Dan Gavere blogs here about a recent sesssion at the Oregon Coast...
Memorial Day weekend usually means that summer is ending and the winter is quickly on it’s way in Oregon. The 50 degree temps at night are a stiff reminder of colder days to come. However this year Memorial Day was more like the middle of summer with highs in 70’s during the day very little to no wind and 6-10 ft swell got me and my Werner Paddles van headed to the coast for a long weekend of mandatory product testing.
Saturday Morning happened to be the best day of swell and I had a feeling my first session would be my best. (It usually is for some reason.) Maybe it’s because all the excitement and stoke has been brewing within me for a few weeks. It was now 5:30 am and I was heading to Starbucks for my prerequisite quad latte and some head clearing caffeine. Upon arriving at my first choice of spots I turned the headlights off and walked to the cliff edge for a look. The fog was so thick there was no way to see the ocean which was only a mere 200 yards from where I stood. The ocean always has a sound to it, and this morning that sound was LOUD! I couldn’t see the waves, but it didn’t matter because I could tell they were BIG. Excited and a bit nervous I headed back to the van to “suit up”. I knew the water would be chilly as the report said 49 degree water temps combined with the outside temp of a chilly 53 degrees meant I would be wearing my 4/3mm full suit and booties. I always think it’s funny to be applying the sunscreen when it’s still dark, but I knew the morning sun would burn the fog away revealing a beautiful sunny morning. I was set grabbed my board and RAN to the ocean. My buddy John Kutchella was right on my heels as he was also fired up about the conditions and the fact we would be the first in the water on our Stand Up Boards. I was amped to get some strokes in using my new Carve paddle.
Paddling out at this particular spot means staying uncomfortably close to a vertical rock wall where there’s a river of current taking you to the break. However when it gets big this river gets fast (riptide basically) and can sometimes be spanned with overhead closeout sets. Getting stuck in the reverb between the waves coming in and the waves bouncing off the wall can get real scary. A wedge shaped turbo reverb wall bouncer immediately knocked me off of my board, but luckily I was able to get out between some big set waves. John on the other hand got to take a round in the turbo reverb zone for about 6 waves before getting out. He was fine, but now definitely awake! Generally when the air temp and the water temp combined don’t reach 100 degrees you know its cold conditions. The first big set came in and John grabbed a beautiful right and disappeared behind a 15 foot wall of water away into the fog. There I sat solo silent about a quarter mile offshore, minnows everywhere, and pelicans feasting all around me. I must admit I am not afraid of big fish in the sea, but at that moment I could not help think about being a part of the food chain. I stayed on my feet and looked for the next set wave to catch. I hoped also that maybe after a good wave I would be able to get a visual on John, and the beach as the fog was still very thick and the sun just peaking over the ridge above. The next set came and I was a poised to make the drop. A few good sweeps on my left as I stepped back into surf stance, and I started accelerating down the face of a wave that was 3-4 feet overhead. The A frame wave was feathering perfectly so I dropped right and focused on the oil slick glassy water in front of me. This was a magical moment as all of a sudden I broke out of the fog and into the blazing sun as a slight offshore breeze had picked up and started pushing the fog bank out to sea. It was like being shot out of the winter and into the summer on a surfboard. An amazing feeling and visual experience, certainly one I will not soon forget. The rest of the session was filled with mind blowing waves for everybody, lots of sunshine and big smiles. By the time I got out of the water the air temp was in the 70’s and it was all I could do to get it off before collapsing in a heap of sweat and rubber. Stoked about a great morning. Now back to Starbucks for round two, and maybe an evening surf session after making a quick stop at Oregon Surf Shop to check out their wall of SUP stuff.
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