santa cruz - the hook - first bad SUP experience

[Tom]

My rule is I don,t SUP anywhere I woundn,t prone surf and I do SUP every where I would prone surf.

[daswusup]

I have SUSed all over the SC area. If you want to paddle out at pleasure point the best spots are from Sharky's to Privates. You can put in on the stairs from 41st to get to these or for a more mellow experience(although a bit of a parking charade) put in at the Capitola pier and paddle towards Pleasure point.  Lots of SUSers around. I usually go to waddell creek for a faster reef/beach break with lots of empty peaks and not much attitude. Davenport North point is also a great spot. Greyhound rock has several nice reef breaks with decent channels to get out and you will rarely find anyone(surfers) in the water at all. It does feel extra chummy there. Like others have said already, it all depends on your skill level and awareness and lineup savvy if you want to mingle with proners. Often at Sharkeys there will be 20-30 proners in the line up but at a closer glance, most of them are beginners and only a couple of people will know what theyre doing. I have had great aloha from the one's who do actually know how to surf once they see that I too know how to surf and keep my board out of peoples way. There are endless opportunities north of town with a 5-20 min paddle either direction from the main spots like scotts, Davenport, waddell. Put that paddle to use a and get away and find your own peak. A longer board that you can paddle distance on and surf is what I usually use north of town. Having some decent stability helps keep you vertical too because often there is wind chop around these parts. Good luck and choose your spots wisely! SC is such a gem, and loaded with uncrowded SUS spots if you just think outside of the box.

[supdiscobay]

Its not just SUP hate at the hook.  I was out there on an early Saturday morning, on my prone longboard, catching waves at the peak, consistently.  There were probably 8-10 shortboards out. After about two hours, a guy paddles over to me and says I need to leave.
I asked him to give one good reason why. He then says, hey dude, I know you can surf, you have been out catching waves for awhile, but when all the yahoos from San Jose get here, and they see you out here on a longboard, they will think its ok to paddle out. Then he throws out that his buddy should be here soon and if he sees me on a longboard he won't be so nice.  
I was actually getting ready to head to second peak, cause the crowd was growing, but now I didn't feel like it.  I told him when his buddy got there, tell him come and talk to me.  I continued to catch waves, and I never heard from anyone else the rest of the sesh.
Funny thing was right before I drove away, I checked the surf from the cliff and saw about 4 longboards at first peak.

I would add though that now that I SUP, second peak is as far as I will go, and usually I will end up in Sharks, or privates. I have been out to Sewer peak a few times, but not in really good conditions.  When its bigger and clean, I can have just as much fun at any of the breaks, just east of 1st peak hook.

[SUPcheat]

Some of the problem seems to flow from a subset of old timers, i.e., the guys over 35 who have spent a lot of their days surfing and nights dousing suds and substances. I have wondered a bit about the interaction of drugs and surf culture.  It is what made me most wary of surfers when I first went out.  However, what I have seen so far, the surf is a mixture of tourists, noobs, wonderful people, demented cranks, inconsiderate clods, sullen creeps, committed pros and salt of the earth generous souls, I guess just like the rest of life.

There was a you tube interview somewhere of a couple of older proners at Pleasure Point railing against SUP and defending the sacredness of their mindset, kind of pathetic for mature men. They are baked and look like they rule the world from a barstool.  It seems that Darst must have aligned himself with these guys, who then convey the twelve year old attitude to the up and coming guys.

From what I have seen, an awful lot more proners are doing dangerous things in crowded circumstances at the Hook and elsewhere than SUP, and there is a lot of abandonment of the rules of surf etiquette i.e. dropping in etc.  I am surprised there is not more damage done.

I guess I get Sheriff Joe's somewhat provocative behavior at times in the Hook's lineup, he may just be drawing out the a-holes to make a note of them.

