RipTideSurfLOG

Surfing by Pacific Beach Pier, July 8th, 2023

2023-07-24T14:44:00.001-05:00

Nice medium sized waves on the north side of the Pacific Beach Pier. Close to the pier, waves were very nice for short boarding; and a bit further away conditions were better for hybrid and long boards. The beach was the most crowded I've seen due to all the sun bathers. All in all, a good surf session.

Bayou Texar to Penscola Bay

2023-07-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

Return to Bayou Texar

2022-09-02T10:15:00.003-05:00

Made it back out today on Bayou Texar, beautiful conditions and lots of bird life. A few ospreys catching fish along with several great blue herons along with a few pelicans splashing down in the water. I’m hoping to get out along the intra-coastal regions next.

In Search Calm Water: Stand Up Paddleboarding in Bayou Texar

2022-08-20T09:49:00.002-05:00

Good morning,

I just got back from my first stand up paddleboarding adventure on the serene Bayou Texar surrounded by Pensacola's East Hill neighborhood. I moved back to Pensacola about four years ago after living in Oceanside, California for two. I've done a little surfing in Pacific Beach last December and then again in March but didn't have tons of success riding waves. The conditions by PB Pier are a bit less favorable than half a mile north at Tourmaline Surf Park. I also tried to teach my then five year old son how to surf back in the late Fall but he didn't take to the cold water and the surf was all but flat.

I've had a kayak in my garage for years which I recently refurbished but it hasn't been out in the water since 2010 in Corpus Christi! Not the easiest thing to transport so I've been eyeing getting an inflatable paddleboard for a few years now. Ultimately I would like to take it out in the surf on calmer days when catching waves with a shorter board would be a bit of a challenge. Amazon had alot of boards but they all have very mixed reviews. A good friend of mine recommended the Bōte Brand and I found a very good deal for the Bōte Wulf at the local Academy. I also picked up a paddling life jacket, waterproof phone case, and survival mirror and whistle.

I set out around 7:30 AM at the Bayview Park Boat Launch; there is a $5 boat launch parking fee but I think I could have parked a few spots down and parked for free since I didn't have a boat trailer hanging off my car! There's a nice pier and small boat floating pier next to the second boat ramp where I was able to inflate my board and stow my excess gear back in the trunk. I set my paddle length to just over 6" above my height, attached the leash, and pushed off the dock while kneeling and stood up and took off. Pretty easy to get moving; definitely don't get the speed you'd would expect from a sit inside kayak but you feel more connected to the water than sitting inside a kayak. I headed north up Bayou Texar for about 25 minutes and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Several racing sculls were out and a few slow moving motor boats. Fish were splashing here and there and there were some beautiful houses along the water front. I'd recommend checking out this boat launch, conditions are nice for a beginner with little to know surfing or paddle boat experience. More updates to follow.

2016-08-18T18:43:00.001-05:00

Hey guys!,

It's been forever since I've last posted. Moral of the story: If you surf in North Carolina, you better have a long board. Waves around central NC aren't much to talk about. Too unpredictable to be worth the drive. Luckily, I've moved to beautiful southern California and have been getting back into the joys of surfing. Some (attempted) surfing around Tamarack but we/ I couldn't get past the waves in to the break. Still trying to figure the name of the break but I've been there 3 times now and I've been able to catch some decent waves. Nothing too spectacular, but it is the summer time (No wetsuits needed!) and it's great to get back out on some waves. Maybe I'll get a long board, who knows. Been rocking the 2012 Beetle and the inflatable roof rack has worked great!. Stay surfing, my friends!

