Santa Barbara Area Surf Report

July Overview | 1996 Overview


Date/Time:
Tuesday, July 2nd, 7:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location:
Malibu and Sequit
Weather:
Warm and sunny, building onshores.
Conditions:
Pure glass to poor through the morning and afternoon.
Swell:
Peaking S hemi groundswell, shoulder high to overhead and a half.
Comments:
5 am departure for points south of S.B. County, past weak-looking Ventura and Oxnard, closing out County Line and too-low-tide Sequit. Gave Zeroes a check but opted instead for a first time at the 'Bu.

Paddled out through some hefty sets and surfed mainly between 3rd and 2nd points. Most waves were fast and steep 1-2 maneuver waves, not the well-lined-up pointbreak that I had expected. Much more reminiscient of Upper Trestles or maybe a shutting-down Stables than Rincon or even T's.

Got some great walls though, nice and steep and well-sized. Pulled a carve on the luminescent underside of one lip that I'd never even fathomed trying before... recovery was impossible but it felt great. Robert got some good larger set drops and cranking bottom turns on his 6'10".

Drifting in past 2nd point to 1st, the crowd situation got silly: big walruses on 15' tandem boards popping to their knees on set waves and then bellowing in a deep baritone, causing dolphins and surfers alike to scatter; people dropping in and offering the lamest excuses, such as:

"Sorry I dropped in on you, but I stay focused on the wave, I don't pay attention if anyone else is on it, okay? You're in a whole other world to me."
Oh, okay. As long as you weren't paying attention at all, I'm not upset.

Fled the scene to Sequit, where the winds were again howling sideshore like yesterday, but better lined up on occasion though the sets were still closing out in big fashion. Another 2 hours, got cold and sunburnt and began wondering if it was worth going home to work...


Santa Barbara Surfing -- Last updated 7/2/96.