surf

july 2002

Location	Date/Time	Conditions
OB Jetty	07/31/02 6:00 am - 8:00 am	2 - 4'+ Southern hemi still with us but not as consistent as the day before. Jetty had some really fast waves. It was weird though. Some waves were real oval tubes but at the same time soft. Don't get me wrong, it was good however, despite the mongrel pack, with some set waves beautifully wedging off the outside sandbar for complete speed runs and the odd oval opening for the full on pit. I hung a bit on the corner or snuck on the inside. Some of the Nubes crew trying to lord over it but impossible out of their domain. Tempers were flaring. Some doad's skeg ended up cracking my nose as we all paddled over a set bunched together on top of each other. Caught a real smoker on the outside corner that barreled hard and then opened up for a few cutties. Caught a beauty in that started out a bit soft and doubled up while I round housed into it and got tubed for like three seconds. Nice.
Black's	07/30/02 6:00 am - 8:00 am	3 - 5'+ New southern hemi coming on which was also pushing in the remnants of the hurricane swell, plus and a tad of west northwest wind swell. The mid day high tide session has been the call at Black's with the inside bars holding up well. Beautiful wedge peaks with just a hint of wind when I first paddled out. Pretty solid with some easily overhead drops. Caught a nice six foot left that wedged up and threw open a nice face that I completely gouged down to the nose and popped out of to continue down the line. A bit shifty but it had the mad dog crowd guessing. Not the most lined up with most waves one or two whacks but it was nice to see some consistent size finally. Lots of lefts off middle and caught a few rights at north peak(south peak completely dormant most of this summer again). Ended back down towards middle to catch a few nice facey and racey lefts in. Good session.
Swami's	07/29/02 6:00 am - 8:00 am	1 - 3' What looked like a promising session quickly turned into a feeble attempt for anything to happen. Remnants of Hurricane Elida dissipating quickly. Should have trusted my instincts and also trusted the buoys, they don't lie, for a repeat Black's run. Looked like there were some inconsistent peaks breaking on the inside when I pulled up. Go out and catch two on the very inside that were total race tracks. After that had a half hour of a few fast and sectiony insiders for end section hits. For the last hour it was sit and wait for something, anything. It wasn't going to happen. Swell completely dried up to a near flat state. Was lucky to finally get a dribbler with a little bit of face on it to go in. Terrible.
OB Jetty	07/28/02 11:30 am - 2:30 pm	2 - 3'+ Looks like Elida was dishing up her swell a bit earlier than the wave forecasters were calling for. 2.7' at 14 seconds out of 180º on the Point Loma buoy, so a pretty solid looking south. Just a light ruffle on the water and hot and sunny. High tide producing some really fun lefts off of middle peak. Super carvable faces opening up. Real fun. Finally started to deteriorate around 2:30 from the wind but there was still some good ones pushing through.
Black's	07/27/02 11:00 am - 12:00 pm	1 - 2'+ Super winds from the get go in the early morning hours. Douglas just a memory. Probably wouldn't have gone unless Steph's aunt was visiting and they wanted to go to the beach. Although super blown out, there was a few lefts on the high tide holding up through the inside for a couple of turns and even some thwacks. Totally deteriorated after an hour when the tide turned.
OB Jetty	07/26/02 7:00 am - 9:00 am	2 - 3'+ A lot more wind swell in the water today mixed with the continuing hurricane swell. The Douglas swell was showing all right in San Diego but obviously not at its full strength as up north. Made the mistake by going to Swami's first, which was mixed up piddle, and then drove south to the Cliffs hoping something was going to come together. Literally the Jetty was the only place happening (maybe Black's?). Some clean lined up waves hollowing out fast across the bar when I first arrived when the tide was still pretty low. Scored a real solid barrel. Tide started moving in fast and made the waves a bit softer and fuller, plus a bit of a wind came on, but it was still plenty fun with the face opening up for some lip cracks. Was reluctant to go in because the peak right next to the jetty was starting to come together on the higher tide but had to go home and work.
Black's	07/25/02 7:00 am - 9:00 am	2 - 4' Not really all that impressive this morning. A mix of southern hemi, north west wind swell, and hurricane swell. I don't think the hurricane swell is really hitting here that much due to the extreme southern direction of the swell. Probably tomorrow it will have a bit more west in it and we'll pick it up. Anyhow, Black's was a bit shifty, sectiony and closed out and the theory of more water did not help. There was a bit of size on the sets but those were really dumpy. A few lining up but mostly fast down the line to dump section whack or float. Water had some really cold spots making it almost uncomfortable in the spring even with beach temps hovering in the 70's early morning. Maybe tomorrow.
Reed St.	07/21/02 8:00 am - 9:30 am	1 - 3' Not totally pathetic. A pretty peaky little north wind swell was creating some whackable little end sections even with the onshore on it. Water has dropped quite a bit from the hideous winds we have been having. These winds really began to kick in right around 9:00. Better than nothing.
Reed St.	07/21/02 7:00 am - 8:00 am	1 - 3' A little more juice today from the north west but still pretty piddly. Some sets had some size but unfortunately no form. A few right reforms on the inside and a few lefts but nothing spectacular. Pure maintenance surf seeing this is about my only form of exercise these days.