Dawn Patrol at Newport Beach, Saturday April 27th 2013

2013-04-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

I finally did it. I've been meaning to ride the waves in the LA area for a few years now, and now that I have a board out here at my disposal, I finally got the chance. I also forced myself to get up to the beach early on, not quite as the sun rose, but pretty close. The waves were averaging about 3 feet or so, with some bigger sets coming in at around 4-5 feet right along the pier. I caught a couple waves, but conditions were much better for long boarding. Had the Go Pro running, I'm still trying to figure if it's a distraction or a benefit. I've got it set up so it turns on with one touch, so I have to take a couple seconds focuses on turning it on. However, it also forces me to slow down instead of trying to catch every wave. Things got pretty crowded and I decided to call it before the break was completely packed.

Oceanside Battle, Oceanside CA, Saturday, April 7th, 2013

2013-04-27T13:07:00.000-05:00

I've been fortunate enough to get back out to Cali and ride some waves. It's been way to long since I've been surfing and I didn't have a board on the West Coast. Sounds like something that I need to fix! A quick trip to the Vista Play it Again Sports, and for under 150 bucks I was back in action on a fiberglass Progressive surf board with a pointy nose and a short fish tail, leash included. The last time I surfed in Cali, I rented a board up at Beacons Beach. I figure that it's simpler to know a board and then learn the break rather than try to do both at the same time. The board already had some wax one it (more on that later) so I was off to the beach just as soon as I mounted my new GoPro surfboard rig. I fought my way through the incoming surf out the break at approx 33*12’7.1” N 117*23’39.5W. I wasn't close to the jetty to ride the rip, but the waves kept crashing down on me. I finally managed to get out to the break, a 4-6" left hand break that a goofy footed surfer like me usually loves. Unfortunately, the wax on the surfboard just didn't do the job, even with the surf booties I wear in cold weather that give me extra grip. I ended up getting pushed out of the break and towards shore. The grip was so bad that I had trouble even bodysurfing ontop of the board in the smaller waves closer to shore. Lesson learned, always have wax, even when you don't think you need it! I also set my board down on the beach and the go pro ended up popping loose; so make sure that you give the glue time to set before you hit the beach! The camera shot some clear footage, but since I never caught a decent wave, I don't have too much to show from it. Ride on.

Surfing by Surf City before Tropical Storm Emily

2011-08-06T14:47:00.002-05:00

Drove down to surf city today. Tropical Storm Emily is slowly working it's way up the coast. I've surfed twice on Topsail Island before, both North and South ends, but never at Surf City, which is in the center part of the island. I surfed off the pier, and caught a couple good waves, I felt like the waves were better than off Wrightsville beach. I ran into a guy with another Kane Garden board, he gave me a tip that I should keep my legs together while paddling, I applied his tip and I could feel a difference. I had cargo pocketed board shorts and ran into some problems with the pockets scooping up water. Still, all in all, a better than average day of surfing off the east coast.

Beacons Beach, Encinitas California

2011-07-02T09:46:00.008-05:00

Didn't get a ton of surfing in while I was out in Cali, and checked out Tourmaline on a pretty small day. Ended up surfing last Saturday off Beacon's Beach for the first time. The break was pretty good, but got steeper as the tide rose. Didn't catch anything too spectacular, but I was on a crappy rental. I wanted to get a long board but got talked into a 8' board with a longboard shape. My buddy tried a 9' board which I was surprised at how poorly it paddled. I'm looking at getting a Walden Magic Epoxy this summer for the smaller East Coast waves, still waiting to hear back from Walden on the best length for my height and weight. I'll let you know about it when I get it. For now enjoy these pics of the West Coast:

A little here, a little there... Surfing Two Coasts

2011-06-18T15:04:00.009-05:00

Sorry for the long delay, however things have been pretty crazy. I managed to get a surf session in down in San Diego while I was out in Yuma Easter weekend. Tried surfing in Vibram Five Finger's but my toes kept slipping out, that and the long boarders kept stealing my waves. Also got a session in down at Wrightsville when I got back, but that's really all the surfing that I've managed since April! Hopefully I'll be able to get a Walden Magic Longboard to really catch the NC waves. I'm out on the West coast now and should be catching some swells while I'm out here. Take Care!

