2009 Surf and Exercise Journal, by Jason Gastrich

December 26, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

I've enjoyed writing about my adventures in the water, but I'm not going to record them in here any more. Instead of posting them in this file as an rss feed, I'll be posting them in my blog. You can click today's date for my blog or you can use this link: http://mylifebeach.blogspot.com.

December 25, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

I rested because I was sick with the seasonal flu.

December 24, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

I rested because I was sick with the seasonal flu.

December 23, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

I rested. I wasn't feeling very well and didn't want to get sicker in the cold air and water. It was tough to stay home though because the waves were apparently hitting 7'+.

December 22, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

45 minutes on the exercise bike

December 21, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7+ ft. at low tide with fair form at Diamond St. at 4pm. This was a pretty epic session. I was working on these drop in 720s and I didn't have any crazy falls. I pulled a few of these maneuvers off - where I take a wave whichever direction and before it closes out, I flip a 720 spin and drop in. Yes! So sweet . . . . . . . . I was supposed to seriously consider and try aerials today, but I didn't. I was too into the dropin 720s and getting tubed - man, I got tubed really well a few times and it was gnarly. I'm sure one day in the not-too-distant future, aerials will come naturally, but they seem awkward right now. They're opposite what your instincts tell you to do. As you're riding a wave, instead of dropping in when it's about to close, you turn the other way. You actually go up the wave a bit, catch its crashing corner and it launches you into the air. Sounds sweet and I will do some very soon, no doubt, but like I was saying, it seems unnatural. I'll have to simply make up my mind to go up and try one. One of the reasons why I've generally deferred is because if I mess up and simply ride over the wave, it's over. I may miss an awesome ride the other way. But I need to just suck it up and go for it. The surf today felt like it had enough size to launch me in the air. Until I get good at it, I'll need to practice on big surf. Haha. Should be wild when I start getting aerial.), 30 minutes on the exercise bike at the gym

December 20, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour walking at the Chargers football game, 1 hour, 45 minutes on the exercise bike at the gym

December 19, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at low tide in Pacific Beach at 3:15pm. This session was sweet. I got tubed a few times and the wave gently pushed me to the top without incident. I tossed a number of 360s and 720s. The waves were on the small and weak side at times but there were also some really nice, long rides out there. Sometimes, I'd take a wave for awhile and it would start to get soft, so I'd paddle a few more times to get back into the wave's power zone and finish the ride. It made for a challening session at times, but totally worth it.)

December 18, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (3-5 ft., occ. 6-8 ft., very occ. 9-10 ft. at medium/low tide with fair form. Click the link in the date for an audio synopsis of this session.), 45 minutes (3-5 ft., occ. 6-8 ft., very occ. 9+ ft. at very low tide. Click http://sdbodyboarding.com/12-18-09b.m4a for this session's synopsis.)

December 17, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-8+ ft. at low tide at Diamond St. with fair form. This was a pretty epic session. The waves were breaking big and into a small amount of water. I got tubed and tossed and everything in between. On one wave, I was taking it right and went down the face of the wave backwards. I felt the long drop down the 8' face and was a little surprised I pulled it off. I hadn't done that trick before, but I thought I could tailpick and eat it, but I didn't. I suppose I'll call it the 180 Reverse Drop-In . . . . . . . . At least twice, I got blasted by a crashing wave! This huge wall of water smacked down on the ocean and created such a powerful explosion of energy, it flung me upward. I suppose it's like a tennis ball effect. You can't throw a tennis ball at the ground and expect it to hit and stop. It hits and flys upward quickly. Well, that's what the waves do as well. When a giant wave crashes and its energy launches me out of the water and into the air several feet, it's an awesome feeling . . . . . . . . . This was a really spirited session and I caught lots of waves, flipped countless 360s and a 540 and 720 spin and had lots of fun. There were a handful of people out there in the water, but they weren't catching waves too well. It was pretty big and it was hard to get out at times. The rip currents were bad and the current was pulling me steadily north. I broke my leash twice. Well, the first time the velcro just came undone, but the second time the cord either broke or came undone. I didn't really pay attention the second time because it was time to get out anyway and I just swam in, grabbed my board and left. I'll figure it out tomorrow.)

December 16, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. at low tide with fair form at 4pm. This was a good session and I caught a lot of waves. I flipped a 360 spin on many of them and I got tubed once or twice. The waves were on the small side and some were very soft, so I couldn't catch everything. Some larger sets were rolling in after dark and it looked promising. Tomorrow should be a great day for catching waves - maybe a foot or two bigger than today.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

December 15, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

I rested. The ocean was too polluted to catch waves.

