Oxnard Surf Practice
Last Saturday's surf entry/exit practice was well attended, with 10
participants from CKF & SBKC besides myself and Carl. I had asked Steve
Holzman, one of our CKF Ventura County coordinators, to come help
coordinate and he kindly obliged.
We met at Hobie Beach in Oxnard. I had
listed an 8:30 meet time and was surprised to see a full house at 8:15,
with several enthusiasts already in the water practicing their rolls.
Clearly, there was going to be no stopping this group! By 8:45 we were
paddling over to The Pond, a popular practice spot. This area is
distinguished by a breakwater parallel to the shore. The surf starts out
small and grows as you move toward and then away from the end of the
breakwater. Saturday was calmer that I had ever seen it there, and I was a
little worried there wouldn't be enough for a challenge. We started going
into the beach and back out again in the small stuff, and people quickly
moved out to the larger waves as they gained confidence. Several people
got their first practical experience with bracing. Pam Schlotter, well
known kayak-surfer, came in her sparkly surf boat and went out to the
larger swells past the end of the breakwater to see what she could find.
Although it was generally calm-ish, there was the occasional large swell
for entertainment. Some of the more intrepid kayakers went out to see what
they were up for. One friend soon told me he'd done his first successful
combat roll. Congratulations! A real rite of passage.
One thing we all got lots of practice with was unassisted launches from the
sand. It's always a judgement call as to how close to the water to drag
your boat before you get in and attach the sprayskirt. Too far and you're
doing the knuckle-walk forever, too close and the water comes in before
you're ready and floats you sideways, and then what? Some people use their
paddle as a launching tool, I'm always afraid I'll break it and just stick
to my hands.
I was heading out through larger swells seeing if I could stay upright when
a friend missed his roll and decided he'd rather swim the boat out past the
swells for re-entry than back into the beach. I found I could help by
giving the boat a good shove forward with one hand and then catching up to
it, while the swimmer followed. Every time I'm involved in a rough-water
recovery I learn something, whether it's me in the water or a buddy. I've
been learning a lot all summer. Pam gave us some good tips on watching the
horizon for advance info on what's coming in, and using a rip to get out.
It was really amazing to see what rapid progress club members made with
just a few hours of practice. I think just about everyone dumped at least
once, which is a good thing in a practice situation. It's means we're
pushing our limits a little. It's very encouraging to see how well
attended recent practice sessions have been. I'd like to know if there is
continuing interest as we move into the fall. Also, if anyone knows an
Orange County location with surf conditions similar to The Pond please tell
me about it, Oxnard is a long drive for many club members.
Anneli Kyner
Submitted on September 10, 2001