Reed St.	07/19/02 7:00 am - 8:00 am	1 - 2'+ Dribble on like a baby. Pretty small but a few spunky little sections lining up here and there going right and left for a close out whack. Tide shifted from peak high and things really got dismal. Lucky to get a left in.
Diamond St.	07/16/02 11:00 am - 1:00 pm	1 - 2'+ Pretty dribbly. Small west northwest wind swell. Thought I saw a few surfable waves. Barely just surfable. A few 1 foot lefts throwing up the odd face and a few rights had a dribbly line but mostly weak and closed out. There were some sets but they were completely closed out.
Black's	07/13/02 7:00 am - 8:30 am	2 - 3' Both south swells pretty much kaput. Really bad morning sickness. North wind and a bizarre chop created by the tide destroying the line up. Anyhow, a real struggle to put something together with a few lefts here and there for a whack before slamming shut. Pretty weak.
Swami's	07/12/02 8:00 am - 9:30 am	2 - 3'+ Good but super inconsistent. Swell more south with the west southwest pretty much a memory. Crowd, as always, was light at first then approaching maddening. Surfed inside and snuck a couple of fun wahckable walls and then groveled for about a half hour not catching a thing with the sets coming about every 15 minutes or so and there only being about two to three of the bad boys. Paddled over to the peak where I managed to catch a set that lined up through and then managed to scrape together a few waves on the inside in. Considered myself lucky at that with the tide filling in and shutting it down.
O.B. Jetty	07/11/02 8:00 am - 9:30 am	2 - 4' West southwest peaking and still squeaky clean. Had to drop off Steph at work so was on the 8 and bee lined it to OB. Some real clean lines pushing through the Jetty. A little on the closed out side with the medium tide but there were some really fast corners to be had and a few bouncing wedges off the Jetty. A few opening up for some whacks but mostly just drop in and freight train it. Was fun for awhile. Looked like the swell was dropping and coupled with a rising tide and onshore it was time to split.
Black's	07/10/02 7:00 am - 9:00 am	2 - 4' + Super clean west southwest swell running with glass conditions. South peak was the call today. Tide filling in after a negative at 4:00 am helping things out with just enough water. Lefts were cornering beautifully and extremely rippable. Kind of inconsistent but the inside was lining up and some of the bigger sets were setting up over the outside sandbar at south peak and wedging for multiple whacks. Real good.
Missouri St. - Crystal Pier	07/09/02 7:30 am - 10:00 am	1 - 3' some 4' Wind swell pretty much gone and just a small west southwest pulse running. A bit too lined up for the beaches but of course to small for the reefs. A few lefts that were holding up but mostly small close outs. Really hot and glassy when I first hit it and everybody decided to come out. Maddeningly stupid crowd with no wave etiquette or clue for that mater. It got a little bit better in front of Diamond with a few lefts holding up after having a pretty fruitless run down to the pier. Fog rolled in however junking it up. Should of put up with the crowd at Black's. Oh well.
Missouri St.	07/08/02 7:30 am - 9:30 am	2 - 3' some 4+ Combination of weakening southern hemi and some wind swell. Oily glassy peaks up and down the beach. Looked real fun when I first pulled up on the medium tide but the tide was filling in. Still some fun fast left wedges to be had and the odd right for some whacks and floats.
Stable's	07/05/02 6:30 am - 9:00 am	1 - 3' A dribbly combination of wind swell and a little southern hemi pulse keeping things surfable in Ventura. Lots of sand build up along the point at Stables creating some rippable little waves when the tide started moving out. Pretty fun considering I had it to myself for about a half hour and then two more guys for awhile until the hordes arrived. I swear that whole point is a kook magnet especially when it's small. Tide shifted a bit too much and it shut down. It was getting crowded anyhow. Fun while it lasted.
Black's	07/03/02 6:30 am - 8:30 am	2 - 3' some 4+ Dwindling southern hemi and more wind swell today. Bad case of morning sickness with lump and bump crudding up the waves. Started out at south peak where the odd left was lining up for some good whacks. Tide shifted and it became completely closed out. Dumping up and down the beach. Finally found some corners up at north peak where I finished off the session with some good really fast lefts that were opening up for some hitties. Looked like it was trying real hard to glass up again but I think the swell is beyond hope today.
Black's	07/02/02 6:30 am - 8:30 am	3 - 4' some 5+ Southern hemi still running with some wind swell and what seems to be a small straight west swell. Tide going out. Had some size but pretty much closing out with a few makeable lefts. Outside sandbars seem to be non existent. Tide started dropping more and the lefts started cornering much better down at south peak. Super fast and rippable if you picked the right one. Nice and glassy. Caught some real screamers. Pretty fun.
Swami's	07/01/02 7:00 am - 9:30 am	2 - 3' some 4'+ Looked like a pretty vigorous last gasp of south swell mixing with some straight west for some nice looking low tide Swami's. Couldn't believe that hardly anyone was out. Surfed the inside with two groms for about an hour. It was chest high and peeling almost by mid reef through the first section of the inside. Real fun and carvable until the crowd arrived. About 10 guys paddled out and sat on me. Still caught some nice southern sets that where lining up beautifully but the tide shift shut it down again flattening out what was an hour before steep and hittable into slopey and slow.