December 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour on the exercise bike at the gym, (The ocean is technically too polluted to enjoy because it rained .3 inches on Sunday. I wish I could locate a bacterial test kit to know for sure. The rule of thumb is stay out 72 hours after .2 inches of rain falls. Last winter, I stayed out 62 hours and caught waves and got a throat infection. I hate getting sick and I get earaches when I do, so I need to get a test kit. And hopfully one day California will dig some holes and use all the rain instead of having it carry bacteria into the ocean . . . . . . . . There will have been 6 polluted days of ocean water in December by the end of this week.)

December 13, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour on the exercise bike at the gym

December 12, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6 ft. at medium/low tide with poor form at 11am at PB Drive. This was a poor session because of the conditions. It was cold and cloudy and rainy. Plus, there was some bump and chop on the waves. I caught a few ok rides, but nothing special. There were very few people out there, too. Surfline.com said the water was suspect or dirty, but it really wasn't. It rained 1.5 inches on Monday, then only .1 on a few other days this week, so it cleaned up by Thursday. There was a decent current taking me north and it was difficult at times to paddle out because of the quick intervals between sets. Nonetheless, I caught a few and did a few 360s.)

December 11, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour (4-7 ft., occ. 8-10 ft. at Sunset Cliffs at medium tide with epic form at 11am. This was an awesome session and you can hear my synopsis if you click today's date.)

December 10, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

I rested. I took a look at the surf in the morning and the late afternoon and it was ok. It looked around 6-7 ft. in the morning and maybe 7-8 ft. in the afternoon, but it was walling up a lot. I definitely would have caught waves once or twice today if it weren't for the polluted water. A full 72 hours from the last rain occurs after dark today, so I'll see what's left of the swell tomorrow. Hopefully, it'll be totally clean!

December 9, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 9 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour of snow sledding in Mt. Laguna, 1 hour on the exercise bike at the gym, 1 hour of walking around PB

December 8, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 8 Dec 2009 16:40:00 PST

45 minutes on my beach cruiser. The beach was heavily polluted because of the rain runoff. It rained about 1.5 inches in San Diego yesterday. It was a disgusting mess at the beach. See a video I took of polluted runoff gushing into the ocean here in PB: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M385Gr8KZ68 . In fact, several places stunk of excrement. As I rode my beach cruiser along the sidewalk from Law St. to Crystal Pier, I noticed it stinking horribly at Law St. It also stunk midway between Diamond and Law and at Crystal Pier. I should have kept on to Grand Ave to check it out. There is another storm drain there and I'm sure it would have stunk really bad. Don't get me wrong. I don't like following stink smells around. In fact, I'm pretty pissed off that the citizens and the government haven't found a better way to deal with pollution from rain runoff. Here's an idea. Why don't we dig some fucking holes? We've been digging holes for thousands of years. If the shit water overlows the holes, guess what. You need to dig deeper holes. This isn't rocket science . . . . . . . . I was deeply hoping nobody would be in the water today and I thought for a minute that was the case. However, I eventually saw a single surfer here and there and about 5 in total in the water. They're absolutely nuts! I hope they don't get infections. There should be signs posted everywhere, but there aren't any. That's another issue altogether, eh? . . . . . . . . Tomorrow, the surf is supposed to be 10-12'! However, it won't be 72 hours from the time it stopped raining. It will be around 48 hours tomorrow afternoon, so I contacted a couple of my surf forecast friends - Adam and Jon - and asked their opinions about this crap. Adam gave me a link to a site that tells about SoCal runoff and it's in today's date . . . . . . . . The Eddie Aikau went off today at Waimea Bay because the waves were over 25'! This amazing event was webcast live on Quicksilver's web site and I saw some of it. Huge, huge waves. Just enormous. Greg Long from Orange County won, just barely beating Kelly Slater.

December 7, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 7 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour and 15 minutes on the exercise bike at the gym

December 6, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 6 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour on the exercise bike at the gym

December 5, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at low tide with poor+ form at PB Drive. I broke this session into two parts - an hour and 30 minutes - and I grabbed a cup of coffee at Be Curious in between. There was a surf contest going in at PB Drive, so I caught waves with those dudes. It gave me some extra inspiration to paddle, compete and catch waves. Just what I needed! However, the conditions weren't very good. A couple of the surfers were very good, so it was inspiring and fun to watch.)

