Zoner Tom in San Diego on his Sunova at Sunset Cliffs

[Tom]

After you do the stairs for 10 years or so, they're not that bad. When the tide is 3 foot or less, it get easier to get out. We always crack up at the hot shots that show up for the first time at high tide and have problems getting in without thinking that they will soon have to get out. This really is the easiest spot, down a ways there is a beach access, but you climb down a rope to get there, then there also are a couple of goat trails. When ever the city parks tries to improve access, hundreds of surfers show up to protest. Good access brings crowds.

[NorthJerzSurfer]

that wave is screaming for a foil....

[Zooport]

Yeah, I went to the stairs near the end of the road by myself and decided to go somewhere else because I didn't know how to navigate it.  Surf wasn't all that great that day anyway.  OK if you didn't have the get your board up with you without dings.

[WhatsSUP]

Clemdog...great catch on the video!

Tom:  Two thing REALLY jump out to me....1) your board seems to be quite responsive to relatively small foot shift most of which are taking place mid-board.  And 2) what a GREAT example wave after wave of your eyes always staying up and looking exactly where you want to go!   Nice riding!!!!!!!!

 

[Tom]

Thanks Whatsup, have I mentioned I love that board. That was on slow wind swell. If you notice, the wave wasn't even breaking but the Speed worked well, even though I had to paddle while on the wave a couple of times. You can see how the board accelerates thru a turn, which I thought the video captured pretty well.

[WhatsSUP]

Tom:  I'm sure you've posted it some where before but I'll ask anyway, what size Speeed do you have?  I see what you mean about accelerating thru a turn!!  I REALLY liked the 9'2" Speeed I tried last summer!  I gotta feeling Santa is gonna be extra good to me this year...............

Look forward to more video for sure!!!!  Thx to Clemdog again!

[Tom]

That's  the 8 10 and I   weigh  about 180. I'm  comfortable  surfing  it from  knee high to  several  feet over  head..

[Billekrub]

Cheat, even have a little t of waves down here, but they are musher than most. Even in a big day we tend to have to paddle hard to drop in here in SoCal and then when you're on the wave you gotta trim to stay in most of the time.

We breed good noseriders down here lol.

So, which boards do you find get the most out of such conditions?  Tom seemed to get on the wave early, despite its weakness, but as you say, needed to stay forward else get dropped.  Two different approaches, in general:  wide tail short boards like simsup, tomo, shroom, skate, and some longobards???

[Billekrub]

Cheat, even have a little t of waves down here, but they are musher than most. Even in a big day we tend to have to paddle hard to drop in here in SoCal and then when you're on the wave you gotta trim to stay in most of the time.

We breed good noseriders down here lol.

So, why not use a board with a wider tail?  Shroom, Skate, fish-like, simmons, tomo etc. that requires less wave to get speed?

[Billekrub]

Maybe, the wider tail boards would require too much paddling to catch such a soft wavelet?

[Billekrub]

Maybe, the wider tail boards would require too much paddling to catch such a soft wavelet?

[surfercook]

Nice! Good to see you riding proper, Tom. (and thanx for skoolin me those stairs and jump off point. Place is sketch for sure).

[PonoBill]

With my dodgy knee, the stairs are a bit of a trial, but the spot is well worth it. One of my favorites in SoCal. On my second or third traverse, I did a total yard sale, falling up the stairs and losing my board down about ten steps. Embarrassing, but minor damage to the board.

[surfercook]

With my dodgy knee, the stairs are a bit of a trial, but the spot is well worth it. One of my favorites in SoCal. On my second or third traverse, I did a total yard sale, falling up the stairs and losing my board down about ten steps. Embarrassing, but minor damage to the board.

Yikes! It's a challenge for sure. Like you say, Pono, well worth it. Tom took me there twice during my two week stay in Feb 2016. It was so perfect the second time and he gave me a heads up to show a coupla days in advance. 
150 shots in this Flickr album of mine. The ones of me riding were taken by Tom. I'm on his 8'10" Speed. Pretty sure it's the one that the airlines shmooted!
https://flic.kr/s/aHsktwa3qG
IMG_2703 by surfercook, on Flickr

[linter]

  i'm going back to sd in a few days and boy o boy i wish i could figure out a way to navigate those stairs.  don't they have an access spot for the officially handicapped?  i got my placard the other day, which gives me primo parking everywhere, but what about access to the best spot i've seen all my winters in the area?  my supping days are at an end anyhow, so i'm going to be returning my sit-down ass to an infinity waveski.  not going to be any easier with the stairs, though.  shit.