Inmates Running the Asylum

[Tex]

I hear you Pra and I can appreciate the distinction you articulated above.

[BOX]

Hey, I know I’m just the new guy, but I wanted to (over)share my thoughts on Tex’s original post.

I showed up here because I wanted to learn more about surf conditions and surfing in Oregon in particular. Sure, I could read internet articles and watch youtube videos, but almost all of those were from warm-water locations like Australia, Hawaii, So. Cal, Costa Rica, etc. I found very little regarding Oregon, or even the PNW, that wasn’t just generic information. Any website I found that focused on surfing the PNW was pretty much a gear shop using the articles to draw in customers. Nothing wrong with that, but I needed to know more than about what kind of gear I needed. I wanted to know how to use it.

For me, trying to learn about conditions and other surfing lingo from a starting point of zero is pretty difficult. Although I’ve been in Oregon coming up on 10 years now, I didn’t grow up here and lived pretty landlocked for the majority of my life. It’s a steep learning curve when you’re doing it on your own and haven’t been in the water since you learned to walk like some folks. I found several pages that would give me data regarding the conditions, but very little on what I was supposed to do with it. I’ve tried to match up what was predicted to what I observed, but I’m still often left confused. I have lots of questions and since I’m fairly introverted and don’t hang out with surfers IRL, I thought the best way to get answers would be to find seasoned people who were discussing conditions, listen to them, and try to learn.

I found this page through a link on the Oregon Surf Check website. I once headed out to surf on a day I thought was predicted to be good, but coincidentally ran into a co-worker at the top of the stairs warning me that there was a crazy rip current and that I would be risking my life to go out there (although there were other surfers in the water that day, based on my skill level he was probably right). I asked him how he knew since it didn’t mention anything on Magic Seaweed or the other pages I checked and he told me he found out by checking the Ossie’s Surf Shop website. I went to the Ossie’s Surf Shop page under the “surf forecast” link optimistically expecting a good, local breakdown of conditions, but all I found was a broken surf cam (still not fixed as of this writing) and a link to Oregon Surf Check. While I appreciate the existence of the Oregon Surf Check page, again, all it did was give me data. No discussion of what it meant. Not wanting to give up, I started clicking on the links at the bottom of the page, and lo and behold, I found this forum.

I lurked for a bit because as an introverted beginner I was a bit intimidated by the way higher level of knowledge and experience that you all have compared to me. Plus you all seemed like a fairly close-knit group, and I felt like the little puppy who wanted to run with the big dogs but couldn’t handle the high grass, if you know what I mean. Eventually I got over myself and signed up since the whole purpose of me being here was to engage and learn from seasoned folks. You all have been very welcoming to me in the short time I’ve been here, and I sincerely appreciate it. Thank you all.

That’s my personal experience. I don’t know what would bring others here, but the mere fact that this is a forum dedicated to surfing in Oregon already gives this page an advantage since to my knowledge, it’s the only one that exists (please feel free to educate me if there are any others). Perhaps it needs updating, but I do believe that this forum still serves a purpose. I wasn’t here in its heyday, and I don’t know why so many left, but perhaps it could simply be that those folks took their discussions to FB, IG, or some other social media format. I once belonged to a small online group that pretty much died once FB came along. We eventually found each other on there and that’s how we’ve connected since. Could be the same thing going on here.

If you are looking to attract new people to the forum, perhaps opening up more discussions or posting more information specifically regarding Oregon or the PNW could attract people looking to find out tangible, practical knowledge of surfing in this area. Basically, if you build it, people searching for the information will come (again, because it would be the only place to go to my knowledge). However, there is something to be said about keeping it small to have deeper conversations. The bigger net you throw out, the more likely it becomes that folks you might not want hanging around may show up. I mean, I’m here, so let that be a warning to you all

Personally, I don’t care if there are 5 people or 500 on this board as long as those who are active are friendly and willing to spend time to help a poor newbie out. Don’t know what I can do for you in return in the immediate, but karma will forever be in your favor

[Tex]

BOX,

I think you just broke the record for longest OSP Post EVER....NICE WORK!

Great to hear your story, I remember feeling that exact same way, being the new kid on the block and not sure when to jump in. All the other guys still hanging around here have been here a lot longer than me so they probably have an even more nuanced perspective on the matter.

It has been fun reading your surf reports and I am stoked you are getting some good runs down the face of the wave, nothing better than that experience bro.

At one point, I was thinking about how to leverage the OSP into an Oregon Surf Association with contests and more formal membership to help the groms get early training and to accelerate their chances to turn pro if they wanted to.

I also thought about ways to work with the OSP to form a non profit organization to help get a wave park built in Oregon.

