Makah Mythology

To the Makah's, apparently Mr. Thunderbird isn't a bird at all. He's a gigantic man named T'hlu-klūts who lives in the mountains and likes to wear a bird costume. When T'hlu-klūts gets hungry, he dons his costume and straps a couple of serpent-like animals to his waist and flies out to sea. He's not looking for salmon; not even a large halibut is enough for T'hlu-klūts' appetite. His craving is for whale! And once he finds one, he sends out his serpents (they're called Ha-hēk-to-ak) to dart the whale. He then grabs the whale and flies back to the mountain for his meal.

disclaimer: I am not a historian; I just like the artwork and am paraphrasing a history that was relayed to James Swan while he lived with the Makah's in the mid-1800's.

Shakespeare's decision to surf on Friday 04/03

To surf or not to surf, that is the question;
Whether 'tis nobler in the sea to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous weather,
Or to stay home against a sea of troubles,
And by not surfing, not know.





"Surf me," she saith, "since I have hemm'd thee here
Within the wave field of this aqueous green,
I'll be an ocean, and thou shalt be my dolphin;
Surf where thou wilt, on crest or in trough:
Shred on my lips; and if those hills be dry,
Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie."





Cut me to pieces, Winds; Froth and sea,
Stain all your edges on me. Boy! false hound!
If you have writ your annals true, ‘tis there,
That, like an eagle in a dove-cote, I
Surf’d your Waves in Corioli:
Alone I did it. Boy!

WA West Coast Consensus Forecast for Tue Mar 10 2009

Sunday's straits hindcast and brief forecast for Tues March 10 and beyond

I wasn't able to see the swell in the strait first hand on Sunday, but initial reports are that the waves were not quite as large as expected (shoulder to waist-high). There was definitely surf to be found without having to make the drive all the way to the west coast, but it was spotty. Some surf spots were receiving swell but the developing E wind later in the day made the ride bumpy at more exposed locations.

Today, the wind and remnants of swell from Saturday's windstorm could make for an interesting time in the strait. Otherwise, Tuesday thru Thursday would be a good time to visit the west coast with the forecasters predicting a manageable 6' swell, E wind, and increasing air temperature throughout the week.

WA Surf Forecast for Mar 07 2009 and beyond

Almost all indicators are pointing towards a great day of surf on Washington's north coast for Sunday. The real time conditions on Saturday morning show strong NW winds in the strait.




For surfing's sake, the stronger those NW winds blow today (Sat), the better the surf conditions will be in the strait on Sunday. The swell travels slower than the wind but the intensity of the wind can be an indicator of how much swell was being generated by the wind. The wave models are predicting the swell push to arrive late Saturday evening and to last through Sunday evening with maximum swell early Sunday morning.


One potential downside- the predicted 13 knot NNE winds for Sunday may create cross chop at some of the more exposed locations. But, to end on a positive note, I find there is some uncertainty with wind forecasting for the strait. From my experience, the weather in the strait has some extremely localized regimes- so if one spot is blown out, keep checking other spots.

Oh yeah, drive carefully and wear your thick suit and gloves if you got 'em- it will be very cold.

WA Surf Forecast for Mar 05 2009 and beyond

Not too many surf options for Thursday. At the west coast, strong onshore wind and small period is making for messy surf. Friday could be interesting as the wind switches from onshore to offshore, but the predicted wind speed is very high so, while it can make for beautiful waves, it also makes it more difficult to paddle into and stay in the waves. Saturday is looking like a transition day. It should be stormy and chaotic on the west coast and windy, small period, small size on the north coast. Sunday, and especially Sunday morning, the north coast should be receiving the swell associated with the previous day's storm. It is not predicted to be super clean but the direction and size should be enough to get into the strait.

Forecast beta for WA surfing

The swell size is a little too large for open ocean spots on Wednesday. Stick to sheltered bays. Thursday through early Saturday looks like a more manageable size but the period looks small so be prepared for some bump n jive. It's early in the forecast, but it is looking promising for the swell size and direction to be reaching the strait this coming weekend.

