Fall Surf Log 2023

[Tex]

I mean September is technically fall right?!?!?

[Major Lazer]

Get out the flannels and order those pumpkin spice lattes.
Who else is ready for 7 or 8 months of rain?

[Howly Wolf]

Saturday morning. Quiet and overcast. Waves 3'-- clean as a whistle and crystal clear, but mostly closing out. No mind, paipo time! While shuffling out, saw someone race a thumper into the shallows. Didn't think much about until they stopped me to inquire how bad their broken, bloody nose was. Not bad enough to end a session over. In the dip, drifted to a low key peak and slid over, sideways, in, and out for an hour or so. Didn't trunk it this time, though might as well've since my hoodless wetsuit kept getting flushed. Wide variety of sensations & visions throughout, underwater in particular given each submerged coil of energy rolling through is a tube unto itself.

Swell eventually filled in, ranging shoulder to overhead (and rising). Put the plank away and just did a bunch of surfing, but who wants to read about that?

[Tex]

Sorry, forgot to report in on my Friday afternoon sesh. Any guesses where? My bro from Corvallis had a pit stop in Manzanita on his way up North. So we met up for the eve on a small swell, 1 ft at 9 seconds. Long boarding super peaky waves right around waist high. It was more about getting time with the homies. We had a blast. Tide was outgoing so we surfed till it was all just closing out.

[Major Lazer]

Smaller than expected the other am earls within range of spot #3 which was fine by me. A couple of keen heads were already on it that have been surfing this bar as of late. Luckily that has been about it. Suited but not booted, but put the hood on this time around. Air was a little chilly. Jumped in the channel, a couple of duckers, and was out dere. Little bigger than it looked. Outside roll-ins to racey inside ramps. Some walled out, some not. Fast one-hit wonders, but covered a good bit of ground after kicking or straightening after close-out hits. Paddles back out were a little rigorous. CustoTPat was the call. Boars been loving this wave. Swell was building as seshwon progressed and the bar got maxed or flooded or both. Had lunch watching swell fill in. Wanted to dub at peak HT at spot I surfed Fri for 1st time in ages curious if it was holding, but buddy had a hot date back in town. Hopefully, solid swell the last few days move some sand around? Or not, just go back to 4' and no wind then.

[Doc]

Just back from yearly 4 day Fall run on the Oregon coast...
My nephew said it was 25 years we've been doing it...
I have 3 40+ year olds still surfing, drinking and camping...
Not sure, I don't really count but I think that's close...
Start was camping at Oswald (when you could) circa 1990ish...
Then he invited his friends and the rest is history.

Anyhow, day 1, Thursday at SS was super solid and fun...
Got pretty close to a barrell on a couple waves but just couldn't close the deal...
Also pulled off some late late acid drop lefts which on a 9'4" single...
Had me smiling and paddling out for more...
Sunshine, head high and easy access made for a great start.

Day 2, Friday, swell was dropping so opted for a non-SS spot to start the day...
Paddled out near the tunnel with 2 of us on the north side of the haystacks...
And 1 opting for the south side of the rocks...
I never made it south because despite the moniker of the place it was anything but...
Could of callled it Thumpies this morning,,,
Glassly, warrbly from the refraction but solid chest high rights all morning...
Thought about staying but ditched for the afternoon wind protection at you know where...
Surfed late into the afternoon, hot, hot, hot day...
Coulda trunked it if i'd of been willing to wrangle a bigger board down the trail.

Day 3, Saturday rain did not ruin the morning but the drive out from Nehalem river camp got wet quick...
Opted for the only place that was a realistic choice and it was frumpy but surfable...
I did get in some quality morning nap time while others paddled out but got some chunky ones late in the day.

Today, checked the jetty but it was not happening so back our fave on the side of the sea...
After yesterday's escalator of wave delivery, opted to go further north for the mysto peaks away from 30 heads...
Got a handful of fun ones but also took a dozen plus on the head after said fun...
Still it was a worthwhile expedition and now I am headed home to face the music...
Of a lengthy list of chores compiled by a spouse seemingly unimpressed with my good surf fortunes.

doc

[Major Lazer]

That jetty has been dead ever since the extension project in 08 or whenever..... pretty much guaranteed skunking. Perhaps I gave up too early on Fri? Thought it was done, but looked like a fun sesh went down late arvo and coulda double dipped one more golden warm sunny summa seshie and coulda stuck it out until Sat, but got cracking on my list of chores, and replacing the hot water heater was on top of the list. This rain and cold kinda sucks. Wasn't ready for it TBH.