Lots of ideas but then all the more advanced and sophisticated social media sites started popping up and we lost mostly everybody. By the way, I started on OSP Instagram account, if you want access to admin rights, let me know so you can add pics: oregonsurfpage_osp

I am still really impressed with all the content that has been contributed to the OSP over the years. I remember some times when conversations got pretty heated, I know I got pissed a couple of times. There are some folks who really know how to press buttons on here, overall, we mostly got along pretty darn good.

Anyway, glad you are here BOX, thanks for all your contributions.

[Major Lazer]

Just keep going when it looks good BOX. At your stage in the game you have nothing to loose. Patterns are cryptic at best. Weather and seasonal trends play big, but that is though to put your finger on these days. Algorithms are fairly useless. And sand transport and distribution is mind boggling. Tides are crucial and I dont put my money on suck outs, but living local is key and even then having a flexible schedule esp when the days are so short. If not just keep driving and when you see surfable waves, well surf.

[bluesilver]

I had to skim, I think I have ADD.
However, I will say that once you're in better shape and have a good understanding of them, riptides can be great for getting through the chop with little energy use. I've used the rip that runs along Haystack Rock, but I wouldn't recommend it at this spot, lots of submerged rocks.

[BOX]

Sorry... brevity's never been my strong suit...

Thanks for your help, everybody. Sincerely.

[erzats]

I happen to love the 75% out of commission, rusty nails and broken glass feel of this site and surf check sites and even surfing in this neck of the woods. Gives you the sense that the technological rapture will blow all this into the void or, if we are lucky, is currently blowing over and past it leaving us this nice little eddy to float in.

[Tex]

You nailed it Erzats, we are just a tiny little hovel of social media cast offs trying to keep it real.

[X-squid]

So that brings up a good point - I've probably been surfing in Oregon less than most of you -born and raised in CA and have been surfing since I was 11 or 12, but was on hiatus for almost a decade after I moved here in 04. I picked it up again here about 5 years ago, and in that short time I've seen a huge influx of numbers. Not just noob-kooks either.

In 2012/13, even in the summer you could hit SS at dawn and have it to yourself for an hour. Fast fwd to a few weeks back: walked the trail in almost total darkness and there was already 1/2 a dozen cars in the lot and just as many suiting up on the beach. And this was a weekday.

Have you guys that have surfed here for 10 years or more seen an ebb and flow on the numbers, or has it just been a steady climb over the years? Seems to me the last 2 years have seen an almost exponential spike in the number of people in the water, winter included.

[smithgrind]

I would say it's been a steady climb with a noticeable explosion in the past three years or so. A huge
factor are the conditions, when it's on, the crowd is on. In the past, you could score primo waves mid
week in the winter with just a few heads outs. That is no longer the case.

[Tex]

Agree with SG....constant increase in #'s over the years. Mornings and weeknights still trip me out in terms of how few surfers I see. The weekend warrior crowds are pretty stupid.....people parking way north up 101 past the lots.

What is most striking to me is the increase in the number of women in the line up...seemed like from 1990-2005 there were so few women surfing. Since 2005 that number is blowing up.

[Spent]

I'm thankful you can still get those days with just you and a few friends on a lone peak, if you're timing and location choice is right. Hwys 26 and 6 lead to crowds... there are other Hwys...

[Major Lazer]

Local pop has increased, valley pop has increased, and overall level of surfing has risen expediently over the last 5. Thought it was just the north coast, but found out this fall central is busy as ever too. Not sure what other Hwys there are that don't require a longer than 2 hour drive? Couldn't believe the number of heads on rando north coast peaks that rarely produce a few weeks ago, but I've seen days where I thought there'd be crowds and none so.... Think the crowd factor is now like getting good waves, requires a bit of luck.

But dong patrolling SS Place is know for morning sickness. One wave I wont wake up early for and is rarely better than surfable. Always a last resort unless it's the season for it.

[Tex]

Back in the early 90's the only surf forecast was what I found in the Seattle Times long range weather which included tides and swell heights for the WA coast....I didn't even know about NOAA or their swell models back then. If I had time, I just went surfing, hoped for the best. Now with forecasting, everyone generally knows when spots will turn on, creating an amplified crowd that never existed before forecasting happened

[Major Lazer]

Yep forecasting is far better. Used to call the coast guard stations for buoys and local observations. I figured out how to equate bar (wave height) observations into ocean waves to some extent. I knew if the bar a 6'-8' waves there was a good swell hitting. The local surf shops used to get Surf Fax Sean Collins early forecasting tool and post which gave a decent long range. Still even when the forecast looks epic, results can still be less than favorable.