Well, in spite of what I said about the board surfers over 30 in that area, we met the exception. I'm going to have to raise the age of adulthood to 40. He started by telling George it was dangerous for him to be out there, and that he (George) was a "kook". George told him he was an experienced surfer, and that he "probably" wouldn't run him over + have a nice day. Later the same guy (I think it was him-all board surfers look alike) told me to take the boats back to the beach. I said "I don't think so...Have a nice day sir". The rest of the guys (and gals) there were either friendly, or kept to themselves. He didn't bother us again.

We surfed for a while at the cove, but the tide was high so descent waves were few and far between. We decided to head toward PV point, check out the Dominator and all the breaks in between, then come back when the tide was a little lower.

There were some nice breaks along the way, but many of them were pretty toothy. We surfed some of them anyway, zig zagging as necessary to avoid the rocks.

While we were at PV point I got my big (anti) thrill for the day. I surfed in toward the point over a small reef structure on a small wave. Not a big thrill, but a little entertainment. Then I turned around and saw the biggest wave of the day (so far) barreling in. I stared paddling hard, but that wave was building fast. I'd say it was a six footer at least. First I realized I wouldn't make it over before it broke. I kept paddling hard and soon realized that I would be pushed back toward shore by the broken wave. I paddled some more before it broke into about a six foot high wall of white water. The I realized I would get back flipped. and be traveling toward shore upside-down.

What really happened was that I got back flipped and pulled all the way under (boat and all) by some huge hydraulic. The forces, both accelerative and hydraulic were a little scary. It didn't just try to yank the paddle out of my hand, it felt like it was trying to pull my cheeks off my face. My attempts to tuck were in vain as my torso was flung out at a right angle to the boat. Thankfully I didn't touch any rocks. Eventually, the forces subsided and I was able to get get into a roll setup position. I didn't bother attempting to roll because from the darkness I could tell I was still well under water. Eventually, I floated to the surface (saw the light) and rolled up. It felt like I had been thrashed for 30 seconds and held 10 feet under water, but in reality it was probably only several seconds and a couple of feet under water.

After going over it in my head a few times, I think what happened is that the wall of white water must have went over the rock reef I had surfed over earlier. When it did, it formed a powerful hole that pulled me under. Anyway, I was a little shaken, but it ended well.

George has become very rock savvy over the past year or so. He picked a nice spot just north of the point for lunch that required paddling over a small reef and into a calm channel between some rocks. This is when rock gardening skill serves a practical purpose other than adrenaline generation. It's nice to be able to land where you want to, when you want to.

After lunch on the way back to the cove we found a nice 4 foot break to surf, but between the rocks and kelp it was a little scary. George and I tried it a few times and it was fun, but scary (for me). Vickie watched. George wanted to continue there for a while, but I successfully used Vickie as an excuse to leave. Maybe if I try the spot a few times I'll get used to it.

Back at the cove things were looking better. The tide was down and the swell had come up some. There were a few really large sets. So large that we and all the boardies where paddling hard out to sea to avoid getting caught in the break. When I crested the almost vertical unbroken wall I flew into the air off the back. Logically, I know my free fall was less than a second, but it seemed like 2 or 3 seconds. On several of them George and I were close together. and I could hear his boat slam the water a moment after mine. Very cool. We even managed to catch some of those big ones, but they were hard to ride (well) and there was a lot of competition.

Vickie hung out on the other side of the cove where the waves were smaller, but much more regular. She probably got three rides to every one of ours. Although she doesn't notice, it's obvious that her surfing has improved dramatically over the past year. Actually, the turning point was a trip to San Onofre. I pointed to the break several hundred meters out and said "you need to make your rolls today because that's a long swim". She took me seriously and made all her rolls that day and almost all of them since then. Being able to roll has made her a lot more confident in the surf.

We joined her after a while and rode some of those. George got flipped and tangled up in the kelp. He missed his first roll because the kelp pulled him back under. I started moving toward him because I was sure he was swimming. Somehow, though, he managed to get free of the kelp and roll up.

After a while Vickie said she was tired and went in. George and I were tired also, but not smart enough to go in. We went back over by the bigger break and found a nice spot in between the main break and the south end of the cove. The waves weren't as large as the main break, but well shaped, consistent, and vacant. We surfed there until we were too tired to catch any more waves (literally).

All-in-all, we all got some good surfing practice, we all got a little combat rolling practice, and none of us got any swimming practice. It was all fun except the one board surfer and the carry back up the hill. A small price to pay for a great day on the water.

    Steve Brown