So, finally got out in the surf yesterday afternoon at
my local break. Onshore winds and choppy waters made
for a rough paddle out. I managed to get past the inside
break after about half an hour of getting pounded. I guess

the current had pushed me and I ended up right in the
impact zone of the wave before I knew it. I got smacked
a few good ones from the lip before it was all over. It
sure felt great to get past THAT!

I went out even though conditions were poor because
I had gotten up at the crack of dawn the day before and
spent the whole day driving around Santa Cruz with a
buddy looking for "the perfect place to surf". We saw a
lot of breaks that I never knew about. And , that was a
good thing! But, it was windy and cold, the waves were
small and VERY crowded with longboarders so we
never did surf.....and that was a very bad thing!

I've been looking around at different breaks and
definitely some places are better to surf than others....
but.... if it comes down to not surfing....or surfing in
less than perfect waves.... I'd rather just get out in the

water and wait for the few rideable waves to come
through. I've heard a lot of bbers say that "it's not
worth paddling out for".... I dunno about that! It's
always been worth it once I get in the water...
I don't wanna lose that feeling.