San Diego Winter Surfing

Looks like we’re going to San Diego over the Christmas – New Years break. I’ve never surfed in the ocean before, well I tried at Ocean City Maryland once before but buried the nose of the board in the sand every time I caught the wave. Sounds like there’s a surf camp there. I expect I’d be able to rent a board. What can I expect in San Diego that time of year? I’ve got a shorty wet suit will that be enough?

yea san diego is pretty warm... in the summer haha. during the winter your gunna want a 4/3, or a 3/2 full suit at least. you should expect there to be some decent size surf while your there as well, durfing the winter is our season of joy as there are many swells during this time of year. im sure you can rent a board, it should be fun.

Yes, full wetsuit and expect big surf. They have a standing wave park you might want to check out, too.....

Yeah Ed, definitely hit up the Wavehouse.com
For surfing, head just north of SD to Cardiff, Swami's or Encinitas. For a first timer, you might want to head a little farther north to San Onofre, a break known as "Old Mans".
Check out surfline.com, click on north San Diego county and south Orange County for info.

hey Ed,
i'll be around that area after New Years if you are still around. my buddies and i usually go to "Churches" which is a bit of a walk from the San O' parking lot. pm me your info and let's see if we might be able to meet up.

We're going to be at Loews. It would be cool to link up, I'll email some info.

chris, nice gap pic in your profile. nice wake too!

Slideshow of yesterday: http://nctimes.com/story_tools/player/?type=slideshow&id=6

Nice, almost as big as the surf wake behind the Mighty Centurion

One of the last pictures is dotted with surfers in the water. Wow what a stack up! How often do you run over some one?

Wow! Double overhead at least!! The pic ed mentions http://nctimes.com/story_tools/player/?type=slideshow&id=6

"How often do you run over someone?" Only once in a while? Maneuvering in that kind of pack can be pretty sketchy -- if you can get past the breakers without getting swept back to shore (not speaking from experience of course Then you have to paddle for position against ten other dudes...

For days like that - sometimes the best place to be is right where that guy is cutting it up on the bottom of the screen - still head high and no one around...

(Message edited by smedman on December 06, 2007)

We went out there May 2006. We wore a 3/2 fullsuit. Got to surf Swami's and Boneyards. Went to Windansea and got the stinkeye real bad. Didn't paddle out there. We surfed a bunch of different spots with very little problem. There was this river mouth that everyone walked their dogs that was pretty good and really spread out. Also San Elijo had a nice little beach break with no crowd whatsoever. We want to go back really bad. Looks like September will be the month for me in 2008. Personally, I wouldn't paddle out where there is a large crowd. Especially at some of the really well known spots. That is a sure fire way to get hurt. Not from the surf but from trying to get out of the 8 million people trying to catch the waves way. Some will try and avoid you. Others will run right over you. It happens at ALL crowded breaks. But you will love it out there and will want to move there really bad. At least I did / do. The spousal unit will not move though.

Way cool guys!!!!!!!!!!!

jeff

I’m back. With all of the land locked surfing I’ve been involved with I though that I needed to get in some traditional ocean surfing.

The Concierge at Loews, at Coronado, set me up with a short surf lesson. Evan, my instructor, brought a soft long board and a full 3/2 wet suit. We crossed route 75 to the Silver Strand State Beach. First Evan gave me a short lesson on the shore. Then we headed out to the brisk water. Evan picked the waves and helped launch me. I didn’t make it to my feet on the first few attempts. I did make it to my feet about 5 or 6 times and rode the wave in to fairly shallow water near the shore. After a bit I started paddling but Evan still gave me a helping push.

I only had 90 minutes total. I’m sure I could go solo the next time I get to the left or right coast. However next time I’ll just rent a board.

That was really cool, but I have to say that wakesurfing has a number of strong positive attributes. I’m used to getting up on a wakesurf board, hanging on to the rope, setting my feet, and then riding for quite a while. My rides on the ocean were comparatively short and they felt hurried. Sometimes I took way to long to get to my feet. So long I didn’t get to my feet before the ride was over. On the ocean you really have to snap up and start riding. There’s no time to fiddle around and change your footing or to get used to the wave or the board.

Heading Out

I took too long to stand


OK here's the proof


The End

nice ed!
i have to agree - after my recent surfing adventures in CA last week - i really missed the boat on many levels. yet the pure adrenaline of those few seconds of dropping in and making a quick carve or two on a big wave cannot be beat...

Looks like a good day to learn!! Did your arms get tired? Endless summer? Something to be said about wakesurfing's endless wave!!

Not too tired. I was in the water for no more than an hour and Evan did a fair amount of the work particularly at first.

Wakesurfing and ocean surfing are very different.

Ed you can say you rode a 12 footer, just omit the "board" modifier Looks like a great time!

30 people on one break?
Ed, I probably cannot pop up on a surfboard, but am use to being pulled up with the rope, so i am going to drag my waverunner to the atlantic ocean(closer than the pacific) and try some ride in surfing,
so, i am thinking with the waverunner you can get out to your own break and you wouldn't have to worry about popping up, any drawbacks?

Jo, I'm not sure that tow in surfing makes sense on the east coast. I know they use jet skis on really big surf. I don't think it’s necessary for a first timer on either coast. I think the key things for a first timer are:
1) Use a long board (can be rented)
2) Start learning in the mush
3) An instructor only cost $60 for 1 and 1/32 hours - worth it
4) If you don’t go with an instructor talk to the guys at board rental shop

Pop up technique:
1) Lay face down
2) Toes just over the tail of the board
3) Hands at the chest either holding the rails or in pushup position
4) Push up the front of your body
5) Bring your back foot forward
6) Keep the hand on the same side as the foot you brought forward on the board
7) Move your front foot all the way forward
8) Stand with an athletic stance.

A faster popup is probably better. I think I took way too long to pop up, next time.

I'm building a long board for next season. I'll practice popping up on that board. If you make it down to Columbus again you are certainly welcome to try my board then.

I had a summer job in college teaching kids how to surf (more fun that working construction, my other job). I always taught my group never to crawl up on their knee like that because they'd always end up getting stuck there for most of the wave. It's hard to learn how to get up quickly. I think it goes against some basic instinct or something, so I'd line them up on the beach, have them lie down on their boards, and have them practice "popping up" to their feet in one motion, over and over again until it became muscle memory. I'd also tell them to grip the rails tight and not to let go until they had their balance. Everyone has their own style of instructing I guess... I remember one instructor in Costa Rica that I left my wife with for the day arguing with me over a beer later that night. He had been teaching my wife not to grip the rails, but rather, to push up with her hands flat and open. He was certain he knew more than me about the sport until one of the guides who had surfed with me earlier in the day told him I was definately no beginner. We all surfed together the next day, and I saw his point. He was teaching her on a board that was so big that gripping the rails was pretty impractical.