Don't They Have Anything Else To Do?

[Califoilia]

Meager conditions today, but having not been out for a couple, figured I'd head out just to paddle, and see if I could find a few waves to play with in the process.  While driving by the north lot at SanO, I saw a couple buddies parked thinking the same things.  We could see only two surfers up at Church, there appeared to be a few decent sets rolling through occasionally, so we decided to paddle on up.

Once there, we found that one surfer had left, so we paddled 100 yards north past the lone surfer to right around "Tres Baņos", and caught some fun little thigh to occasional waist high sets.  After about 30-40 minutes or so, a lifeguard truck shows up, and sits right in front of us for a while.

We each caught two or three waves a piece, and since it's "winter" and we've been allowed to surf Old Man's with LGs sitting in their trucks watching us, as long as we've been a couple hundred feet away from surfers....we figured he was just watching, because really no one was anywhere down south, surfers or SUSers.

Guess we shouldn't have been so optimistic being up in "Trestles", because we soon hear the PA click open up on the truck, and hear the LG say, "Attention standups...you cannot surf in this area.  You can paddle here, but you cannot surf waves here with your paddles.  If you want to SUS, you'll have to move south of the military boundary, or go done to Dog Patch."  We look around to sort of show that there was on one else around us, turn toward him, and give him the old, "WTF?" hands up questioning look.

Well, being just "one of those days", and feeling in the "fvck it" mood....we toss our paddles, and start prone paddling into the waves, and really just have a blast, as if we're just sort of flipping him off in the process as an added benefit.

I notice that the shortboarder is still down south all by himself, and I thought the poor guy looked lonely, so I grabbed my paddle, paddled over to him, threw my paddle outside again, and plopped down right next to him and said, "What's up bro?"

He gives me this confused and frustrated look, and says, "Nothing, why'd you paddle over here when it looked like you were grabbing waves over there?"  I just told him, "Because now that I don't have a paddle, the lifeguard said I could surf wherever I want around here, and I thought the waves looked better here, so looks like we'll be sharing waves the rest of the day."

I wish I had a camera to show you the PO'd look on his face when he said, "fvcking lifeguards".  I just shrugged, gave him that "yeah, what can I tell ya" shrug, as I did all I could to contain my laughter, and then paddled into the next wave as he sat there not even paying a bit of attention to what was rolling in.

As I paddled back out and sit next to him again, it turned out he was a really cool guy, who was sympathetic towards SUSers "getting screwed", especially when we're going out of our way to stay away from surfers, as to not make tensions any worse than they already are around here.

So we chatted, shared waves, and just had a pretty fun time...considering the shitty conditions with weak waves (glad I was on my 9'4"), and the wind eventually kicking up.

As I was paddling back to my van, I couldn't stop from thinking about tomorrow, and heading down to Old Man's or Four Doors....paddling out standing up, and then tossing my paddle way outside, and then sitting in the middle of the lineup with my big ol' board to look around a say, "What's up boys?"....just to see their reactions.

Fun times....life is good for sure.



 

[linter]

wow.  i would never paddle up on a lone surfer like that, unless, of course, it really was the only place where it was breaking ok.  even so, i'd feel bad about it.  but i guess that's just me?

[eastbound]

i wish the breaks i surfed had only one surfer to paddle up to. i am often the lone sup among 15 or more.

the worst is when i am making it work alone with a crowd of proners, and 3 more sup's start paddling out. I usually bail to an inferior spot when this happens. don't mean to be disloyal, just dont want to be a part of the behavior of others.

and at the breaks i frequent near brooklyn,  most proners, many of whom i recognize, generally dont give me attitude--but i am carefult to behave reasonably

there's one dbag who ive seen a few times who mumbles shit but turns pussy when i paddle up all NYC "you talkin' to me?"--he tries/fails to get others to join in--i shd prolly igmore the guy, but could be my willingness to confront is what keeps others from joining him

he is really a brief mild annoyance

[Califoilia]

wow.  i would never paddle up on a lone surfer like that, unless, of course, it really was the only place where it was breaking ok.  even so, i'd feel bad about it.  but i guess that's just me?

Yeah, like I said linter....I was just in "one of those moods", and then getting called out when we were really all by ourselves, way away from the surfer just put me over the top.

It's also not like I haven't SUSed around and with other surfers before, and have never really a problem with 98% of them.  When I paddle up to them, I just immediately sit down on my board, and explain I'm not there to ruin their day, and that I'm just gonna be riding their scraps.  When they figure out I've got a least a little bit of a clue as to what I'm doing (hell, my board is shorter than most of theirs), and I'm on my best surf etiquette around them, things really aren't that bad for anyone, and that we're all having a great time sharing waves, and the stoke of the day.

So paddling up to just one guy was really not a big deal, I mean what's he gonna say or do....beat me up, yell at me?  As it turned out, we ended up chatting as much as surfing due to the conditions, and I think he really did like having the company, and someone to talk to, once he realized I wasn't a threat to him or stealing any of his waves.

[Califoilia]

i wish the breaks i surfed had only one surfer to paddle up to. i am often the lone sup among 15 or more.

Oh, that is not normal by any stretch of the imagination.  It was just a result of the shitty conditions, and being midday during midweek.  Just two weeks ago, there was a slight swell that pushed through, and there had to be 80 to 100 guys at that same spot...I kid you not.

the worst is when i am making it work alone with a crowd of proners, and 3 more sup's start paddling out. I usually bail to an inferior spot when this happens. don't mean to be disloyal, just dont want to be a part of the behavior of others.

