dawn patrol wherever there's a hole in the fog
Sunday
Swell:
Steep northwest swell 3-4 feet 8-9 seconds, south swell 1-2 feet 12-14 seconds
Wind:
Northwest wind, strongest mid-afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
-0.5 feet at dawn, 3.5 feet at 12:30 PM, 2.5 feet at 4:30 PM, 4.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny, some fog at the coast
Best call:
Dawn patrol wherever there's a hole in the fog
Summary
Gradually decaying NW swell throughout the weekend, which is from such a steep NW angle it is unlikely to penetrate the breaks in town anyway. Small but steady southwest swell all weekend long. Combine a low tide break that peels with south swell and a hole in the fog at dawn for the best choice.
Koya is young, as you can see. But he surfs like a man inside a younger person's body. His poise and grace in the lineup is remarkable. It's a joy to watch him work even these small gutless waves at Capitola this spring. Could you do this good?
Exploding the lip
Making the most
It requires no small amount of athletic ability to make small waves look this good. Koya generates a lot of power in his young-man's frame. He makes these waves look a lot better then they actually were that spring day on the beach. He's a natural for SurfTrip'n!
Cut back
Get you gear
When you see Koya shred and looking good in
Surftrip'n
gear, you have to get some for yourself. So
click on this
and get some now. Can't help but make you surf better than ever!
Swell:
Steep northwest swell 7-9 feet 11-13 seconds, very small south swell
Wind:
Northwest wind, light in the morning, moderate in the afternoon
Waves:
All sizes from microscopic to waist high
Tide:
2 feet at dawn, -0.5 feet at 9:30 AM, 4.5 feet at 5 PM, 3 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny, some fog at the coast
Best call:
Mid-morning low-tide session wherever the fog clears
Saturday
Northwest swell 5-7 feet 9-10 seconds, hint of south swell
Wind:
Northwest wind, light in the morning, moderate in the afternoon
Waves:
Non-existent to thigh high
Tide:
3 feet at dawn, 0 feet at 10:30 AM, 4.5 feet at 6 PM, 5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny, some fog at the coast
Best call:
Mid-morning low-tide session wherever the fog clears
Sunday
Swell:
Northwest swell 3-5 feet 8-10 seconds, slightly building south swell in the afternoon
Wind:
Northwest wind, light in the morning, moderate in the afternoon
Waves:
Flat to knee high, however, late in the day should see some better waves
Tide:
3.5 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 11:30 AM, 4.5 feet at 7 PM
Weather:
Sunny, some fog at the coast
Best call:
Noon session at a low-tide break, dusk session at a south-swell spot
Summary
Small swell decaying throughout the weekend. However, your best gamble may very well be a duck session Sunday evening. Find a place that tolerates higher tide levels and optimizes the south swell that is expected to build over Sunday afternoon. It's a gamble, but it could really pay!
Spent an afternoon in the village by the sea. Small swell, sunny conditions, warm temperatures, large beach crowd, and no parking to be found were the conditions. My surf bud Mike and I struck a bit of paydirt. More on that later.
Sweeping the kelpy seas
Janitor convention
The far side of the pier appeared to be infested with janitors, sweepers; you know stand-up-paddle boarders. Hard to believe how many are in the lineups these days! It must be a lot of fun, otherwise why would so many be doing it? Can't be for the cool factor, I must say.
Fun on a long board
Fun session
In the main lineup near the tiny jetty, kids and adults played in the same space. It was super mellow, kind of like a family outing. Capitola has small gentle waves, so it seems to attract a gentle forgiving and cooperative crowd. It's a fun session out there, not really a performance session.
Lone sweeper
Outside janitor
Curiously, there was only one SUP in the main lineup. This guy was also super mellow, sitting way outside anyone else waiting for the infrequent rogue wave that could propel him from out yonder, through the normal lineup and into the beach. He only caught a couple that I saw, but each one was lengthy and beautifully carved.
Kid on a log
Bingo
Mike and I were both paying a lot of attention to one young surfer who stood out in the crowd. His style is effortless, his maneuvers are instinctual, and even in the small waves he got a lot of memorable rides. When he came ashore, we met, spoke with him and his folks who were also at the beach. I am pleased to announce we have a new teamn rider for our company
Surftrip'n.
Next week's column will focus exclusively on Koya, team rider. For now, check the pic below.
