Comedy Skit with Ben Stiller of the Locals Only Surf Beach

I’m not sure how old this skit is, or on which tv show it might have first appeared. Based on the fact that the Malone Brothers are in it, it seems likely it is recent. I’m pretty sure I met these guys on the boardwalk right next to Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz.

Kayak Surfing Santa Cruz

I was fortunate enough on my SMX west conference to swindle two days of kayak surfing near Santa Cruz into the mix.

I did some research about where to rent a surf kayak, but then remembered the flippant offer from world surf competitor Sean Morely to give him a call if I wanted to surf. I managed to get a hold of him and he offered to take me out, but it didn’t work out, and he had a class to attend for a new ACA surf instructor certification. So he benevolently lent me a carbon kevlar Valley Rush and a paddle.

Sean gave some advice that Davenport, about 10 Miles north of Santa Cruz would probably be the best place to try as it is more paddle surfer friendly. Laura and I loaded up the surf kayak on our tiny rental car and drove north along California Highway 1. The drive is beautiful with a dramatic coastline and lots of open space unlike a lot of Southern California. We found Davenport Landing quite easily. I walked down the beach and checked out the break. A medium size swell was breaking in a manageable fashion off of some offshore rocks. But the waves came right up to some cliffs and rocks. On the other side of the break and further out, there were some very large faces that appeared to be more dumpy. I was clearly not going to go near that.

Day 1 Davenport Landing

I suited up and headed out. Again, paddling out on flat water is always a treat for a midwestern boy! Once out I was quite cautious because of all the rocks. but once I started catching rides I calmed down a bit. I caught a number of excellent rides and scooted off the back before they crashed into the onshore rocks. Faces were 4-6 feet at most. I managed to only wipe out once or twice. I can say that I had forgotten how awful it is to use a straight shaft white water paddle for rolling, the indexing is very iffy and I felt pretty rushed to get some air a few times.

Day 2 Davenport Landing

This day was far windier than the first. Wind was peaking at about 20 knots. This is more what I am accustomed to kayak surfing on Lake Michigan. The faces were smaller and harder to catch. I still caught some great rides. I even managed to paddle with some other kayak surfers, which is a first for me. And as it turns out fortuitous. I had the bum luck of a dumb swim. The wind and the rip carried me to the far end of the break, and I had to stand cold, tired, and feeling a little stupid on the beach. The surf was not even as big as it had been on Lake Michigan on days when I had stayed in the boat. I keep reminding myself that for a beginning kayak surfer on Great Lakes Surf with no training, maybe I should be more forgiving of my follies. Hopefully I get to make a few more mistakes!

The Valley Rush Surf Kayak

The kayak was excellent! I’ve never surfed such a fast surf craft. Once downwave this boat was unbelievable. It’s far and above the sweetest ride I’ve had yet. The power pocket tail was really helpful in getting a good takeoff. Though it seemed a little loose in the tail on some turns where I got squirted out of the whitewater. I think the fin placement could have used a little adjustment to the back to allow me to grab a little tighter.

Many Thanks to Sean for the opportunity to paddle the Rush!

Check out the picasa picture gallery:

In the three times I’ve kayak surfed in California there’s always been a bad vibe from board surfers. Until you sort of creep out and slowly surf the premium part of the break. You have to show them that you aren’t going to kill them when you wipe out.

There was an interesting article with some editorial comments posted in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
about the Surf Kayaking Competition in Santa Cruz.

It sounded like the editorial was fairly balanced, but that the comments got a little out of whack.

For my part as a visitor, I always approach with humility, but if I lived there I am not sure where I would fall on the militant line of rights to surf where I like.

Surfing hydraulics are indeed the stuff of legends. Once the waves start to top out at 8 feet or so they can do some pretty impressive things. When the waves spill the forces within are quite strong. This is an understatement of Olympian proportions.

The forecast was for 8-10 foot waves with wind at 30 knots, gusting to 35 knots out of the northwest. It was every bit the forecast for once. Rain came down in cool, but painfully side ways sheets. It was so wet it was hard to tell up from down at times. The path on the south side of the pier looked like a runway. Flat with a bit of occasional white water. The rocks that are pushed up against the pier were uncovered in the troughs of waves, meaning a serious amount of water was being displaced during each wave period. I broke out with ease for once.

