Santa Barbara Area Surf Report

Worked through the morning, waiting for the big tide to drop a few feet before heading out the door. Amping all day, but apparently I wasn't the only one, as one of the locals greeted me promptly with "what are you waiting for? go surf!" and I hadn't even gotten my car door shut yet.

Out in the water there was a bit of waiting and moving around, chasing down shifty takeoff peaks at the Indicator. My first taste of a real winter swell back home after missing the season openers while in Hawaii. I was stoked to be out there following the peaks back and forth, getting caught behind the curtain of sections. After my first small wave I got caught inside by a 15 wave set and barely made it back out before getting swept past the rivermouth peak. Wasn't too stoked about that.

Apropos for Rincon, especially early-season Rincon, had too many incidents of guys on big boards shoulder-hopping and taking a line right across the path of my bottom turn, forcing me to straighten out to avoid a collision and hence miss the fast section. Also apropos was the one macker from the very top to deep inside the rivermouth making it all worthwhile.

Only got one wave in the Cove, a tiny little brown one that couldn't have been more than waist high, but it still kinda barrelled me, crouched down into a little ball. Kicked out and landed with my feet on the sandbar in thigh-deep water. Waded in, stoked.