Swell:
Northwest swell 5-7 feet 8-10 seconds, background south swell
Wind:
Moderate to brisk northwest breeze all day long
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
1 foot at dawn, 4 feet at 10:15 AM, 1.5 feet at 3:15 PM, 5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Some clouds
Best call:
Dawn patrol a low tide break
Saturday
North-northwest swell 7-9 feet 10-11 seconds, background south swell
Wind:
Moderate north breeze early, turning northwest in the afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
0 feet at dawn, 4.5 feet at 11:15 AM, 1.5 feet at 4:15 PM, 5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny
Best call:
Dawn patrol a low tide break
Sunday
Swell:
North-northwest swell 7-9 feet 10-11 seconds, background south swell
Wind:
Light north wind early, strengthening and turning northwest in the afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
-1 foot at dawn, 4.5 feet at 12:15 AM, 2 feet at 5 PM, 4 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny
Best call:
Dawn patrol a low tide break
Summary
Another consistent weekend. Steady swell, good weather, reasonable tide swings. More swell on tap this weekend. Big tide swings are the thing, hit it earlyt to catch the low tide waves, avoid the swamping high tide at dusk.
Well, there is a bit more swell this week than last. Some chest high waves are rolling through the breaks, pretty much all weekend long. But this is part 2 of the column started last week, which outlined the out of control conditions in Santa Cruz from earlier in April.
You can see part 1 of this column here.
Way out of control. 25 feet of crashing breakers in DogLand
Into DogLand
I continued the drive toward San Mateo county, snapping pix of the awesome conditions. In the pic above, you normally can't see any breaking waves from this vantage on Highway 1. These waves are easily 25 feet on the faces, and breaking in unpredictable spots, with unpredicable results. Anyone trying to paddle out here on this day was destined to fail to get there, or fail to catch anything rideable. Hopefully no one was tempted to try.
Out of control beach break
Beach brea
Further into DogLand the story was the same, only more extreme. The beach break shown above is usually not much to surf, but on this day it looked dangerous. Rips and sideways currents were sweeping the ocean, making the conditions downright deadly. You can see that caution was the order of the day, and no one was out there tempting fate.
View from the Top of the World
Dave's place
Dave's not here
So here's the scene at the reef I like to surf at Dave's Place. Usually the reef defines the breaking pattern of the incoming swell, but not this morning! The swell is overpowering the reef, making it irrelevant to the incoming wave fronts. No one is out here either. Looks like sightseeing is the order of this day, not actual board riding.
Swell:
Northwest swell 5-7 feet 9-10 seconds, background south swell
Wind:
Moderate to brisk northwest breeze all day long
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
1.5 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 9 AM, 3.5 feet at 5 PM
Weather:
Sunny
Best call:
Surf in town, out of the wind
Saturday
Northwest swell 7-9 feet 10-11 seconds, background south swell
Wind:
Moderate to brisk northwest breeze all day long
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
2.5 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 10 AM, 3.5 feet at 6 PM
Weather:
Sunny
Best call:
Mid-morning low tide break in town
Sunday
Swell:
Northwest swell 7-9 feet 10-11 seconds, background south swell
Wind:
Moderate northwest wind in the afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
3 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 11 AM, 4 feet at 6:30 PM
Weather:
Sunny
Best call:
Dawn patrol out of town, noon session in town
Summary
Another consistent weekend. Steady swell, good weather, reasonable tide swings. Only things to avoid will be troublesome NW winds, and higher tides at dusk.
Capitola at dawn. Even here the swell was out of control
As I type this, we are in the midst of a heat wave pushing temperatures into the 90's at my humble Santa Cruz Mountain cabin. Flocks of folks are cooling their heels, and the rest of their overheated bodies, at the numerous beaches hereabouts. Everyone with a sponge, a shredder, a log, or a sweeper-mobile within a huge radius is hitting the surf breaks. But guess what? There is only minimal swell at best.
Closest thing to a surfable break that morning. Still out of control
Out of control
So this week's Chronicle is a look back; just a short while ago in early April there was too much swell in the ocean. It was damn difficult to find somewhere safe enough to paddle out, much less surf a decent session. What started for me as a search for a safe place for a dawn patrol turned into a tour of the coast that was beyond insane with waves from multiple swells.
The Lane looking doable in this shot
Macking
Not only were the multiple swells crossing, they were all major energy impulses. Though the shot above makes the Lane look tame, there wasn't any particular spot out there where you could set up with a decent chance at a decent wave. No matter where you were, there was a clean-up wave to nail you.
Check how far out there the humpers are breaking
Humpers
At the lighthouse, I found Jay and a group of surf addicts. I snidely told them, "I don't know, I think I need to find a break with some more size!" They smiled but didn't laugh to much. That morning was perfect for hanging on the cliffs and watching the ocean boil with anger.
Care to jump into it here?
Another dangerous splash zone
Slamming
On the West side the same story was told. Too big, too inconsistent, way out of control and not at all surfable. It was interesting to see the usual breaks gone insane with wave slamming energy. By this time in the morning, a hearty group of coast watchers was gathering to share the vibe and feel the power.
Looking back toward the Lane; feathering mackers at least 1/2 mile offshore.
Next week
So I continued the adventure, heading west out of town. Click back next week to check the action there. No surfers of course, but lots of pictures of the out of control ocean. And today it's almost entirely flat!
