A swift post, this, for your humble scribe is knackered. Harry, myself, Steve from Holland and Greg and Julie from France caught The Hook working extremely nicely this morning. It was head high plus opposite the steps and still pretty sizeable down the line. This is a fast wave and the paddle out took its toll. So, too, for the first time on this trip, a bit of localism. I got burned very badly on two waves, so much so that even a peacable chap such as myself felt moved to remonstrate. The offender, who'd mercilessly dropped in on me, pleaded ignorance ("I'm sorry - I didn't see you there") but rather than let the same thing happen a third time I paddled away and left him to ruin someone else's session. No doubt, in the car park afterwards, he felt the warm glow of satisfaction that comes from having stamped his authority in the ocean, where it will live on, forever.
Despite this character, a man I will respect forever, for he is a God unto me, this morning's surf was excellent. Sadly, however, it left little time for checking out the action at the O'Neill Cold Water Classic, for a fiendish fog rolled in and obscured everything so much that the contest organisers had no option but to put the event on hold.
Never mind. The people here have been wonderful and if I don't have time for a post until I return to the UK, I'd recommend a trip to Santa Cruz to any surfer. The heritage of the place is extraordinary, the waves are world class, and even the grandmas skate (though not, as one of them told me, in the skate parks: "Too gnarly - I've got to look after my bones," she said, before cruising on down the street on a Sector 9).
That's it for now. The first picture is from The Lane yesterday and gives an idea of what a top wave this is; the second was taken this afternoon and shows what a job the judges had to tell what on earth was going on (it got a lot worse within minutes).
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