If you missed the swell of the century this summer, you should be a little sorry for yourself. Small rural areas went off (including my home break) making for great memories and great surf and if you were anywhere down south this summer then life was epic. I mean honestly, Malibu turned up, San Diego was like a sweet summer romance, while the Wedge turned into a full on mutant freight train. People left work and school to either be in the water, filing their cups with the sweet love of hurricane Marie, and her smaller but just as enjoyable predecessors. Ok let’s face it, if you weren’t out in the water at all this summer you missed out big time. Who knows when we’ll see something like this again!? And even if you didn’t miss it (you better not have) you’re probably upset its gone. So take a deep breath, think of that sick barrel you got and the cool ariel that followed, and then let it out. Were saying goodbye to summer 2014 and welcoming in the glorious winter; life goes on. So as usual, the winter comes and brings many good things like Christmas, snowboarding, jackets, mint tasting drinks at Starbucks, and ultimately surf. In fact if it wasn’t for big hurricane swells, winter would be my favorite time to surf for multiple reasons.
Elbow Space
Don’t get me wrong, I love the summer surf, the water is warm and so is the air and a wetsuit is optional. But in the winter there is certainly less of a crowd and the surf is almost always up. Nobody likes crowds on the line up, its no fun trying to paddle out dodging frustrated locals and watching out for newcomers; and I don’t even want to mention that old man that’s a legend at paddle boarding, and consequently a legend at having to catch every single wave. By no means am I trying to deter that guy though, if your 60 and still get your kicks on a paddle board then you go dude, but it still gets a little frustrating. And for that matter if you’re under 50 you should be on a surfboard, and that goes for those new motored surf boards that are beginning to surface more as of recent. Yes, fighting for waves and giving a wave to someone can humble us and make us appreciate that wave we finally get, there’s a bright side to everything. But in winter there’s nothing like a cold early morning session with almost no one out and medium to large waves for the taking, and more barrels I might add.
Mavericks
Mavericks tends to light up quite a bit in the winter and was one of those untouched spots during the south swell. Recently Mavericks woke up from a kickstarting Northwest swell offering 20 foot waves for some of the Maverick regulars like Ken “Skindog” Collins, Jeff Clark, Nic Lamb, Colin Dwyer along with some of the constant locals. Mavs is sick, its a spooky spectacle of a wave and its cool to watch big names take it on.
Beating the cold
If your not a fan of cold water then maybe upgrade to a thicker suit, and get some booties and gloves. Gloves are fantastic. More surface are equals faster paddling and your digits don’t freeze up. And if your local area is below 50 then really think about investing in a hoodie and always remember (if your surf town is as cool as mine) there’s a way warm shower waiting for you as soon as you get out of the water. Seriously though, sometimes that hot shower is like the best part of the session. As always, stretching before entering the water is vital, but more sore in the winter. Colder water makes for higher chances of cramping, so get those muscles loose and warm to ensure that your session lasts to its maximum peak. Drinking something warm before and after the session is helpful too, and is good for the soul.
Winter swells make you a better surfer and a better person
Winter tests a true surfer and can push you to become more proficient and stronger, mentally and physically (and spiritually if your into that). Sometimes, when its lower than 40 degrees and the wind chill makes it feel like its 10 degrees colder, and the swell is hammering along with the fact it feels like its impossible to get past the break, you feel like surfing might not be your thing. Well I can assure you that this is a feeling you will have out of the water. There will be days/weeks when your job sucks and life isn’t very easy; there will be days where your married life seems like a chore. But there is always a silver lining, a reason to keep on keeping on. Your job sustains you (and sustains your surfing career), and being married is awesome; love is certainly not a chore. And coincidentally in surfing there’s always that sweet steep drop in because the wind is holding that wave up and that built up speed allows for a pretty sick dismount. Surfing is not a chore, its a way of life, its an attitude and its just plain old fun. Plus were looking at an El Nino Winter! So please, lets put summer 2014 on our shelf of awesome swells and welcome in an epic winter.
Article by Jake McEwen