Swell:
West swell 5-7 feet 10-11 seconds
Wind:
Moderate northwest breeze in the afternoon
Waves:
Waist high
Tide:
0.5 feet at dawn, 4 feet at 11:30 AM, 1.5 feet at 4:30 PM, 3.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Some clouds, some sun
Best call:
Dawn patrol at a low tide spot
Saturday
West swell 5-7 feet 10-11 seconds
Wind:
Moderate northwest breeze in the afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
0 feet at dawn, 4 feet at 12:15 PM, 2 feet at 5 PM, 3 feet at dusk
Weather:
Mostly sunny
Best call:
Dawn patrol at a low tide spot
Sunday
Swell:
West swell 5-7 feet 9-10 seconds
Wind:
Light south winds early, turning southwest and moderate in the afternoon
Waves:
Chest high
Tide:
0 feet at dawn, 3.5 feet at 1 PM, 2.5 feet at 5:30 PM, 3 feet at dusk
Weather:
Mostly sunny
Best call:
Dawn patrol at a low tide spot
Summary
Consistent fun-size waves all weekend. Low tides at dawn are the best option for many breaks in town.
Still have some pix from this great session a few weeks back. This is the last installment , you can see the first cut
by clicking here.
The second column
can be clicked here.
Fresh out of words to describe the place and the action further, so the rest of this column is nuthin' but pix!
Swell:
Northwest swell starting small and building mid-day through dusk to 10-12 feet 14-16 seconds
Wind:
Moderate to brisk west and northwest breeze all day long
Waves:
Overhead late
Tide:
3.5 feet at dawn, 0 feet at 11:15 AM, 4.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Some showers possible
Best call:
Dusk session for the most height
Saturday
Northwest swell 9-12 feet 13-15 seconds
Wind:
Moderate to brisk northwest wind all day
Waves:
Up to double overhead early
Tide:
4 feet at dawn, 0 feet at 12:30 PM, 4.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Mostly sunny
Best call:
Dawn patrol for the biggest waves; noon session at the low tide breaks
Sunday
Swell:
Decaying northwest swell 9-12 feet 11-13 seconds
Wind:
Light northwest wind early, stronger in the afternoon
Waves:
Head high early
Tide:
4 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 1:30 PM, 4.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Sunny
Best call:
Fun waves noon time in town
Summary
Swell builds Friday late, with possibly double overhead waves for early Saturday. NW wind could be problematic all weekend long.
Yes, your suspicions are correct - there IS a surfer tucked into that fold of water
Last week's chronicles just got this theme started. You can see that column
Just down the street a bit from the location of
by clicking here.
The waves at this spot are just down the road a bit from the Lane, but they might as well be in a different county. Smaller in size, but more critical in shape and much much faster, the waves in the Cove allow (demand?) a higher level of technical expertise. You can see it in the pictures illustrating this coulmn.
Big spray, top turn, kelpy wave face
Photo frame full o' aerosol salty spray
Young
Notice the surfers in the shots. No pot-gutted, middle aged, log riding SUV cowboys here! Your age must be young, your body lithe, your board short and shaped like a dagger. Maneuvers such as these are not generally found at the Lane; or other more popular and well-known surf spots in the City of Surf.
Lip slammin'
Leaning hard into this cutback
Behind
Taking off is a thrill at the Cove. You face down a rocky outcrop, make the drop, then turn hard right to avoid collision. The wave face in front of you is sucking water up toward the lip, throwing it squarely through the air, and slamming it into the shallows ahead of you. Move fast, or be left behind.
Wheeeeee!
Floating
Part 3?
Still have a lot of great closeup pix from this session. Who knows? Might be a part three of the "Down the road" column next week. Click back to check it.
Swell:
Northwest swell 6-8 feet 9-11 seconds
Wind:
Moderate northwest breeze all day long
Waves:
Chest high at the best spots
Tide:
1 foot at dawn, 4.5 feet at 11 AM, 1 foot at 4:30 PM, 3 feet at dusk
Weather:
Mostly sunny
Best call:
Dawn patrol in town
Saturday
Northwest swell 4-6 feet 9-11 seconds
Wind:
Light offshore early, turning moderate and onshore in the late afternoon
Waves:
Waist high at the best spots
Tide:
0 feet at dawn, 4.5 feet at noon, 1.5 feet at 5:15 PM, 3 feet at dusk
Weather:
Some clouds
Best call:
Dawn patrol out of town with maximum exposure to the NW swell
Sunday
Swell:
West swell 3-4 feet 9-11 seconds early, building later in the day
Wind:
Light to moderate breeze from a troublesome direction, southeast turning southwest
Waves:
Waist high at the best spots. New swell coming in the afternoon, should build the wave faces taller
Tide:
-1 foot at dawn, 4.5 feet at 1 PM, 1.5 feet at 6 PM
Weather:
Mostly sunny
Best call:
Dusk session in town
Summary
Gradually falling steep angled northwest swell all weekend. Biggest on Friday. New swell arrives late Sunday
Stroll down the road a bit and you can see this overview from the cliff
Take off in front of the reef and go hard to the right
Just down the street a bit from the location of
last week's chronicle
, a different sort of action played across another reef. This is the subject of this week's tale; a follow on is planned for the coming week. It's a look back a bit, since the weather and the ocean is not conducive to surfing, as I type and compose this.
