Great day today. I spent eight hours at work getting paid to get my high ropes certification. Paid to climb around on rock walls and dangle from sling lines! How great is that? Very great, that’s how.

Then…

Surf Report # 28

Location: Grand Haven, MI – North Pier
Time: 5:00 pm- 6:15 pm
Air Temp: 36° F
Water Temp: 35° F
Wind: From NW 16 mph
Waves: 4-7 ft
Gear: 5/3 wetsuit, 5 mm boots, 3 mm gloves, .5 mm hood

Straight from work, I zipped out to Grand Haven. Pulled into the fisherman’s parking lot under cloudy skies and blustery conditions. Waves were ridiculously big (pictures below do no justice), but were super peaky and disorganized. Had a half dozen really fun (if short) rides anyway with a bunch of junk rides thrown in for good measure. Two that stand out: 1. An early ride where I caught the confluence of two enormous waves just as they collided and rode perched on top of the whitewater peak looking down at the ten foot drop between the position of my board and the trough, laughing in the churning maelstrom, but staying upright for a good long ride. And 2. A ride near the end of the session where I rocketed down the face of a similarly large wave, cut back left, then back right before getting absolutely mauled by the wipeout (one of those wipeouts where you’re getting yanked around and upsidedown underwater while your board flails somewhere in the space nearby).

Only stayed an hour and fifteen though as the cold was getting to my loosely protected right hand (dog-punctured glove) and given the violence and temperature of the water I really didn’t want to push my luck too long out by myself. It’s tough not having a surf partner these days.