This post'll include two adventures since they were both epic fails (although for different reasons), and they were both at the same break, County Line. County Line lies, appropriately, at the meeting of LA and Ventura counties. We went there once when we were total beginners, and we didn't have a chance back then. The waves are more challenging, and the beach starts with a rocky cliff. Tough.
So we went last Friday and Sunday, and sadly, on Friday, I just wasn't in the right mindset for the challenge. The waves were pretty big (PS, ignore all my claims on how big waves were before...I'm coming to discover that I have a misguided sense of size...I will try to sort that out and be consistent in the future), Bryon says about 5', and they were some of the most powerful waves we have surfed in. I had a tough time getting out past the break, and once I did, I looked off a lot of nice waves cause I wasn't feeling my ballsy self. Long story short, I didn't catch a single wave, and I had a few incidents in a row where I was under water for longer than I like to be, and I got pissed, and stopped surfing.
By the time I officially quit, the waves had deteriorated into less savory things. There were vicious shore breaks, where the wave would suck so much water toward it that it was crashing, HUGELY, on the beach. Like, on sand. Not shallow water...sand. Not safe for surfing. So after getting knocked around, and then dealing with this nasty shore break I just gave up. Sad to admit it, cause early on the waves had been nice, and I just wasn't mentally there. Moral of the story...gotta get my head on straight and always embrace the good waves. Especially cause then, there are days like Sunday....
We left at 5:30 am, well before sunrise, and headed north. The forecasts were good, but the swell was also building, so chances of big waves were high. We got there right around first light, but it was cold as hell and the waves were inconsistent, so Bryon, Lee and I decided to wait a bit. Damon and Christina made a try at getting out there, but issues ensued.
Basically, it was like Friday in terms of power, but the waves were even bigger. Trying to paddle out without being able to duckdive was just crazy. The southward current was insanely strong, the white water was brutal, the period was super short, and the waves were just coming from all directions. It was insanity. As we three sat up in the warm car chatting, those two battled, and eventually they came back up to us with sad faces and no waves surfed.
Once it warmed a bit, Lee, Bryon, and I decided to give it a try. We started pretty north, and I ended up with a total failure, getting out at the south end of the break, never having made it out to the lineup. Bryon failed too. Lee actually made it out! And then we couldn't see him cause there were so many waves and we got a bit nervous. Damon made his next attempt next and got out there too, after much battling. Finally, Bryon and I went as far north as possible and timed it well enough that we didn't have to fight the worst of it, and made it out.
Once I got out there, though, I realized that the waves were the size of houses. No lie. HUGE. So I got out past the break and spent the next half hour trying not to get crushed by massive waves, saying, "We shouldn't be here. Weeeee shouldn't be here." Bryon and Lee both attempted waves, and then went in, so then it was just Damon and I deep, trying not to die. All of a sudden, the biggest wave of life crashes about 20 feet deep of me...no chance to outrun it....so I just turtle rolled and hoped for the best. I survived the turtle roll fine, but then another wave came, and another. HUUUUGE waves!! I turtle rolled them all and wasn't hurt or anything, but at this point I had been dragged so far toward the beach that I didn't think I would be able to make it back out again, so I just penguined to shore and relaxed for the rest of the day. Not a single wave caught, again.
So, that was a weekend of fail, sadly. Hopefully I'll come with better news next time.
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