Yeah, especially around here where every first time SUSer who just picked up his board from Costco that morning paddles out, and proceeds to screw things up for everyone.

and at the breaks i frequent near brooklyn,  most proners, many of whom i recognize, generally dont give me attitude--but i am carefult to behave reasonably

That there is the key....you first have to give respect, before you can expect to receive any in return.

[PonoBill]

The lifeguards need to get their budgets cut a little more.

The only place I get shit is the Oregon coast, and only in the most ridiculous spots. Not from lifeguards--I think there might be two lifeguards for every hundred miles of Oregon coast. One or two longboard guys out, freezing cold, barking at me to leave. They're like Monk seals. All alone and they like it that way. Strangely I've never had anyone say a word at Pacific City, and rarely at Short Sands--probably because I don't really hear anyone younger than 40--their squeaky little voices are pitched too high. Everyone gets shit at the Point who doesn't surf it every day, so that doesn't count, but I almost always get some crap when I surf at the point break in Manzanita, which is simply ridiculous. I've spent a million miserable mornings there in my 4/5 suit, sitting like a teabag on my longboard, watching grey waves break in all the wrong places, all by myself. Now there's usually four or five guys out, huddled together in the cold, sharky water, and it's a very wide, inconsistent break, I don't go anywhere near them, but I've had a few of them actually paddle all the way over to where I was catching leftovers and tell me to go away. Of course that means I paddle to just outside of them and take all the best waves.

Making friends everywhere I go.

Last year two clowns yelled at me while I was loading up. Naturally I told them to f*&k off. That evening I was having a beer and some fried oysters at the Sand Dune tavern when the clowns walked in. I knew every local in the place, and these idiots knew no one. I asked them where they were from. Boring! Boring, Oregon. I laughed for half an hour.

It's actually improving since all the serious older local surfers I know around Manzanita are on SUPs most of the time, and they would rip the heads off any dork from Boring, or even Gresham who had the nerve to give them grief.

[Califoilia]

It's actually improving since all the serious older local surfers I know around Manzanita are on SUPs most of the time, and they would rip the heads off any dork from Boring, or even Gresham who had the nerve to give them grief.

Yeah, that's the vibe I'm kind of getting on the beach, as the SanO surf club officers are starting to age the point that maybe that SUS stuff ain't that bad of an option after all, if it keeps me in the water when the body is telling me otherwise when trying to pop up to my feet all the time.

Some of the older club longboarders are actually finding their way down to Dog Patch to shoot the shit with some of us....something that would have been unheard of just a couple years ago.

Hell, the other day, a couple of us found ourselves up in the middle of Old Man's with the surf lineup about 40 yards north of us, and a lifeguard truck sitting on the beach just watching the activities for about 10-15 minutes before driving off. 

Obviously not the same dickhead driving it yesterday.

[standuped]

there had to be 80 to 100 guys at that same spot...I kid you not.

Kalifornia rest in peace....  I love the new wet suit technology...I actually have gotten a few hoots in Pacific City.

[supsurf-tw]

Well the rules are if you're 100 ft from a proner you're fine no matter where you are. You could surf Lowers if you keep your distance I've done it. Don't let the lifeguards call you out. Know your rights

 Haha Dave that was pretty classic to go hang with that proner. Maybe a group takeover of Church on our biggest SUPs without paddles.....
That would prove a good point

[supsurf-tw]

It's actually improving since all the serious older local surfers I know around Manzanita are on SUPs most of the time, and they would rip the heads off any dork from Boring, or even Gresham who had the nerve to give them grief.

Yeah, that's the vibe I'm kind of getting on the beach, as the SanO surf club officers are starting to age the point that maybe that SUS stuff ain't that bad of an option after all, if it keeps me in the water when the body is telling me otherwise when trying to pop up to my feet all the time.

Some of the older club longboarders are actually finding their way down to Dog Patch to shoot the shit with some of us....something that would have been unheard of just a couple years ago.

Hell, the other day, a couple of us found ourselves up in the middle of Old Man's with the surf lineup about 40 yards north of us, and a lifeguard truck sitting on the beach just watching the activities for about 10-15 minutes before driving off. 

Obviously not the same dickhead driving it yesterday.

The thing I tell the proners that criticize SUP is that EVERYONE will SUP at some point it's only a matter of time and everyone thinks "Not me Uh Uh" and I tell em BS, you can only pop up so long then it's quit surfing or SUP. When I started SUPsurfing I was so disillusioned with proning. The crowds, the aggression.. the PAIN! It just wasn't worth it. I explain how it's better to PROGRESS at something rather than DEGRESS. People listen....

[Califoilia]

Well the rules are if you're 100 ft from a proner you're fine no matter where you are. You could surf Lowers if you keep your distance I've done it. Don't let the lifeguards call you out. Know your rights

Haha Dave that was pretty classic to go hang with that proner. Maybe a group takeover of Church on our biggest SUPs without paddles.....
That would prove a good point

Only problem, most of our "biggest SUPs" are still smaller than many of the longboards out there, or at least the same size as most.

[supsurf-tw]

Well the rules are if you're 100 ft from a proner you're fine no matter where you are. You could surf Lowers if you keep your distance I've done it. Don't let the lifeguards call you out. Know your rights

Haha Dave that was pretty classic to go hang with that proner. Maybe a group takeover of Church on our biggest SUPs without paddles.....
That would prove a good point

Only problem, most of our "biggest SUPs" are still smaller than many of the longboards out there, or at least the same size as most.

Yeah true dat.