Charles Loe
 Images above by Mike Baird.
Photo by Chuck Abbe: End of Day at Morro Rock
Photo by Mike Baird: Surfer Couple on Morro Strand Beach
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Surfing California's Central Coast Waters
by Charlie Loe
Happy New Year Everyone, near and far!
We made it through another one and I am probably not alone when I say this . . . it was a doozy! Some of the events of the last year still boggle my mind. But to be fair, I seem to be much more easily boggled these days. I am really not sure why that is, though it is possibly due to the alarmingly fast onset of advanced age ( I'm 51 years old, criminy!) and deteriorating mental acuity. Or maybe it was just trying to make some sense of all that has happened. (Big mistake!)
Either way, we are now on the crest of a new wave and dropping in on the future.
(I know. I should be taken outside and summarily shot for the preceding feeble attempt at metaphor, but if I am spared I promise I won't do it again. Ever. Well, not really, but for sure not anytime soon!)
So the holidays are behind us now. People are back at work and students are back in school. The lineup is less crowded with people and winter is in full swing. Storms far across the Pacific Ocean are generating huge swells, sending waves crashing into our coastline. The size and power of these swells allow them to reach many of the more protected parts of the coast, which means some surfing spots that lie dormant for months suddenly come alive. Deep water reefs, many feet below the surface, cause some of these swells to break, creating waves far from shore.
With surf of this magnitude, many of the beaches and normal surfing spots are unrideable to all but the most skilled and/or crazed surfers. So for the rest of us wiser (spelled "CHICKEN") surfers it becomes a game to find a spot that can handle the large surf.
We are very fortunate in our area to have a few different spots that are able to be ridden when the surf reaches 15 or 20 feet high. Some of these spots are far offshore requiring jet skis and specialized equipment to surf there. Others are closer to shore, breaking on rock reefs, more accessible but still difficult and challenging to ride. These kinds of breaks are "experts only" and are not for the faint hearted.
One example of these is Spooner's Cove, located inside of Montana de Oro State Park. The waves come out of deep water and break on a rocky shelf along the edge of the cove. It is a great place to sit and watch the action looking down from the safety of the bluff. As an added bonus the natural beauty of the surrounding area is nothing short of spectacular. It's a great place to enjoy our coast and see some really big waves being ridden.
Way. way off the beach, just south of the Cayucus Pier, is a break known as "Mouse Reef." It is easily visible from the beach, pier, or hills behind town, but binoculars are a must to see what is really going on out there. Swells traveling at high speed through the deep water suddenly impact the shallow reef and explode, creating thick, hollow waves. Most often, due to the distance from shore and the speed of the waves, surfers are towed behind a jet ski into the surf. The speed and momentum created when being towed in to the waves allows surfers to position themselves in the most critical part of the breaking wave. In addition, having someone nearby on a jet ski to come to your aid is not only comforting, but can be crucial.
I, myself, due to a more pronounced sense of self preservation, avoid the open ocean swells and seek the relative safety of the more sheltered spots. Like my couch. Actually I like to ride the waves in and around the Morro Bay Harbor when large swells combine with exteme low tides to create some really good surf. Depending on the swell direction and strength, there are several different breaks inside the harbor jetties. When the waves get really big they slam into the north and south jetties and across the mouth of the harbor. As a wave moves into the deeper water inside the harbor, it dissipates briefly and then reforms breaking along the jetty wall or sandbars further in. The waves are still very powerful and the proximity to the boulders of the jetty defintely adds to the risk factor. Anyone who surfs there regularly has ended up on the rocks at one time or another, sometimes by himself, sometimes with his board. It's always exciting, even when the waves are not so big. Catch a good wave and it can be perfect - a fast ride of a hundred yards or more, the surfer racing the wave to stay off the rocks.
So when the waves get really big there may be fewer places to surf, but if you know where to look, surfers and non-surfers alike can find somewhere to get close to the action. Just witnessing the beauty and power of the ocean up close is amazing - truly one the natural world's most awe inspiring spectacles. Don't miss it, but use caution and common sense.
Until next time. Mele Kalikimaka
Photo Set by Mike Baird
This article was originally run in 2010. Paul and Katie Finley have had to call it quits for awhile, so we're looking for a new surf columnist - let us know if you know of someone. Write to Judy Sullivan if you are qualified and interested or know someone who is.
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