The hostility index so far seems to be going generally West to East around Pleasure Point:  Sewer's/Pleasure Point/First Break 10, Second Break 5-8, The Hook 6 to 10, trailing Hook 3-7,  Shark's variable with crowds, 0-4, trailing Shark's, Private's to Capitola 0-2.

[RATbeachrider]

Some of the problem seems to flow from a subset of old timers, i.e., the guys over 35

Very astute observation.  I was out proning on the long board last Tuesday.  Waves were running 2-3.  Paddled out to Little Reef was a SUSer on a Naish.  He was good and was surfing by himself at LR.  Waves were shifting and LR had few good sets rolling through.   Long story short, an old dude mumbled that the SUSer should go away ... the old dude was a good 50 yards away and the SUSer never once snake a wave from all the folks in the water.  Dumb @$$ mentality.

[surfinJ]

Dumb yea, just silly envy.  From the stuck in the crowded lineup viewpoint
of the typical proner, our mobility and wave count are annoying, at times
hate inducing.

The prime surfspot here is not visitor friendly, less so if your sus'ing.  The
local 'family' that controls access is headed up by what seems to be the
French cousin of Darst, uncanny resemblance.  Maybe there is something
genetic going on here.

[pdxmike]

Its not just SUP hate at the hook.  I was out there on an early Saturday morning, on my prone longboard, catching waves at the peak, consistently.  There were probably 8-10 shortboards out. After about two hours, a guy paddles over to me and says I need to leave.
I asked him to give one good reason why. He then says, hey dude, I know you can surf, you have been out catching waves for awhile, but when all the yahoos from San Jose get here, and they see you out here on a longboard, they will think its ok to paddle out. Then he throws out that his buddy should be here soon and if he sees me on a longboard he won't be so nice.  

I have no respect for people like that--not enough guts to just come out and say what they really mean.  I guess the obvious question to him would be, "So, since you know I can surf and have no problem yourself with my being out here, then I can count on you to back me up if your buddy says anything, right?"

[Beasho]

I was tutored that until you have been yelled at, been told to f--- off . . . you haven't really graduated to intermediate SUS status.  I am sure your experience was painful but welcome to sophomore year.

As a parent, of 3 young kids, you realize that your only job is to acculturate your children to train them to do everything that is NOT instinctive, or emotional.  They will attend 15 to 20 years of school to learn the rules, to be honest and to use reason over rage.  

Then we go and surf with wild, untrained pit-bulls.  These animals should be put down.  Who were their parents?

This is one of my favorite shots capturing the stink wafting from one such emotional beast.

[SUPcheat]

Welcome to California!

[Kevin]

Some spots are not SUP spots. Down here they're Swamis, Seaside Reef, Blacks, and I'm sure several others. I doubt anyone SUPs at Newbreak. Anyway, best to not SUP at some spots.

[PonoBill]

Beasho--sad but true. It wouldn't occur to me to tell someone what he could or could not use to surf with. If someone is being a jerk I might say something, but even that has faded. A rational person works around problems and looks for a resolution.

SUP hate is a stupid and childish reaction, encouraged by the herd. I consider those folks beneath contempt--irrelevant.

[Rolf]

Who is this "Joe the Sheriff" ??

[K-541`]

 Beasho way funny pic. I have one just like that in my memory.Sometimes you just have to salute back.

[southwesterly]

Who is this "Joe the Sheriff" ??

"Joe the Sheriff" is not just a nickname. Joe Clarke is a sergeant for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's department.
Besides being a good (and respectful) standie, he is the only person who surfs a stand up at the Hook.

[supthecreek]

Beasho
"As a parent, of 3 young kids, you realize that your only job is to acculturate your children to train them to do everything that is NOT instinctive, or emotional.  They will attend 15 to 20 years of school to learn the rules, to be honest and to use reason over rage. 

Then we go and surf with wild, untrained pit-bulls.  These animals should be put down.  Who were their parents?
"

Up there with the "best posts".... I love it!