Perfect place to hide a crouching goofy footer
Diagnonal surfer
A look back
It's a completely different wave from what you can find at the Lighthouse. Instead of long rooling rights wrapping around the cliffs, this wave is a high performance fast little pocket rocket. Not for slow longboards. Notice the crew in the water is young, and quick.
Flash of blue through the green
Staring at the spray
Differences
You can see a difference in the surfers, the surfing, and the waves from the Lighthouse to this reef, lees than one mile away. It's a testament to the variety of waves, wave riding vehicles, surfers, styles, and levels of experience in this, the City of Surf.
Swell:
West swell 7-9 feet 11-13 seconds
Wind:
Moderate southwest breeze in the afternoon
Waves:
Head high to overhead
Tide:
3 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 11 AM, 3.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Mostly cloudy
Best call:
Mid-day low tide session in town
Saturday
West swell 9-12 feet 13-14 seconds
Wind:
Bothersome south wind in the morning, strong westerly wind in the afternoon
Waves:
Overhead
Tide:
3.5 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 12:15 PM, 3.5 feet at dusk
Weather:
Showers
Best call:
Dusk session at a high tide spot sheltered from the wind
Sunday
Swell:
West swell 13-16 feet 12-14 seconds
Wind:
Moderate to strong north-northwest wind in the morning, turning more westerly and diminishing as the day progresses
Waves:
Overhead
Tide:
4 feet at dawn, 0.5 feet at 1 PM, 4 feet at dusk
Weather:
Mostly sunny
Best call:
Dawn session at a high tide spot sheltered from the wind, or a mid-day low tide session in town
Summary
Increasing swell throughout the weekend. Bad weather Saturday will prove challenging for wave riders. Do your best to stay out of the wind for best results!
Slow, unrelenting rain transforms the landscape into a soggy mess. Gloomy skies block almost all light, and absolutely all warmth. Temperatures struggle to reach the low 50's, and runoff continues to stain the ocean brown. Overnight, the strong south winds tear the ocean surface into a jumbled and confused stew. Small gutless swell barely breaks as it moves across the reefs. In short, not a good day for surfing.
Nose walker
A look back
Given the current conditions, it's more that suitable to look back to last weekend's action, for part 2 of the Dirty Water Chronicles. Here are a few more shots of the sweeper contest at Cowells and the Indicator. The mixed crowd enjoyed brown water, with waves that are epic compared to the offerings this weekend.
Contest janitor
Down the road
Just down the street a bit, a different sort of action played across another reef. This is likely to be a subject for next week's column. One pic is included here, just for a tast. However, there is still Sunday to come, which could redeem the weekend surf story. Swell is on the rise, tide will be low at dawn, and if the weather and winds cooperate for a change, the wave riding could be a whole lot of fun. Let's hope.
Swell:
Northwest swell 5-7 feet 9-11 seconds
Wind:
Light northwest breeze early, clocking around to southeast and moderate late
Waves:
Waist high
Tide:
1 foot at dawn, 4 feet at noon, 1.5 feet at 5:30 PM, 2 feet at dusk
Weather:
Some clouds
Best call:
Ride some small waves at a low tide break for the dawn patrol
Saturday
Northwest swell 7-9 feet 11-13 seconds
Wind:
Strong southeast wind early, turning southwest and finally west while lessening in force through the afternoon
Waves:
Overhead but very sick early
Tide:
0.5 feet at dawn, 4 feet at 1 PM, 2 feet at dusk
Weather:
Rain, heaviest early, then turning to showers
Best call:
Try a moderate tide break while the sun sets. Forget about dawn patrol
Sunday
Swell:
Northwest swell 7-9 feet 11-13 seconds
Wind:
Offshore all day, light to moderate
Waves:
Overhead early, then abating as the day progresses
Tide:
0.5 feet at dawn, 3.5 feet at 1:30 PM, 2 feet at 6:30 PM
Weather:
SHowers
Best call:
Bext conditions of the weekend. Get the biggest waves at dawn where the low tide is favored
Summary
Changing conditions throughout the weekend. Smallest waves but best weather Friday. Storm conditions early Saturday. Sunday dawn patrol is likely the best choice of the entire weekend.
The DogMan Chronicles
