Bolsa Chica

I've worked across from another surfer for over a year and, up until today, had yet to surf with him. But today was different. Someone else at work wants to start surfing and finally got a wetsuit. So he was anxious to get out in the water. Before we knew it, plans were being made: babysitters were lined up, shared custody issues were straightened out, and a break was chosen. My surf buddy lives in the O.C. and surfs Bolsa almost exclusively. As I'm always up for trying a new spot, I suggested we all meet at Bolsa. Since I needed to be back in L.A. by 10, we agreed to meet at 6 a.m. It's a good thing we did since the tide started killing the waves not long after we paddled out.

I must say, it was cold as hell out there! I was cold from almost the minute I paddled out. As usual, a little bit of a breeze is all I need to get cold to the bone. Still, it was a pretty good session. I was a little fearful at first. When we pulled up, I saw someone get barrelled. Granted, he was crouching, but he was still covered up and made it out unscathed. As it turns out, that was a rogue wave. Nothing like that rolled through while we were in the lineup. In fact, it was pretty damn mushy out there. My wave count wasn't all that high, but it was higher than it usually is when I go to a new break. In fact, I was on a mission to be the first one to catch a wave. See, my surf buddy's been at it for at least a decade (if not longer) so I knew he could surf. But I was worried that if I didn't catch something right off the bat, he'd go back to work and tell everyone I was a kook. I don't know why I was worried about that. The best wave I caught I rode with him. In fact, our newbie friend was there too. (Yeah, we had to surf around him as he tried to paddle into the wave we were riding.) It was a nice long wave. Since I was going backside, I couldn't see my friend behind me. I would turn and look for him every so often. When we paddled back out, some of the other guys in the lineup, guys who'd been trying to give tips to our newbie friend, said something about us not running over that friend. I mentioned there was no way I was going to run him over since he was on my board. Then one guy yelled to our friend that we hadn't run him over because we love him. I said, "Oh, yeah, we love him. (Pause) And the board."

I had fun. It was too cold for me, but that's nothing new. I enjoyed the waves at Bolsa even though it was a mushy day. I also enjoyed the people. I think we're planning on going back more often. I can't get out there every weekend. It's not worth the drive. Still, it's nice to have a change of venue every once in awhile.