MC wrote:
1) it's cold
2) it's sharky - that's just a fact.
3) it's fickle - ditto
4) as previously stated, the coast of the pnw isn't exactly thriving with career opportunity.
I really don't understand all the complaining and fear about crowds in the forum. Is there some spot that's getting overrun with throngs of rippers that i don't know about? In 7 years of being an OR surfer, I've had a hard time getting waves because the wind was blowing 40mph, or it was 15ft+, or currents were ripping, or the whole beach was slop or closed out, or i was so cold that I couldn't paddle anymore. but, with the exception of one spot that everyone knows about, i can't think of 5 times where i couldn't get waves because it was too crowded. i understand there's more surfers. but nobody comes here to surf. the growth is spillover from the valley, and if you're a local and you don't have enough skill/knowledge to get waves from valley kooks (no offense, i'm one too), then you have no right to complain. if you're from the valley and you can't get waves, you're probably at shorties and you should stay there and enjoy it for what it is.
MC, sorry to hear you're taking heat. i don't know you, but i'm all for you taking local pics. our coast is beautiful and its nice to see reminders that it also gets good every once in a while (or at least looks like it does thru a skilled lens). hopefully you're even making some money that you can spend in towns up and down the coast.
on a side note, surfed saturday. small and cold, but clean and pleasantly punchy. just me, one buddy, a stray trap, and a couple people walking their dogs.