[Major Lazer]

Who won the South Beach Pro?

[Major Lazer]

Ended September with a multi day post-up and a couple of good ones, one in particular that was properish. Thumping HH-OH drops to bowly walls with some chandelier sections. Scored thanks to tip from a local amigo and that's all I can say....... sandbar #3 was about as good as it gets the next morning. A little slopey than it has been, prob due to Harvest Moon big HT, but made up for it with workable walls, some really long. Had one of my longest rides here milking a couple of sections on Jah Mid. Bit of an unusual crowd here as it's been super quiet recently, but was Saaauuurrrday. Perhaps peps finally saw the potential or maybe the offshores grooming it nicely on a classic warm sunny fall day? Who knows, Mid collected my waves. It was a serviceable September, the surfer's summer. Great weather, warm water really made it for me, and OK waves with a few exceptions late in the game. Can't complain.

October started pretty meh. Swell was lumped and butter conditions of prior days were not the case. Almost passed and gassed it home, but my buddy talked me into go out at Bodhi's, a brave proposition on a Sun IMO. More serviceable than elsewhere, put some waves together, but nothing good. Kooky @ss crowd filled in by 11ish and was outy 5G.

[BOX]

Who won the South Beach Pro?

I was curious myself since I couldn't find any information anywhere until I saw this in the Newport News Times today:

The big winner on the day was local surf instructor, Deklyn Wood.

Wood, surfing since the age of 7, captured both the open shortboard and men’s longboard state titles last Saturday in a sparsely attended event under crisp seasonal skies. Following a dominant 15.13-point performance in his open shortboard quarterfinal heat, Wood posted a 13.98 score in the semifinals, but was topped there by another local favorite, Taylor Tice, by 1.9 points. In the open shortboard final, Wood’s 13.97 was enough to best Tice by 1.1 for the title. Justice Schenk was third at 9.60, and Trevor Christian Tice tallied a 9.17 to finish fourth. Local favorite, BOX, did not compete.

Rest of the article here: https://tinyurl.com/msssc86c

[smithgrind]

Motored down to engine with neck deep and the TX ranger just in time to
catch ML dripping’ in the lot as he finished up. More swell than anticipated
and ND was questioning his Grover board choice for the day. Oh well, paddle
what you got.
Turned out to be a fun day. Water was still warm, sun was blazing and winds were
hella off shore. Sets weren’t really holding up but mid sized rights would line up
on occasion and I saw some really nice rides by a few heads. Two hours plus later
we called it a day after a thorough caught inside multi set beat down that washed in
almost everyone. Rolled down to Cannon Beach for to go beers then perched ourselves
on a bluff to take in the action at Cougar Rock. Wasn’t really working but that didn’t stop the half
dozen frothers that were on it.
Hightailed it back to the ditch in time for dinner with the fam. Great day for gong bath.

[Major Lazer]

Mid to late week post up netted 5 seshwons in 2.5 days. Epic weather, crispy golden hours, glowing orange Autumnal sunsets, and crazy warm evenings. Wed eve was the best by far, rolled over after onsite day, sesh started slow, flooded, and gutless, although some improved shape was evident after storms and rain. Surprising considering 6' of groundy on the buoy. Then after about 30 min of grunting and groveling, tide sucked out and DING, the classic wedgey lefts started absolutely cooking amongst a mellow crowd. ONly CH but long-running and rippable, one of those seshies where you're in sync and seem to be on the peak, in the right place, time and time again. Best sesh at this often frustrating spot in over 2 years. Quite the smorgasbord of backside rail surfing, and the best sesh to date on MR Twiny, which lit the F up in said conditions. So fun being able to bottom turn, set up, wind up, and release man hacks spraying the kids paddling back out. Caught as many waves in that one sesh than I did the next 2 days. Sometimes the ole man, gets on down!

[Tex]

Well done ya'll! Glad your scoring some solid fall sessions!

[Major Lazer]

Anyone else been micro-dosing on this lil LP? Been dosing on a 9'6" last 3 days. Pulsey lines ((....

[Tex]

Been out on work travel in DC all last week, bummed to have missed the gorgeous little swell with some HP....my hunch is there will more more.