Low Tide Closeouts

2011-03-06T08:28:00.003-06:00

Went surfing today, back to paying for parking again. Luckily I didn't have to struggle into those gloves, I'm definitely gonna have to get a size bigger, stupid gloves are tearing and I've hardly worn them. Waves were breaking the farthest out I've ever seen them at Crystal Pier, they were pretty closed out so you really could only catch them before you lost all energy. I think there must be a big sandbar out there, a gradual sandbar produces cleaner and less barreling waves. Supposed to be pretty big today, I'll be out around 1 or so to see what I can catch.

Finally getting waves in February

2011-02-26T17:23:00.009-06:00

After a long hiatus from surfing - it seemed like every time there was good waves I was busy working - I was finally able to get out to the beach. I decided to go to Bob Hall pier today, there were surfers out but things weren't all too busy. A lot of people walking up and down the beach though. Waves were pretty choppy but smoothed out and lined up as the day progressed; the outer break was really the place to be for good waves. There was a good amount of drift that would push you away from the good breaks. I ended up out by the pier and was greeted by a couple friendly dolphins not more than twenty feet away. I'm not sure if it'd be safe to get much closer, but I was sure tempted. It was good to get back out in the water, I guess I'll just have to cross my fingers for good waves tomorrow! Better get out of this wetsuit and stop soaking the furniture.

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Surfing at Sundown on a Friday

2011-01-28T23:53:00.003-06:00

Went surfing late today. The sun was setting and there were knee to waist high waves coming in. It was a beautiful day and it was a magnificent finale out on the beach. Almost too distracting with the way the light was reflecting off the waves. The waves were clean but small, still a good half h0ur or so of surfing. Man oh man I can't imagine what it would be like living out on the west coast with big waves coming in every day. I don't know why the waves are so small on this side of the country, but it sucks. They are fun to ride, but even with my fish, I'd have more fun out off Padre Island when it comes to shredding waves. It's beautiful, but rarely all that exciting. Gotta wait for storm action, and then it's pretty sloppy. Still, it's motivating knowing that I can surf in water 10 degrees above freezing. Lets see what tomorrow holds!

Surfing off the Oceanic Pier

2011-01-25T10:23:00.005-06:00

I got a pair of Xcel surf gloves after last times botched adventure. The waves were breaking in the knee to thigh range and luckily I'm working the night tonight so I was able to get out. It was still kinda chilly, 44 degree water and a 40 degree air temp tend to do that, especially with gray rainy conditions. I did catch some fun little waves that I was able to ride towards the beach on. Part of me feels like I get alot better after every time I'm able to surf in Cali. Hopefully I'll get out there this March and shred some waves.

Attempted Surfing after the snow storm

2011-01-25T10:21:00.006-06:00

Tried to get out surfing on January 11th this year, had my new wetsuit, hood, and booties but it was just too cold. The sand was covered in an icy crust and the water was churning. Some people were out catching some pretty crazy waves. I got in the water and caught two little waves before my hands went numb before I called it a day.

California Dreaming

2011-01-11T08:10:00.009-06:00

Ah beautiful California!?! I flew in through the mountains during a massive rainstorm that made the desert bloom and turn green. Unfortunately it rained here and there while I was out that way. I made my way towards Huntington Beach, where you can watch the sunset over Catalina Island. Quite magnificent really, I've been to Catalina twice and I didn't know you could see it from the mainland. Sorta reminds me of a painting I did. Ended up in San Diego for a couple days around New Years. I wish I could've been down there longer but I enjoyed my time up in the mountains too. Surfed New Years Eve at Tourmaline, then the next day at La Jolla right next to Scripps Institute. Saw some pretty big dolphins out there as well. They came pretty close. I do say I caught one of my top 5 favorite waves that day. Not too many other decent waves, being that I was using my Yancy Fish, which is fast and can cut really hard, but sucks to paddle. It must've been a freak five foot high clean breaking wave that I rode pretty good. I'm actually getting tempted to get me a nice Walden Long Board for the smaller days. Oh I can't wait to get back, I guess I'll have to shred as many Carolina waves and any other East Coast breaks I can hunt down in the meantime....

