Hey all,

Jeez- this year's "3 best surfs" question has revealed a big concern that I have been ignoring so successfully it didn't really hit me until now. A combination of a weak surf year, my firstborn coming into the light last January, and work pressures on the road to Ph.D. combined to make this a pretty weak surf year for me. I postponed, then rescheduled, then canceled my annual surf vacation. I missed swells to take care of family duties. I logged less water time. More of my water time was on a log. My favorite local mysto spots scarcely woke up at all in 1999. I didn't surf outside of southern CA once.

That being said, there were still some definite highlights:

1. June.
   Very unseasonal west swell turned Rincon into an immaculately glassy skateboard park. My first time out in worthwhile surf on my brand new single fin longboard was a dream session. Surfed the Cove and caught several glassy, speedy, hollow waves all the way to the freeway, about as good as it gets. Life doesn't get much sweeter, except when someone kicks their board into you and puts the first ding in your brand new board. In the context of the great session I was able to interpret this as a relief; the first (and most painful) ding was over.

2. September (actually, it was in October - tim).
   Surfed Big and Little Dume the same day. Head high with overhead sets. Big Dume was like a dream, but setty and crowded. I still got one dreamtime screamer that went and went and went. Mad Dog left after Big Dume and missed the best waves of the session, gorgeous green walls lining up off a sandbar just above the main peak at Little Dume. My shortboard was just singing under my feet. I got veranda-ed more than once. Best day of the summer.

3. Dec. 13 and 14 in the Cove at Rincon.
   Both super fun, small days with a pretty light and mellow crowd. I'm not sure which one was the best. I got lots of waist to chest high, glassy, ultra-perfect little peelers off the sandbar and off the top of the Cove on my longboard. I squatted down and got veranda-ed a few times over the sandbar section. I took my cross stepping technique to the next level. I saw the most spectacular aerials I've ever seen a dolphin perform. And I had dolphins surfing directly beneath my board on one sweet, wide one that I road all the way into the backwash down by the Callbox. Just about as fun as small surf gets.

Aloha, Surfer Bob