Nose Exploration

I work in a local bike shop. Of the 17 people that work there, 8 surf and several more are in the process of learning (I suppose we're all still in the process of learning, but you know what I mean). The boss surfs, the manager surfs, and so on. We've been getting together mornings lately and surfing together before work. It's been great and we've scored pretty great waves for July. It's not uncommon to go weeks in the summer without rideable waves, so several days a week is pretty good.

This morning was shaping up well with light off shores and a couple feet of swell at a decent period at WB, so I got up at 5:45 and was on the beach by 6:20. I watched for a few minutes, trying to make up my mind. There were only two people out and they didn't seem to be catching much. I decided that since I had gotten up and driven down I might as well get wet, so I drove a couple blocks down and found a parking spot close to an access and waxed the log, hoping I might just catch enough to make it worth getting up (it doesn't take much). I made my way up to the access where we meet and eventually found Cam, having ridden a few pretty good waves in the meantime. It ended up being pretty darn fun, with stomach high glassy waves, left and right, a bit of a pack (it is Sat. and July after all), but spread out enough so that it wasn't a problem. By 7:30 I was surfing with Jim (the boss), Cameron, and Billy, all good company. It's not saying much, because I'm not a great noserider, but I got three of the best noserides I've ever had. It was a memorable session on that note alone. Just fun quick clean waist-stomach open-faced lefts where I could make my turn and run to the nose. Usually that lasts only a second before I've either fallen, outrun the wave, or have to back off, but these waves just held up perfectly in front of me, and water was breaking over the tail, so it held me up. I got out around 8:30 and went to work to get a shower and cup of coffee before the day really got going. It was a good one.

And I even have witnesses.