Black Friday Surfing

2010-11-27T23:14:00.004-06:00

Instead of fighting the crowds down at the stores, I thought it would be better to take advantage of the thigh and waist high semi-glassy breaks down at Wrightsville and I wasn't disappointed. I caught a good number of waves, I was focusing on getting ahead of the crest and I started to be pretty successful towards the end. The weather did move in and kick up some wind with rain which caused some of the waves to resist breaking as well as send spray out to sea as you can see in some of the photos. All in all a good day, I'm really glad I wore my booties, I just don't have the traction in the cold water otherwise, type of wax regardless. I'm actually tempted to get a light weight pair for the summertime for the traction boost. Hope you all enjoyed the holiday.

Surfing in November: Free Parking

2010-11-19T07:54:00.006-06:00

So it's finally November and I've had to suck it up and put on the wetsuit. Feels like I'm exercising with elastic bands with any movement I make. It won't be long before the booties are necessary either. Waves have been picking up and are a lot better than they were a couple weeks ago. The last session I was out was probably the best surfing I've had out in NC, and I've finally been getting used to surfing in the wetsuit so I don't fly off like I was doing at the beginning of the month. See if I can get out more, being that my schedule this past week has been a little off. I'll throw some pics in of late October if there's any cool ones.

Waves, finally

2010-10-28T17:41:00.005-05:00

Finally got some waves this week with the storms that have been moving through this half of the country. I haven't been able to get to the beach early enough until today, and I wasn't disappointed. Waves varied from knee high, many waist high, and the occasional larger way. I was out at Crystal pier, there was a group of several dolphins about 100 yards out. They were making some good sized splashes. The breaks were pretty crowded.

Early October Surfing

2010-10-05T20:12:00.005-05:00

Temperatures have dropped following the week of rain we've gotten. Waves have been breaking further out which shows promise.

The tide was so high today that the waves were breaking directly on the beach. The guy in this photo caught a wave and face planted into the sand a second afterwords. This is him emerging from the sea rather confused.

The sign that no one obeys. Your supposed to stay 500' to the left and right of the pier, but then you'll miss out on the good part of the break.

Crazy shells washed up on the beach last Friday. Now they've been pulled back into the sea at the waterline and you cut your feet on them.

Wave catching technique

2010-09-27T16:15:00.001-05:00

I've been developing a technique that helps me catch better waves. I've found that when I'm paddling laterally to reposition myself among the break, I end up catching a pretty good wave. This has happened ever since I started surfing; so it's about time that I start using this technique to catch better waves. Once you get the hang of standing up, turning, etc, you begin to realize to that sometimes the hardest part of surfing is getting in position to catch a wave. So here's the basic steps:

1. Get out to the break and position yourself facing the oncoming waves at a forty-five degree angle. I.E.- if the waves are coming out of the north, face northwest or northeast. I recommend facing the direction you surf the wave. I surf goofy so, if I look at the beach from the break, I'm planning on trying to cut to the left if possible.

2. When you see a wave coming towards you, begin paddling parallel to it, and pick up speed. I find this helpful in getting enough speed to properly catch the wave so your less likely to be pitched over the falls. Also, you won't have to hold off on paddling to prevent yourself from passing the idea breaking point of the wave. I find that when I tried to hold off paddling, I'm moving to slow by the time I start paddling that I might hit the wave at the right spot, but I'm going to slow to catch the wave low enough.

