Sunday 2.24

[JonS]

Predictions as to what time the swell is gonna hit? How big?

Monterey Buoy is at 20 feet currently.

[Russell]

What does hit mean? Conception went from 6.6 @ 8.3 sec. to 15ft. @ 19sec. in 3 hours this morning. East buoy is already 5.2 @ 21. Will be interesting to see if it gets surfable before sunset. The wind seems to be turning.

[JonS]

What does hit mean? Conception went from 6.6 @ 8.3 sec. to 15ft. @ 19sec. in 3 hours this morning. East buoy is already 5.2 @ 21. Will be interesting to see if it gets surfable before sunset. The wind seems to be turning.


The local towsurfing crew will be launching at Ventura Harbor in the afternoon, and heading to Vta Overhead's...

[Russell]

I walked down to the steps at sunrise and it was flat except for the SE chop. Just walked down to the beach now and a thumping overhead set came through. Real long lull until the next one but that thing is here and it has some thump to it. Unfortunately the SE wind is still blowing on the beach here although way outside you can see it is trying to turn around. Down towards Anacapa it still looks like blowing SE. Those guys will defintiely find surf to ride but I expect it will be ugly. If the wind turns enough it could be rideable in town by sunset.

[EXITED]

Isla Vista beachies are seeing some 6-7 foot solid closeout groundswell lines right now... Looks really mixed up still at both the points with rips going out along all the depressions. If the wind calms and the water sorts itself out we could have some good stuff later on...

[BrianSB]

Im looking at the surf cam ATM for campus point and it's HUUUUGE.

[ShShSh]

The local towsurfing crew will be launching at Ventura Harbor in the afternoon, and heading to Vta Overhead's...

Just drove up from down there. The OH looks INCREDIBLE. Probably 3-4x OH, and it looks to be clean in this sunlight with slight offshores making paddle entry a bit more difficult. I soooo wish I was solo for the day to go hit that. Saw 4 skis pulling up as I drooled by... I mean, drove by.

Hey, John & Ryan: Session tomorrow morning about 8:30??

-ShShSh

[carpjaws]

jungle drums beat true...my, my, my...vista del mar of you choosing...

[BrianSB]

went down to campus to take some video. It was the biggest I've seen it there.

[Goletagirl]

went down to campus to take some video. It was the biggest I've seen it there.

I've never seen it connect through like that, and then wrap around towards the pier. I'd heard stories, but never seen it. Pretty amazing rides when it wasn't section-y.

[Simba]

Not many people could make the paddle out at Rincon. At most there were 5 or 6 people in the line up at any time this afternoon. Lots of unridden waves....

[Goletagirl]

Wow, definitely more than 5 at campus this afternoon :D.

http://santabarbarasurfer.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=419&stc=1&d=1203905464

[bentonsb]

Today was the biggest sandspit i have ever seen, with my own eyes, or even in videos or pictures. it was a rough paddle out, even with the high tide and the biggest sets were around double overhead. it was very consistent, and consistently rough and unorganized. the wave was sectioning in random places, and doubling up into mutants. i cought two BIG waves and took a smaller one in to the end of the jetty where i climbed/was flung onto the rocks by the foam... the harbour was hectic today. the whirlpool in between the peir and sandspit was in full force, and i saw around 5 guys in need of rescue by the harbor patrol. at around 1:30 the first wave came over the berm at the yacht club while we were eating at the minnow (the best place in town), drenching cars and creating an ankle deep puddle at the turn around area. my friends and i headed back out to the break to watch the few people who had made the paddle out score huge waves. on the breakwater on our way back, the biggest set any of us had ever seen broke about 10 yards offshore. when we got back to the dry-er area of the harbor, around 2:45, i was walking to get picked up when another wave of fast moving whitewater came over the weakened sand wall. people were on top of the berm watching, and when the wash came over and fell back, they had dissapeared. with the receading of the wave came the sound of sirens. 2 firetrucks, the fire department's heavy rescue unit, an ambulance, and a few police cars rolled up while i was on my way out. it appeared that the few people brave enough to stand on the sea wall had been swept out to sea. it was a crazy day of gigantic surf, but the sight of the water enveloping everything in its path really shook me. the ocean is such a powerful force... i hope no one was seriously hurt today

[smoknJay]

OH MY...

was anyone expecting that today? I stayed home cause the wind and rain was on at dawn, so hung around the house then went to breakfast, then got the call at 11..."cap'tn 8ft, come on down", man I wish he was right. It was down right huge. compareable to big-wed 06. grab a couple LOOOONGGGG rides, survived the near death paddle in...

all ready let work know i may be late tomorrow...:eek::):):D

[JonS]

I've got hundreds to download from Rincon & Sandspit, but OMFG!

http://santabarbarasurfer.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=420&stc=1&d=1203907225

[JonS]

This is about the least crowded you'll ever see the lineup on a Sunday in Winter. Easy to see why. Imagine paddling out through this. Reminds me of Ghost Tree... ;)

http://santabarbarasurfer.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=425&d=1203907798

[bentonsb]

what time were you out at sandspit?

