I’ve been on a bit of a Redondo Beach kick lately.
It’s not that I don’t love my Hermosa Pier home break, it’s the appeal of getting out of town every once in a while and seeing new places and faces, even if that means only the next town over. Sometimes I have no idea where I will surf, sometimes I plan my week of sessions out with meticulously, and sometimes I go on a spontaneous out-of-the-South Bay surf trip. I’m lucky and so grateful to have my mornings free so that I can beat the usual afternoon wind and have enough time to mosey around in search of waves, still finding time to de-salt myself dry off for work at the hospital by 3 p.m.
There has been some serious energy in the water lately, and I’m thankful that I’ve managed not to break my 9’6 longboard in all this pumping surf (knocking on wood as I type). Today in Redondo Beach, while out with my buddies Jose Bacallao and Ted, I watched Ted pump down the line on his shortboard and upon kicking out was launched 10 feet into the air by the powerful wave, spiraling down gracefully with a double front flip and landing with a big splash back into the sea. Ted is a spectacular surfer and doesn’t need a leash, which is a good thing or else that entertaining spectacle might’ve become a tangled mess. I caught some sizable mackers and couldn’t bring myself to paddle in, staying out for almost three hours baking in the hot sun and enjoying the warmer-than-usual water.
Now to figure out where tomorrow will bring me.
