California Recollections

Written on February 13th, 2004:

This journal entry doesn't follow a linear order of the actual trip just random thoughts and expressions as I recollect our trips high lights.

The picture above is the walk path down to Rincon. It's about a good fifteen minutes from your car to the point. Oh but what a walk.

The above pic is of the swell hitting Rincon taken from the parking lot. If you look real close you will see some power lines above the roof of the house. Just above them is a small black spec. That's the head of a surfer waiting for that macker to stand up.

Well almost a month has passed since we left for our trip. Everything has had a chance to sink in. All of those loose thoughts are now in order and can be accessed for clearer hindsight.

The trip was great. Any trip away from your usual area of existence is great. But going to one of the surf mecca's is awe inspiring. It changes your life.

The feeling of tranquility that I felt for the first week back was incredible. All the little things didn't matter as much as they did before the trip. Expectations of how things will be during the trip were adjusted to reality and life went on.

The one thing that I love the most about longboarding is the legacy and history of surfing that is almost automatically bestowed upon you by simply making the choice to ride a different board. It shows that you understand that different waves call for different tools. This insight is not available to the beginner. Only through time and repetition are we able to fully realize the grand picture of riding the wave from different perspectives.

Would the Florida surfer be as good as they are if the waves were as perfect as they are in California? Knowing that you can get a morning and evening session may burn out the stoke. Kind of like knowing what's around the next corner. After a while your not feeling the surprise and excitement. The hunger that burns in the Florida surfer allows us to maximize our water time no matter where we travel to surf. We know that this swell may be the last for a long time. Surf starved we are. You go and get what you can, when it's given to you. The California surfer is a lucky breed. Perfect conditions, kelp, off shore winds, and that dreaded cold and numbing water. The water temp is the only thing that I could give up. Compromise. Cold water or little or no waves. After being in the cold water, I'll take Florida any day. Heck, when I went out last weekend to Upham, I didn't have to wear booties. Nice. If I would've went the day before I probably would have skinned it. The more I travel the more I love home.

On our very first go out at Rincon the actual breaking wave didn't seem so far of a paddle. Wow, what juice. Once you were out the waves were majestic. The next day I spoke with a guy and he said that on the day we arrived the swell was well over triple overhead and barrelling. He said that they haven't had a swell like that in five years. What luck. We were sitting in the line up watching double overhead plus sized waves march in. You can feel the power as the swell lifts you up. Watching the locals work the wave was great. Making the turns look effortless as they screamed down the line and occasionally giving the wave a nice POP off the lip followed by a strong bottom turn and up again to do it all over again.

The speed that the wave provides is awesome. You can't appreciate it yourself until someone points out how far you traveled in such a short amount of time. Standing there in the trim spot of a solid wave at Rincon is a feeling of enlightenment. Being surrounded by massive space and objects and things all while you stop time is a blessed event. You feel empowered looking up at the massive face of the wave and accepting what ever it gives you to either climb up the face, crouch down and speed up to out run its constant expiration or get clobbered. And uou know that sometimes the large wave will get you. Allowing this freedom to take place is what makes us better connected with the universe.

Having traveled down the coast of Southern California gave me a perspective as to how and where everything is laid out. In San Diego my buddy Chad continues to be one of those special individuals that can pick up a relationship right where it left off and run with it. After I learned my lesson to always bring my own boards, Chad pulled me out of my own self inflicted purgatory by providing the proper tools for the fitting waves. If it wasn't for the long peeling rights of Pacific Beach the trip just wouldn't be the same. The sacrifices that everyone made in order for us to surf together is what soul surfing is all about. People coming together under common understandings and connections to spend some happy moments together. That's a wonderful part of life. Those waves that day just stood up and said, lets go. Away you went, flying down the wave, one aggressive turn followed by a nose ride back to a strong cutback, pop off the white water and speeeeed down the face. Nice. It seemed as if every wave for the morning session was perfect. Each one mirrored by the next wave. That session was the one. It made the trip.

When we were returning our boards to Zuma Jay's at Malibu, I noticed they had some books for sale. I looked through it and what did I find but the book I was wanting to buy. I saw it for $40 in several magazines and no local book stores back home had it. The book was titled, "Nats Nat and thats that". Jay says, "Last copy I got. It's even signed by Nat. I'll get rid of it to you for $25 as he points to the price sheets showing the retail value of $40." I pulled out my credit card and made it mine. Good book. Worth reading to get your surf history in check. The board evolution discussed in the book is worth it alone.

Anyone interested in surfing Southern California and are having any reservations for what ever reason need to pack a board or two that you're familiar with a go drive the coast. You're bound to see a wave breaking somewhere with a few people to total solitude. See you there next year.

Oh yeah, the dirt bag cheap trip idea. Watch a swell build and move. Time its arrival. Fly from Tampa to LAX direct. Rent a cargo van. Drive to Rincon, about an hour and fifteen minutes later you're there. Surf. Sleep in the van. Eat affordably priced food (burritos and all you can eat Chinese places). Three days later be back at work with a giant smile on your face for not only surfing your brains out on a killer swell and you didn't loose to much cash.

Lessons learned:
1. If you're traveling to go surfing, BRING YOUR OWN BOARDS.
2. Relax, not only on vacation.
3. Go forward, you'll find what you're looking for.
4. Don't try to fit everything into one day.
5. Being well informed makes the trip go smoothly.
6. You can't rent good boards in California.

- Arsen Brzostek