[Russell]

That backside shot is hero material. Can't imagine getting out today at the Con. Old age is a bitch. At about 4:30 I saw maybe the biggest wave of my life at Butterfly.

[Simba]

Jon, I love that shot and I have one at exactly the same time, but no people in the shot.... I think I like yours more.

I can't believe what happened at the Yacht Club. I drove by around 5 PM and all the access to the beach at the harbor was closed.

I hope everyone is alright.

Anyone know who that surfer is? He has a CI board and has Excel and Sexwax stickers on it.

[Cutback]

Nice thick swells...

[carpjaws]

testimonials...i saw the ghost of Stanley's breaking 3/4 of mile offshore...lines (some breaking) from sea cliff to pitas...macking 'con before the attempts...and many more esoteric spots feeling the 24.8ft @ 17sec 285deg, 12:33pm...up fast, hopefully not, down fast...

[goletalocal]

Paddle out at campus around 1:00, surfed poles so HUGE!! little too big for my 9'6". But I managed to get a few waves:) and worked on the inside..:( Had a blast!!

[JonS]

Jon, I love that shot and I have one at exactly the same time, but no people in the shot.... I think I like yours more.

I can't believe what happened at the Yacht Club. I drove by around 5 PM and all the access to the beach at the harbor was closed.

I hope everyone is alright.

Anyone know who that surfer is? He has a CI board and has Excel and Sexwax stickers on it.

Thanks Simba. Coming from you, that's a real compliment...

Yeah, it was crazy down at the harbor. The wave that came over the wall at the Yacht Club actually pushed some people through the steel railing and down into the rocks on the inner side. I've never seen anything like it. Watch Keyt 3 and 11:00 to see what happened...

Does this guy look familiar?

http://santabarbarasurfer.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=431&stc=1&d=1203913992

[tiwerd]

I drove out to the end of the wharf around 3:00pm. We were watching the sandbar from right next to the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company for a while. Looked pretty mixed up and lumpy - saw a few guys hopping in the Harbor Patrol boats. Then around 3:45, we saw a huge set roll in. There were about 15 people watching next to us, and a few guys yelled, "That sets going to break over the pier!" It did start breaking about 20 yards away from us, and everyone ran towards the center of the pier. All the people sitting down eating at SBSC got soaked! :D Full on families with little kids crying and grown men shaking. :eek: The wharf security started putting up caution tape and we split. It was awesome, first time I've seen waves breaking over the wharf!

[Simba]

Busted....

I think that guy is wnated on felony charges......

[JonS]

This may not have been the biggest wave of the day, but for sure the ride of the day. The surfer with the X design on his deck took off up by the Rivermouth, made every section, and ended near the call box. I can't imagine how jacked he must have been...


http://santabarbarasurfer.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=472&stc=1&d=1203996127

[tim]

This may not have been the biggest wave of the day, but for sure the ride of the day. The surfer with the X design on his deck took off up by the Rivermouth, made every section, and ended near the call box. I can't imagine how jacked he must have been...


http://santabarbarasurfer.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=472&stc=1&d=1203996127

may i ask where is the picture of the biggest wave of the day?

[Goletagirl]

I'm almost embarrassed to post these with all the amazing footage here, but they are cool for their own reason.
I took some snapshots on Sunday and I noticed that this guy started back side and switched halfway through his ride to regular. I know it's the same guy because we all hooted at his footwork mid-ride from the look out.
Pretty sure it's Randall Stoker. Hard to tell with the distance and the haze, but I talked to him and it seems right. Even though I couldn't go out, it was watching rides like that one that made the day fun for me. He took that wave from the top of Poles all the way down past the stairs and I thought he was going to go all the way to the pier!

[Russell]

First I hope no one is shy about posting shots we like all of them. Can't expect to be as good as Jon and Simba. Kinda hard from that angle to tell if that is Rodstoker, he certainly has the switchfoot thing down but that first shot really doesn't look like him, he has a pretty distinctive style and I would have thought Randy would be riding a bigger board that day.

[Goletagirl]

Yeah, I'm not 100% sure either. I saw him on his way out that day, so I know he was in the line up. I saw him again the next day and I asked him if it could have been him and he thought it could have been. He was so nice and humble about it. What a cool guy.
Too bad Simba or Jon couldn't have had their lenses pointed his way! Whoever it was, it was a beautifully ridden wave.

[shamgod]

Pretty sure it's Randall Stoker.

I've always said that when Joe Montana was born 50+ years ago, his destiny as the NFL's greatest QB was sealed. Know why? The name. "Joe Montana". How can you NOT be a great QB with a name that cool?

And here's another, "Randal Stoker", how can you be anything but a great surfer with name like that? It's all in the name people. Ever noticed there's never been a great surfer named "Hyman Francowitz"? How can you be a good surfer with a name like Hyman Francowitz? That's a CPA's name, not a surfer's.