Surf nirvana

Anticipation on the long drive. All the cards are right. Swell direction, size, tides. A giant June storm blew through last night, and the swell is on its tail. The smokestack at the mill shows that the wind on the water is nil. Check the lookout:

Whoa, it looks way better than any of the other tens of times I've checked it. I don't need binoculars to tell that the waves look good. Race to the spot and park my car. I notice a few other cars with racks. On a Tuesday? It must be good. Jogwalk down the trail to the spot and listen as the sound of the water becomes louder and louder. Catch glimpses of beautiful waves through thick foliage while trying to avoid stinging nettles overgrowing the trail. Arrive at beach and see a wondrous view of world class waves breaking before my eyes. Quickly take camera out of backpack and snap a few shots:







Beautiful waves, long beautiful waves. Walling up, speeding down the line. Hurry, make this section, lip of wave slowly catching up and cascading over my head. Hollow, flange sound of breaking water around my perimeter. Then, its energy slows. I carve back towards it to say, "C'mon let's keep going." And it does! A new curved wall, and my board is slotted like a train and all I can do is ride, ride, RIDE!

I'm so lucky. The universe imparted a pirate's bounty of good karma on me today. I am obligated to pass it on, somehow.

Winter 07/08 Summary

Yellow Banks in July

We surfed Yellow Banks this weekend. A fun beach break that broke well on all tides. The beach is fairly concave causing the wave to concentrate. The wave was easy to get into and while it wasn't a very big wave we still caught some fun ones.



The hike was a challenge. 5+ miles of forest/beach/headland to get to the destination with full backpacks, wetsuits, and surfboards. We were very happy to reach our destination and get the packs off for a couple days.



The wave was mellow and smooth just like the weekend and the whiskey.



A surfer paddling towards the promised land.

An Instant of Time; A Moment of Eternity

Our friends took us to a very special place where we were able to get lost in the mazes of creation. Us humans attach words like weathering, erosion, concretion, sedimentation to describe the process and while my urge to describe what I experienced is strong, it ultimately is a place where muses dance and mythology is made. The surf was pretty good too!

Westport, 6 ft W swell, 14 sec, 10-20 knot E wind

This is just about as good as it gets at Westport:






sigh

Tides and Currents Query

Between the months of October and April, we Washington surfers can sometimes find surf on our north coast in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The strange thing is that the surf appears to be tidally-dependent as it switches on and off at the drop of a hat. So, when the swell looks right for the straits (like right at this moment; why am I home typing on a computer?), I'll check the tides and try to plan a surf around the high or low tide mark. My reasoning up til now has been that the tidal flow of water impedes the swell and I would prefer to surf when there is no impedance.

This WWW Tide and Current Predictor (link) offers tidal information and tidal current information based on the Xtide program (link). I decided to look at both currents and tides near Port Angeles, WA and found the following:

The take-home message for me is that my reasoning was sdrawkcabssa about surfing around the high and low tide mark because maximum currents usually occur within about an hour of either side of high and low tide. For example, right now it is about 7:50 AM on March 23rd. The tide height (in feet) is changing rapidly but the relative current (in knots) is right around zero. This is not intuitive to me. Why is there maximum flow when the cup* is full or empty? Why is there no flow when the cup is most rapidly filling or emptying? And, more importantly, should I be planning my surf trips around tides or currents or both or should I just accept that my puny little human brain can't handle the truth and I need to just continue praying desperately to the surf gods that please, oh please let there be surf, I'll do anything if you bring surf this time, I've been good I promise, my karma's good, my shakras are aligned, my BM didn't float, help me Jesus, sssuuurrrfff, PPLLEEAAASSEE?

Ahem.. -excuse me-

School me in the comments, please.

*the figurative cup here is the Salish Sea

Lost and Found in Oregon

Brother Doug getting in the water with his new board.

Short Sands on Sunday.

Rainy night but the green machine made for a nice camp setup

Offshore goodness at Seaside cove

--
"But, how do you keep honest without relying on a higher power?", my brother asked.

I sat there floating on my board looking out at the sea as a set of waves came rolling in.

"Hmm, I guess...", the set rolled in, and I started paddling for a wave, my voice fading.