The wave period appeared to be about 5 seconds. People on the west coast will laugh at this, but it is what we get. I caught some decent, (quick rides) Steep waves where I was able to carve a little before riding onto the back of the next wave. I typically saw something big coming paddled like hell and tried to grab onto green water by high brace ruddering to slow myself down to hang in the power pocket. A couple times I was unceremoniously spat out of the green water by a mountain of hissing white water. But for the most part it seemed pretty benign.

After catching some fun rides I got caught at the bottom of a big wave without any hull speed. As I tried to get up to speed I was drawn to the top and then dumped to the bottom by the wave as it curled and collapsed. Funny but I remember the sensation as I was sucked up, and then dropped down in it’s distinct pieces like I was watching someone else. Then when I rolled up I was surfing backwards, “woohoo!!!!”-I thought, but another wave broke on me, and in the ensuing dynamics I was promptly sucked completely out of the kayak, skirt and all.

I took my paddle and began to swim to my swamped kayak. I got in and paddled it for a few minutes and got it close. Then I got out and swam with my paddle all the way in until I could stand.

Luckily I hadn’t been out further than the pier. Or I could have been in for a long confused swim. Also again, I had a lifejacket, helmet, and drysuit. But my skirt did not hold very well. I’ve been using a touring deck that is neoprene from mountain surf. It’s pretty decent, but not as good as a pure white water skirt obviously. Although I’m not sure any skirt would have held me in.
It was an interesting experience that maybe I can ward off next time with a tougher rand on the skirt. But I’m not sure I’m ready for the seat belt! In my three years of small boat, or surf boat surfing this is the first time it’s happened. And it never happened while sea kayaking other than when I had a crappy nylon skirt when I first started out.

But float bags are on the list too. I’ve delayed on common sense for too long on those.

This year’s Wind, Waves, and Wine event was moved to Lake Michigan Recreation Area north of Ludington. Blessed with fortune I left work on Friday to arrive at exactly the same time as Henry Davies. We drove over to the beach and quickly assessed that surfing was out, but paddling would happen. We set up camp and then did the monster carry to the beach. Henry and I paddled out into a good 20 knot headwind for over an hour. The wind was coming slightly off the land which made it a little hairy as we proceeded. I made sure to keep angling my bow in towards land as we went in order not to be blown to Wisconsin. After an hour or so of this, we turned around and sailed back with the wind. I caught several long rides with minimal effort. I flew along at a terrific pace spilling foam along either side of the kayak. I edged to control my direction as the Silhouette loves being edged I was having the time of my life. I tried filming a bit of Henry. It came out looking quite flat and not that windy. Justine Curgenven taught me this. It always looks flatter on TV!

The next morning after we figured out who arrived and who didn’t we piled down to the beach with a bunch of the Mega Surf Kayaks. The surf was 2 foot, but the water was too deep off shore for it to break further out. I hopped in the Maverick and caught two decent rides about 50 yards off shore. But the majority of the surfing was in 2 foot of water. I got hung up in two foot of water and had to ditch my paddle and hand roll up. Not pretty. Dotty Kasunic, Monnie Evans, Lori Stegmier, Barb Fishback, Paul Fishback, and Henry Davies all surfed in sea kayaks making runs off shore and riding waves in to the beach. Monnie, who is a beginner performed really well and caught a few rides in to the beach. Joe Deja and I held hope for bigger waves based on the wind direction. So we drove over to Ludington on the surf safari. Much to our displeasure it appeared that the wind was dropping and the waves were smaller. Upon our return we hopped in sea kayaks and went out to practice rescues. I taught the T rescue to Joe. He got back into his own boat pretty quickly. When it came time for Joe to rescue me he had a little difficulty with getting his paddle stowed quickly and holding onto everything. Because we had real conditions it was a great lesson. He let go of my boat for about two seconds to get his paddle stowed and it surfed off. He had to get his paddle un-stowed and paddle after it! From my tentative position of 50 degree Lake Michigan Water; I politely suggested to Joe that he not do that again.

That evening Lori and I whipped together a quesadilla cook-off which I think we will repeat for next year! Lori provided shrimp and a few different types of cheese. I brought up two different types of salsa, a green tomatillo, and a more traditional tomato salsa. Both meandering on the border between hot and medium hot. After dinner we were joined by Brad and Mike from Holland around the fire. Based on the days events most folks winked out early.

I started this event about four years ago never sure if anyone would come. Much to my surprise every year, there have been new people I didn’t know. But each year we keep saying we need to make it later in the year to get real surf. I think I may have to keep that in mind. I think late October may be the time for next year!

