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An awesome day!!! Big waves and some good rides. I'm still
at a loss about why there aren't more people bodyboarding
at Linda Mar.... maybe it's not a good place to do it. But.
.. I still like it there.

There were some really big waves.... well.. for me!!

Like... probably 9 feet high!!

I had about a dozen good rides in the 2-3 hours I was out.
The current was pretty strong... so... paddling out was a
BITCH! But.... once past the break... it was nice...

Big... rolly peaks.... and once in a while... "the one".

It was really fun! :-)

Well..... I was back at Linda Mar today.... albeit not very
active. I spent about 3 hours in the surf.... mostly paddl
ing out and then getting thrashed. I managed a few decent
rides. But, clearly.... I need to find some bodyboarding bu
ddies. There are mostly surfers at Linda Mar... and.. I'm r
ealizing that waves which are good for surfers... aren't ne
cessarily good for bodyboarders.

People seem less friendly up here than down south. I'm not
sure why that is... but... I saw these 2 girls again today
that I've seen before and they agreed that people are more
mellow and friendly in the surf down south. They seem frie
ndly enough... but.. they are surfing... not bodyboarding.

There were a couple of guys bodybording... but.. they were
n't overly friendly. They weren't ovberly good at bodyboard
ing either... so.. no great loss there.

I guess.. it's just a lot more fun when there are people t
o talk to and to learn from. I guess I'm going to have to f
ind the right spot.

One thing I need to remember.. is to stretch a lot more! I
've already been advised... and.. now I see why! Today.. I
caught this huge wave.... and.. it was pretty fun... until
it slammed me into the bottom of the shore and both my calv
es started cramping up with Charley Horses. Damn... that wa
s pretty scary! I thought my board was gonna snap in two! B
ut.. I survived. And... honestly.. I'd rather try to ride a
big wave like that... than float around on some crappy lit
tle ones.

Okay.... time to get ready for the work week. If I plan ah
ead... I might be able to go back out and ride tomorrow or
Tuesday. That would be nice.

Well..... another great day at Linda Mar! It was sunny and
the waves were pretty good.... even though there were some
long waits in between.

I'm getting a little better at figuring out what a good wa
ve looks like.... but, I still need to let go and use my ar
ms more. I'm depending upon my leg strength and my fins a l
ittle too much it seems. I dunno why I don't wanna paddle f
ull out.... I just seem to forget to use my arms til it's k
ind of too late! (duh)

One thing I need to figure out though... Once you DO catch
a good wave....How do you steer so that you stay in the cu
rly part of the wave and not get all swept up in the whitew
ash? I'm watching the surfers... but.. I don't seem to be c
atching on.

hmmmmmmmm....

Linda Mar is turning out to be a great place for me to lear
n. Today I was in the surf nonstop for about 6 hours. I had
at least 20 good rides... and a few really exceptional wav
es.

I have to admit though.... I've been home for 2 hours wit
h the heaters blasting....and I'm STILL chilled to the bone
. My feet are like ICE! (yikes)

But.... I'm still going back tomorrow!

So.... the guys were right! Linda Mar, in Pacifica, is a mu
ch better place for me to bodyboard! They told me to head t
owards Pacifica on PCH1 and park at the Taco Bell. I went l
ast night after work and it was a lot of fun! I even manage
d a half dozen decent rides and was one of the last people
to ride in after the sun had set.

I was amazed at how warm I was in my wetsuit. Definitely o
ne of the best things I've purchased in a long while. It's
a bit long in the arms and legs. But the dive shop where I
bought it said they'd alter it once I figured out how much
I'd like to lop off.

The waves at Linda Mar were pretty big..... (to me).... ma
ybe.... 5-7 feet. But, it wasn't the size that was hard to
deal with.... it was again, the strong current. At least he
re.... the waves crash into the shore and not sideways! It
was quite a bit of effort to paddle out far enough to wait
for a long ride. A few times.. I stopped to rest and before
I knew it.... the current had delivered me right back to t
he shore. (darn!)

People don't seem as friendly in the water up here as they
seem to be down south. People sort of nod at each other..
but.. there's not a lot of chit chat. Well... maybe just be
cause I'm new. But also... everyone is struggling so hard t
o get past the crashing waves and out to a good spot...as w
ell as fighting the current to stay out... that.. there's n
ot a lot of time for idle chit chat between waves like ther
e is down in Manhattan Beach.

I finally headed in about 8:30pm, rinsed and headed over t
o this Taco Bell I'd heard so much about. And.... I must ad
mit! It actually IS the nicest Taco Bell that I have ever s
een. But.... the food's still shit! LOL

So..... I picked up my new wetsuit today.... the first one
I've ever had. After last weekend at Pompanio....... gettin
g thrashed in the rough surf and FREEEEEEEZING in the cold
water in just my swimsuit....... I was really greatful to h
ave a warm layer today as I tried out the infamous "Ocean B
each" in San Francisco.

Sad to say.... I didn't even get 1 decent ride! But... I w
as hella warm!

I don't think I've ever felt an ocean current so strong!!!
I mean... I could barely stand up..... and each time a wav
e crashed.... I got hurled like... a 1/4 mile downshore! (D
AMN!!!)

There weren't any other bodyboarders around.... (that I co
uld see).... but there were a good number of surfers out fa
rther. I don't know HOW they were able to paddle out! I ask
ed a few guys if it was always this way... and they said..
sometimes.. the current is even stronger!

I think I will have to try someplace that isn't quite so f
oreboding. One of the guys suggested a place in Pacifica ne
ar the Taco Bell. I think I will try that place tomorrow.

If I leave work by 4pm...... I can get to the ocean by 5:3
0 or 6pm... and still have a couple of hours before the sun
sets.

Speaking of which..... despite my inability to successfull
y deal with the ocean tonight... I did see a very nice CA s
unset.... and.. it was good to be in the ocean.

:-)

Well.... I've only been bodyboarding for a week or so.... B
ut, I've learned something new everyday!

Day 1. Crystal Cove: Learned that wax is my friend
Day 2. Manhattan Beach: Learned that it is possible to pad
dle with my arms and not fall off!
Day 3. Leo Carrillo: Learned that rocks and rough surf....
suck.
Day 4: Zuma: Learned that fins and watersocks.... are very
helpful.
Day 5. Manhattan Beach: Learned that getting down in front
of the wave.... is most excellent!
Day 6. Manhattan Beach: Learned that a fat middle aged lad
y will still get a thumbs up from the local kids when she r
ides a gnarly wave all the way to shore.
Day 7. Asilomar: Learned that it is much to cold to surf u
p north without a wetsuit... brrrrrr.

I can't do tricks yet.... obviously!

But damn! this is fun!!!

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