This one was about two feet over head- a pushy right with two reform sections allowing me to fully utilize the flat-rockered, 9-foot performance board I was riding. As the wave mushed out before the reform, I shifted my weight forward and the board picked up speed down the mound of water. The mound became a vertical face and suddenly time slowed down for me. Ahh, with all this speed I should have no problem making it down the line o-- WHAM!

A barreling lip spit out that spun me clean off the surfboard. I popped out the back of the wave, eyes and teeth gleaming. Baptized again.

I paddled back out to the lineup towards my bro'.

"What were we talking about?"

Meals, murder, agapē, and mouths agape

Two birds, fast friends; one eats, one watches.
- The Rigveda via Joseph Campbell

First, I'll layout a scenario. A couple of years ago, a friend caught a beautiful fish and brought it to shore. This fish was a ling cod with a huge head, still alive but about to be killed, mouth agape with shining dark eyes. Intense illusions rushed into my head about the life of this fish. But these illusions happen every time I'm involved with the killing of an animal. They were shared with feelings of the cycle of how life on earth works. And they were shared with feelings of guilt because I am part of the grocery store generation where my pig/cow/fish/bird probably lived a pitiful life and looks nothing like the beautiful creature it once was or had the potential to become. But, on this occasion, mostly the feelings were harmonious because this particular sacrifice to our stomachs would be respectful.

As my friend began clubbing the fish, another friend jeered,
"Die, sucker!"
And suddenly the event was transformed from harmony to dominion. From east to west, so to speak.

The last fearful moments of this beautiful creature's life was marred by a disrespectful, stupid comment. Now my mouth was agape. What causes people to behave so badly? I really wanted to educate this person on the impact of what they had just done, but instead I meekly said to myself that I would no longer call that person my friend. I do hope this story here brings broader enlightenment about the power of words and our true place on this planet.

So, what is the difference between getting a meal and murder? I say, Agapē.

Snowy Twin Rivers Feb 28 2007

I couldn't resist the predicted NW swell during mid-week. I and ten other surfers showed up expecting it to be grand, but it was waist to chest high. Here's a shaky,blurry video from a typical set of waves:

'So What!' Surf Trip

The weather sucked, it was snowing and cold on our way out. -So what!

We were planning for eight-second intervals and blown-out, onshore crappy conditions on Saturday and waiting for the big swell to push in on Sunday. -So what! said Mother O' and she delivered clean, chest-high, offshore conditions. The wave count was high for everyone and peaks were bowling up everywhere. Another foot or two of height would have classified it as 'epic' for me, but I am not at all disappointed by classifying that session as 'classic'.

The waves devolved into mish-mash for the evening session. -So what! We donned the cold wetsuits and had a blast in the wind and rain.

The storm came in and delivered lots of rain that evening. -So what! We devoured our shrimp kabobs, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and grilled portobellos. I injured my ankle while jumping the campfire, errr.. so what?
The break looked like a wild ride Sunday morning with no distinguishable take-off spots. The predicted 18-foot swell had arrived, so we ventured down the more sheltered north coast and found a promising break that was new to us:
We chose not to surf it but it is there and we will be back.

Birthday Crescendo February 18 2007

A small surf day in the Strait. Spring is coming, my favorite time of year. A time for sex and propagation. It's a perfect time to plant seeds and ideas- you know, instigate. There are alot of perks to Spring. My nephew is a young person. He and my brother came out to the ocean this time. The surf was actually perfect for a 3.5 ft person's first time. Ankle to thigh-high for me but almost chest-high for him.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the right equipment. Booties, gloves, tight-fitting suits are very necessary for winter surfing here. Or balls of steel, but that really isn't a common feature in our family. He got completely dumped by a wave and decided he'd had enough. But as his Dad so keenly said,

"the seed is planted."

Something for the desperate

The wind was blowing 30 knots in Puget Sound today. It looked surfable yet messy at this point on Bainbridge Island. Sure would be nice if this was a consistent break since it's a mere mile from my house...

Soliloquy on destiny

Hmm... so many rules- and so much history. It's akin to being placed halfway through a book or movie and trying to make sense of the first half just to cope through the second. Delicate upheavals and abrupt touches to confuse. Then, epiphanies and irony to delight and amuse.