I made the after work foray to South Haven south beach yesterday. The wind was up again, 20-25 knots out of the northwest, gusting to 30 knots. I had the beginnings of a cold, now in full bloom. When I arrived at the beach the tops of the waves were being blown off into furious spray against the silhouette of an angry orange setting sun. A guy in a pickup truck got out before I was on the water. He looked at me and then at Lake Michigan, and then says, “Are you really going out there?” “Yes sir I am.” “Oh good entertainment!” he says and gets back in his truck.

With that in mind, I suited up in my short sleeve drytop and hit the water. I found a rip near the pier that looked like it was a way out. I paddled a bit and then tried to break through a steep four foot clapotis wave that had a pyramid shaped peak. A pit of dread rose in my stomach. I remembered this feeling well from last year where I couldn’t even get the surf boat to the outside of the soup. When it broke, I knew I wasn’t going to make it over. I was thrown nose over tail and then surfed upside down back towards the beach. The water was much colder than just last week. I rolled up right away and was surfing back towards the beach. I beached and then changed into a long sleeve paddle jacket and fleece.

I went back out again. This time I was much more patient when I tried to break out through the soup. I waited through larger sets, paddled through the calms in the rip and then timed my break out through the back of foam piles until I was on the outside. Once on the outside, I caught beautiful glassy rides on spilling 8-10 foot waves. I carved easily in the maverick back and forth, continually finding green water and riding all the way to shore. A mountain of hissing foam falling from the top of the wave chased me all the way down the face of each wave. The fins on the Maverick hummed when I accelerated to top speed, like the rigging of a sailing ship as it comes into the eye of the wind.

I find it interesting that after all this time in storms on Lake Michigan that the soup on the inside is still enough to intimidate me and keep my instincts honed. The water is much more textured than the rivers that I’ve paddled. It was certainly more challenging than the: easy no wind flat water paddle out to the reef in San Diego with Jeff Laxier. (The waves were much nicer of course in San Diego too) Of course the open Pacific with an on shore wind would be far more intimidating.

I somehow manage to overcome that feeling of fear and get on the water to surf. Each time I do overcome that fear, I usually have one or two unbelievable rides on huge waves. Pretty soon I forget how terrifying that paddle out was. I conveniently forget how much of a struggle it was to paddle a small boat into the wind, and I only remember the joy of carving down a steep glassy face with a tumbling mountain of foam chasing me like Bukowski’s “days that run away like horses over the hills.”

Jason Roon and I headed out to South Haven with the wind roaring in the treetops like an angry lion wanted them to fall over.

We arrived on South Haven north beach to see that the wind had died out almost entirely from the south west. We drove back to the south beach side and found some nice, chest high spillers. Slow peaky waves with a nice frequency. Jason took some nice photos for me, excusing the speedo shot.

I had the Maverick out with increased outfitting. The backband is still not right. Will give it another go tomorrow probably with a new backband.

Check out my End of Summer Gallery at Picasa.

On a usability note, the gallery software is excellent for those with a PC. If you are looking for a good free way to share photos, give it a whirl.

My Mega Maverick finally saw the sort of conditions it needed to properly surf our fresh water seas. Off Point Betsie Lighthouse near Frankfort Michigan this Sunday, 3-6 foot waves were pushing in from the southwest. It was a steady slug fest into the wind to get out. I caught a few outside rides, but most of the steeper rides were closer to shore. After two hours slugging it out with the wind. I risked heading over to the north side of the breakwall. Much to my satisfaction I found clean steep faces out of the wind whipping around the wall. I caught steady rides with nice diagonal runs towards shore on greenwater the whole way in. I broke back out several times and kept surfing until I couldn’t move.

The Maverick surfs steep waves really well and carves like a dream. It has great turning off the bottom and allowed me to hold my line well. I find I am able to hold a line better than I did in my Boogie due primarily to the sharper rail. The outfitting from the factory for lack of a better word is abysmal. I’ve made some decent foot braces, but I need to make some more hip pads, a custom backband to really get comfortable. A drain plug wouldn’t kill Malcom either…

Checkout the Mega Kayaks for sale at Grand Mere Sports

The video isn’t necessarily spectacular, but it is fairly representative of the paddlers view in the surf zone. Notice how he starts unconciously grinning as soon as he catches a wave. It’s infectious.

Also note that he is not wearing a helmet. Get a helmet dude!

Now as always, I am waiting for the storms of spring to bring some waves my way. The waiting is killing me. Watching the lake cam when it’s calm is like watching a television tuned to a dead channel.
After a while you think you start to see a pattern where there is none.