December 4, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 4 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-7 ft. at very low tide at Diamond St. in Pacific Beach with fair form at 3:45pm. This was a great session, even though it was super low tide. When I got in the water, there was a little texture, but the wind calmed right before sunset. The surf was very good and most of the waves weren't soft. Every so often, a bomb set would roll in and it would hit 6'+ and even a 7' wave or two! I caught a ton of waves and got tubed a bunch of times. One time, I pulled a 180 Shooter and was seriously launched. In fact, I swallowed a little water. Several times, I busted up laughing because I was having such a great session. It was one of those crazy big, fun super low tide sessions where giant waves were crashing into shallow water, tubing you up left and right and throwing you all over the place. Ya know? . . . . . . . . I flipped a number of 360 spins. On a couple of waves, I flipped one, then another. The current was taking me south at a decent pace, but I paddled against it and stayed where I wanted to be. I suppose the current was pushing me that way because the dominant swell was from the NW. I got a good deal of water up my nose. In fact, I sounded like I had a cold and was stuffed up! I must have tried to blow the water out of my nose 15-20 times and it helped a bit. The water seemed extra cold today, so I'll likely have to wear my cold water boots - 5mm neoprene opposed to 2mm neoprene - and my bigger fins that I'll have to wear over them. I can't remember which day or month I started using them last year, but it feels like it was later like January or something . . . . . . . . There were a few surfers out there today, but not much competition. There was one girl out there, which is a bit unusual. I didn't see her catch a wave, but most of the others weren't either. Many waves were closing out. You had to hunt down a corner today. Plus, it was awfully shallow, so a bodyboard was the preferred board.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 2 hours of dancing to Fan Halen and Led Zepagain

December 3, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 3 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

45 minutes on the exercise bike

December 2, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 2 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at very low tide at Diamond St. in Pacific Beach at 4:15pm. This was a great session, even though the surf was on the small side. On one wave, I even did a 720 + 180 all without stopping! I had never spun that much at one time and I suppose you'd call it a 900 degree spin. Sweet . . . . . . . . The current was funny because it took me south a bit, then took me north a bit. Strange but true. The wind was light and produced only a little texture on the waves. The swell was a bit crossed up and peaky and there were a couple of long rides. I tossed lots of 360 spins.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

December 1, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 1 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at low tide at 4pm. This was a fun session, even though the waves were a bit lumpy. They weren't quite peaky, but more lumpy and the crossed up swell wasn't helping. It was actually a bit gnarly at times. Nonetheless, I actually like it when I'm taking a wave one direction, then it hits a crossed up wave and there's a small drop off and a change in direction. I usually hit it and spin the opposite way . . . . . . . . There were only a couple of other surfers out there today. They were nice and I chatted it up a little with them. The current was pulling us south in a hurry, but I fought it a lot and stayed pretty central, straight out from my board bag on the shore. I suppose constantly fighting the tide was one reason why I got out just before an hour. Sometimes, I conserve energy and let the tide take me. I also ended it a little short because the sun was totally gone and there were lots of dark clouds everywhere; not to mention I had to teach a 5:30pm bass guitar lesson, but I digress . . . . . . . . A couple "forgot to mentions." A few days ago I kicked something really weird in the water. I had never felt anything like it. It felt like an igloo cooler. I suppose it could have been a carcass or a buoy. I'm really not sure, but it was on the ocean floor in about waist deep water in Pacific Beach. I accidentally kicked it with my heel and it freaked me out a bit, so I quickly hopped on my board and took the next wave in. The other thing I forgot to mention was that I broke my leash on the last wave I caught, yesterday. It happened right at the 1 hour mark or else I probably would have fixed it and went back in. I repaired it before today's session and it held.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

November 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:01:00 PST

November 2009 Surf Total: 24 hours, 45 minutes . . . . . November 2009 Other Exercise Total: 12 hours, 15 minutes . . . . . November 2009 Grand Total: 37 hours