3. When the wave is almost upon you, angle towards the beach, you wanna be at least a 30 degree angle or more.

4. Catch the wave as you normally would, catch the wave and enjoy the ride.

Cape Hatteras weekend, Sat-Sun 25/6 Sept 10

2010-09-26T18:05:00.014-05:00

On Friday I decided to pull chocks and get out of Wilmington for the weekend. I've been meaning to get up to Cape Hatteras and see how good the waves are, etc. Since I'm gonna be busy next weekend, I decided to go on Saturday. I got up early Saturday morning (really surprised I woke up as early as I did) and packed my stuff and got on the road. I really wanted to take the ferry to save the mileage on my car, but I was time limited so I decided to pass up the Cedar Island / Ocracoke ferry. Instead I made the long trip up 17 and over on 64 to Roanoke Island. I ended up stopping to check out the historical sites, there really isn't much since it was a "lost" colony. I really wish that there would've been a little more information about the site.

I got back on the road and headed to the Outer Bank islands. I headed north up to Kill Devils Hills, where Kittyhawk is located. It was pretty sweet. If you have any interest in history, this is a place you can't pass up. There is a big field with a huge hill with a monument on top. I guess it's not as sandy as it used to be, but it's only ten minutes out of the way of the southern road that heads down to Hatteras.

I drove a minute or two across the island to the nearest beach entrance to catch a couple smaller waves to add a sand sample to my collection. Not much for waves, and the water reminded me of Corpus with it's murky conditions. Waves were also smoother than the area I've been surfing lately, so it doesn't crest as fast and produces less aggressive waves, like in Corpus. I felt the same about the waves I caught off Hatteras.

I proceeded about fifty miles down the coast to the town of Buxton. Here you can find the famous Cape Hatteras light house dating back to the 1870's. It got really close to the sea with some erosion, so the National Park service moved it back about a half mile or so. I found a hotel and stayed the night. Note - hotels and about everything else is a little more expensive when your miles from the mainland, so be prepared to pay a little more. I brought a small tent just in case. I got up the next day and took a trip to a small surf shop called the Natural Art Surf Shop. The woman in there was pretty helpful and told me that the area by the light house was the best surfing. I went back up to the light house and paid the $7 fee to climb up it. I couldn't help but notice how short the hand rail was as I climbed up every 256 steps. I ended up on the far side of the stairs, close to the outer wall so I wouldn't have to worry about falling over the rail. At the top the view was fantastic. You could really truly appreciate how remote the island is. When looking towards the mainland, you can only see blue horizon. Still, there are a lot of people living on the outer banks and some pretty huge houses.

I checked out of my overpriced hotel and headed to the beach near the light house to finally do the some real surfing. Waves were decent, not big but not small. Conditions were pretty glassy at first, but then the storm out at sea rolled in and the size and chop picked up. I love surfing in the rain though. I moved a little closer to the sea wall / jetty that was by the base of the old light house and I was able to catch some other waves that were a lot better. I didn't stay too long, I cut the side of my finger on the backside of a fin and I had to get back to Wilmington before it was too late. All in all a good trip, I'll definitely be back to Hatteras if I get a longer weekend. Now that I got a lot of the side trips out of the way, I'll be able to spend more time surfing. But there is an old iron clad replica that I'm looking forward to checking out...

Surfing September

2010-09-24T19:55:00.004-05:00

There was a dead period with little waves after Earl. I caught some waves a week or so later, but I've found that after waves are about 3-4" on the surf report, they are really only good for short boarding this time of year and pretty unsafe to ride. Here's some pics for proof:

Hurricane Earl, the redneck storm...

2010-09-17T19:49:00.003-05:00

Hurricane Earl struck. We had some big, pretty clean waves but not much else but a little midnight rain for weather.

Big Tuesday Barrels

2010-08-25T17:44:00.004-05:00

Waves were pretty big, probably chest high or bigger on the big ones. Those were pretty hard to ride because by the time you begin to catch the wave, it crash and throw you over. I probably spent half the time underwater... Also had to surf backside to the wave, which really isn't my favorite way being goofy footed and all. Seems like the waves were just breaking that way though. Included are some pics from the last surfing session and a couple others that I just never got around to pulling off my camera.