Nightglow Window

Going For A Surf

A surf session doesn't begin when your feet first hit the water. Nope, it begins when you turn the key in the ignition of your car and leave home.

Surfing is all about choices. The medium is dynamic. Swell direction, lighting, tide, wind, crowds, bottom contour, currents -- all this and more needs to be considered, either consciously or not -- before you paddle out.

So you really aren't jockeying for waves just in the lineup, but also in where and when you choose to look for surf. In the predawn darkness, every headlight could be someone who is going to take your wave.

It was pitch dark this morning as I pulled away from home. And there were just a ton of surfers driving around looking for the best spot.

The swell was still good, but the tide was really, really high. Lots of formless closeouts. Only a few places were sure bets, but they were going to be super crowded.

Do you sacrifice quality for no crowds or vice versa? What to do?

So I took a risk and opted for an out-of-the way beachbreak in Oceanside. Solitude over quality. It was offshore (good), empty (very good), but closing out (horrible).

By the time I had recovered from that mistake, it was so crowded at all the good spots that it wasn't even worth it. I blew it, and I blew it within twenty seconds of getting in the car.

Sometimes it's just like that.


The view from my front door as I head out searching.


The predawn hunt for surf in Oceanside, when in reality I should have been 25 miles south in La Jolla.