Neah Bay: Sept. 23, 2006

Sept. 23, 2006: A small day at Neah Bay with Rob. The waves looked unsurfably small to me from the beach but we both ended up getting way more than our share of a variety of surf. A couple sets even rolled through with some decent size.

For my blind brethren, it was a sunny, blue sky day. Picture #1 is of Rob paddling into a left with an obvious shoulder forming to play on. Picture #2 is an out-of-focus b/w shot of Rob carving up one of these hip-high rollers. Shot #3 is an unridden left just peeling down the line. Shot #4 is a very broadly peeked wave with Rob paddling into it. I also have a movie of Rob getting nabbed by a longboarder but it's too big to post here (2.9 megs). Let me know if you would like a copy. sadist.

Sept 23 2006 Neah Bay

Sept. 23, 2006: Rob riding a left staying low and trying to make a section.














An unknown longboarder riding his beefstick on hip-highness.
















Here's a movie of Rob having a close-call with someone else's longboard.

Ship wakes!

OK, a little better luck this time finding waves in Puget Sound. Large ships are my new friend. This one happened to be steaming towards Tacoma as I was out for a paddle and ~PRESTO!~ here comes 60 seconds of 3-foot goodness hitting the normally placid beaches of Puget Sound. There was another lucky fella who hit it at the same time in his open-top kayak. After the 60 seconds were up, the flatness returned, and no ships were in sight. What to do now, what to do...

Riding ferry wakes

Rumor has it that ferry boat waves are surfable where I live. I've heard talk of a long left point break. The ferries only go by every 30-45 minutes, but apparently the ride is so long that it takes that long to walk or paddle back to the take-off zone. It sounds like tall tales to me, but I'll play the fool if there is a possibility of cutting my commuting time by about 2.5 hours. I kayaked over to one of the two possible places where ferry boats would create a surfable wave and waited... and waited... The ferry finally went by and five minutes later a 3-inch wave slapped the shore pathetically. So, the gator sleeps for now. Stay tuned for a report on Point Break #2...

Ahi's June 2006

There's only one thing as exhilirating as riding a wave and that's finding a wave. There were four of us on this adventure and while we could have settled for the typical breaks and weekend crowds that most surfers are accustomed to, we decided to push the boundary a bit and go on a surfari to an untamed break. The beach at this secluded surf spot was littered with large widow-maker rocks but these rocks also provided points of take-off for riding waves during high tide.


My vote for 'wave of the trip' was this one that Rob is on. Jeff D. got it on film which makes it even better. See an animated version of Rob's ride here.

















All in all a great trip that, for me, exemplified what NW surfing is all about.

California nightmarin'

Susan and I went to Santa Monica for one of her work trips for about five days. My job was to be her chauffeur and to find surf in the LA area.


A rainy day didn't stop hundreds of surfers from visiting one of LA county's most polluted beaches in the Malibu area. The water smelled like chlorine and was covered in a brown slime. There were also lots of storm drains in this area. I was desperate and risked it too, but it added a whole new dynamic to the dangers of surfing. Hepatitis immunizations are strongly recommended if you choose to surf this area.

It's a good thing I had my Nazi party I.D. badge, err, I mean surfboard at Malibu Lagoon Beach. It really is against the law to get in the water unless you have a surfboard or paddleboard at this public beach. It sure seems like a vital moral principle is being violated here.

Even the warning signs didn't stop surfers from getting in the water.

Surfer hanging heels at Malibu Lagoon Beach.

Surfer hanging five at Malibu Lagoon Beach.

I didn't even go try it that day.


The crowds and pollution were a bit more 'diluted' further north at the LA/Ventura county line.

disclaimer: I definitely wore charcoal-shaded glasses while visiting southern California, but I consider this area emblematic of our ultra-consumerist, hyper-marketed society. The people I met were very nice and seemed aware of the situation when the topic arose; also, excellent grassroots organizations like Surfrider, and S.E.A. have come into being as a result of the environmental concerns of surfers.

Instigator IN

Instigator Surfing is a blog that will allow me to easily share photos and stories with friends and family.

Shaka!