Santa Barbara Area Surf Reports

Location:		Sands
Weather:		Sunny with moderate offshore/sideshore
Conditions:		Peaky, Fast and Sectiony
Swell:		9.4ft @ 12s @ 315°
Surf:		Chest High+ Sets

Comments:

Working underneath the flightpath of Santa Barbara Airport has it's advantages. Such as mid-day today, when I noticed the planes were no longer coming in over our building on approach to land, but rather over our building after takeoff. A quick check of the windsock out near the taxi-way confirmed: Offshore. The wheels were put in motion for a sunset session. The wind wasn't perfectly offshore, and it was blowing pretty good, so who knew what conditions would be like. Once at Sands it looked similar to the last few days, but with a little more size and wind combed peaks with spray off the back. Not as awe inspiring as our fall offshore events with warm air and water, but no complaints for an offshore event in spring in the afternoon. I paddled out at the wrong time, took a lot of freezing cold waves on the head, then waited out in what seemed like flat conditions. Soon the sets came rolling in, nice peaks jacking up with spray coming off the back. A few pits here and there and a few guys getting cover ups. My best wave was a late takeoff going left where I felt like I slid down the face sideways, while grabbing the rail and looking for the cover up. It never came. After that it was a series of mildy successfull rights and lefts where I'd typically get few turns in and then blow it coming off the top at the end. Braveheart wasn't out there today, but another regular was out there, more of a hack like me in ability whom we'll call Joe. He and I got stuck inside on a freak bomb that broke top to bottm with a lot of power. I barely slipped under it, felt it try to take me with it, but then it lost it's gripped and I successfully poppped out the back, whilest Joe who must have been a second or two later than I got ripped apart, but was pretty stoked to experience some power in spring. Surfed until past the sun went down, my hands were numb and incapable of dexterity.