Surf Report # 6

Location: Ferrysburg, MI – North Shore Beach
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm
Air Temp: 48 F
Water Temp: 52 F
Wind: From W 19-25 mph
Waves: 7-8 feet
Gear: 5/3 wetsuit, 5 mm boots

Big stuff, kind of like the day I went out with Mary except colder and windier. I learned my lesson from last time though and didn’t take the waves too seriously. Just kind of gave up and laughed as I repeatedly got flipped end over end. Awfully fun, watching a wave come towering in over your head, feel yourself getting sucked backwards up the face, then a moment later launching headfirst toward the bottom. Had a couple of really fun, really fast, really long rides, but really didn’t catch much else. Which was okay.

Haven’t been able to find my hood for the past couple of days. So went out with just boots and the wetsuit. Once my face went completely numb and I ran out of snot to drip out of my nose I didn’t even notice the cold though. In hindsight I probably should’ve worn the gloves too (hindsight being the inability to straighten my fingers for fifteen minutes on the ride home).

I think the water could’ve been completely calm and I still would’ve had a great time out today though. One of those days that feels a little magical and a little overwhelming. Where it feels like the sky is so full of color and shadow that it’s just going to overflow straight into your soul. Purple and darkness, than bursts of blue and sunshine. Spread out over surging white and cresting blue/brown. Someday I want to wake up to that expansive view every morning.

It was tempting. It was. In spite of visiting the beach on zero sleep. In spite of the fifty mile per hour gales and the stinging sand storms. In spite of witnessing a woman nearly washed off the pier.

I drove out to Ferrysburg by myself after working third shift last night with every intention of trying to surf the twelve-foot waves that my Internet forecast promised. I wolfed down a couple of Snickers and a Powerade on the drive out to keep from passing out at the wheel. The drowsiness and the sugar balanced out nicely into a foggy contentment as I pulled up to North Shore Beach. I spent about ten minutes here hunched underneath my hoodie, squinting into the wind, trying to decide whether it was worth my time before driving down to the fishermen’s parking lot near the north pier.

In the end I bailed on the surfing idea and just sat and watched the water until every part of me was numb. If I hadn’t been by myself I’m pretty sure I would have gone in. No, actually, I am sure I would’ve gone in. By myself the water just didn’t look that fun. Just looked violent and choppy. Big, but not twelve-foot big. Or maybe the wind was just squashing things down.

Watched some dorky high school kid try to surf for a few minutes, giving thumbs ups to his dorky video-camera-holding friends. He didn’t fare too well and I took that as my cue to go. Took an hour nap in my car, then drove back to GR. Some minor regrets on the ride back about not at least getting in for a couple tumbles, but all in all felt okay about at least getting to see the weather.

Surf Report # 5

Location: Grand Haven, MI – South Pier
Time: 9:15 am – 1:00 pm
Air Temp: 59 F
Water Temp: 54 F
Wind: From SSW 11-16 mph
Waves: 3-6 feet
Gear: 5/3 wetsuit, .5 mm hood (first 30 minutes)

Oh my, have I ever been putting my body through the wringer over the past few days. Played three hours of flag football and lifted for an hour at work on Tuesday. Yesterday (on some incredibly tight hamstrings) I hobbled through two hours of basketball. Then I topped that all off this morning with a day in the water. Didn’t really notice the pain this morning though once I was in the water.

Beautiful day. Top to bottom beautiful. Almost 60 degrees and sunny, in November, in Michigan! Waves were similar to Sunday. Lots of fun. Easy to catch. I stood up and rode the first four waves I went for. Always a good sign. Waves weren’t particularly clean, but that also had to do with the fact that I was playing around near a sand bar and seaward rip current. I’ve been getting better at catching and riding the faces of the bigger waves (as opposed to flopping into the whitewater). The speed. My goodness the speed difference is spectacular. Now I’ve just got to work laterally, though I know that is going to take forever to get right.

After today though I don’t feel like I’m necessarily surfing how you’re supposed to surf though. I watched a guy paddle out, who obviously knew what he was doing. He coasted right through the breakers I was playing in and cruised out about twice as far from shore as I was, bobbed up and down for a while, then gently stood and rode a wave over half the way back to shore. Caught another wave back to shore then walked down the beach and started all over again. He did this twice and was waiting for a third during the last hour that I was in the water. I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re good. I don’t know if I’m going to have the patience for that when I’m good though. I’m more of an instant gratification kind of guy.