November 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at Lahaina Beach House and Reed in Pacific Beach with good form at medium tide at 10am. I drove my car to the beach and checked out Diamond St. first. It was ok and it was also ok at Emerald and north of the pier. It wasn't awesome though, so I drove to Reed. Reed was good, not great, so I continued to PB Drive and it looked great there and in front of Lahaina's, so that's where I went. I headed out a little earlier than usual for me because there was going to be a low tide of epic proportions at 2pm and I didn't want any part of it today. I thought the large scale swell we had over the weekend would still be around AND that the conditions would be nice and clean in the mid-morning and I was right. It was excellent! . . . . . . . . I may have chosen the particular spot I chose because I saw some surfers going off there and the surf looked great because it was great; which brings me to my next point. *smile* it was a bit more competitve out there today! It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did change things a bit. Sometimes, I'd have to wait for a wave and avoid dropping in on anyone. One time a kid dropped in on me and I was pretty pissed. I was giving up on the wave because it was starting to break where I was, so I decided to go over it, but this kid didn't even look over his shoulder. Dick . . . . . . . . I caught some gnarly waves. There were some nice, lengthy lefts and rights. In fact, it was so peaky that a few times, I was taking a long ride one way and a surfer was on it coming towards me and we both had long rides and hopped off to paddle back out both times. No bloodshed. Always good. Oh, I flipped a couple of tight 720s. I'm starting to dig that maneuver more and more. I remember seeing a kid do a 720 on a wave before I was able to even spin and I thought it was soooo cool. It looked like he was suspended as he revolved - totally gnarly. Anyhow, I also got tubed today and flipped some 360s. I was only out there an hour, but I caught a lot of waves in that hour! . . . . . . . . When I get out of the water at that break, I sometimes shower off at the little PB Surf Shop hut next to Lahaina's. Those guys are cool to talk to and they don't mind if I use their shower to rinse off; which is awesome because it's the only shower around except for the ones on PB Drive and Grand. Anyhow, I'm horrible at names and I hate it, but a dude I know and have talked to there a bunch of times was there. He remembered my name and said he saw me catch some waves today. I was blown away. Very cool, though. Beforehand, I had mentioned how it was competitive out there and he affirmed the notion, naming several of the characters out there. In fact, come to think of it, I recognized one of them a bit and he let out a howl before entering the water. Very nice....in retrospect, I should have let out one back . . . . . . . . I'm listening to Soundgarden right now and I'm going to play and record some in a few minutes. I'll put it on my YouTube channel and you can click the date in this post to watch . . . . . . . . More on the competition. A couple of times, me and a surfer didn't catch a wave. It was awkward, but I think we both purposely missed those two or three waves on purpose in order to compliment each other. Dude, pretty primal, I know. Nonetheless, I recall me and another dude at least twice were sniffing out a juicy wave and for whatever reason, we both let it go and shared a chuckle or sentiment together before paddling off our separate ways.), 1 hour on the exercise bike at the gym

November 29, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:00:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-8 ft. at Diamond St. with good form at 11am. This was a pretty epic session. There were big, lengthy rides abounding. There were peaky waves and rideable corners. On one wave, I flipped two 720 spins! I had never done that before. On another wave, I flipped three 360 spins - which I've done before - but it was still a fun trick. The 720s were really fast and I was able to maintain my speed. I'm stoked that I keep doing new tricks! . . . . . . . . There was a strong current today and it took me south pretty quickly. I got out of the water and walked back to Diamond twice. The waves were breaking at a good angle from the NW. There were a handful of surfers out there, but most of them weren't catching any waves. The ones that did catch waves usually caught the wrong ones and enjoyed very short rides. I was fortunate enough to sniff out and take some lengthy rides, though.), 30 minutes on the gym's exercise bike and stretching

November 28, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

30 minutes on the exercise bike at the gym and stretching

November 27, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-10 ft. just north of Crystal Pier with fair form at medium tide. This was a very spirited session and I was the only one out there because it was so big. I recorded my surf summary, so click today's date to hear it. I forgot to add a couple things, though. The waves were walling up a bit and once or twice I was almost thrown over the falls - yeah, it was like a mini-niagra falls of sorts. I would have dropped like 9' straight down, then I would have been consumed by the whitewash, so I fought the waves that tried to simply throw me and I had to bail on my board, but I didn't get tossed. I also repaired my leash before the session and it held.), 1 hour, 30 minutes of dancing at the Switchfoot concert at the Anaheim House of Blues

November 26, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-8+ ft. in Ocean Beach at medium/high tide with poor+ form. This was a challenging session. At first glance, the waves looked good, but not that big. The wind looked very calm. From experience, I knew there was a jet stream of sorts that would propel me right out and I took it and it did. I went through the pier and tried to catch waves through it. Eventually, I caught one or two, but nothing great, so I swam back through the pier and caught them over there. Eventually, I was pushed a bit north and west and I noticed it was really hard to get out in that area. There was a really strong current pushing directly at me and the regular rip currents going every which way. So, I fought them a few times and got out eventually. I also returned to the jet stream by the pier and got out that way a second or third time . . . . . . . . I broke the shoelace that is holding my leash together. Man it looks ghetto. Ghettofabulous that is. I tied it back together and now it's a white shoelace that has broken three times and retied over and over, barely holding my leash on. I have some heavy nylon thread I can use to (semi)permanently fix it, so I'll HAVE to do so tomorrow before I catch waves . . . . . . . . The waves were walling up a bit today. It was hard to find a good corner. Part of the reason might have been because I was in OB and I'm not quite as familiar with the break. In PB, I know where the corners typically reside. Consequently, I only caught a few really good rides. One or two were super lengthy rights toward the pier from about 100 yards away from it. I also flipped a number of 360 spins and did a trick or two.)

November 25, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. around Emerald Street in PB at 3:45pm with fair form at medium/high tide and almost no wind. This was a great session because I got tubed a few times, I flipped a bunch of 360s and there were a mixture of short and long rides on sizable waves. I even flipped some violently fast 360s by sticking a fin in the water while turning. In fact, I tossed a 720 in no time flat and was out in front of one wave . . . . . . . . There were a few more bodies in the water today. I've been hearing online that tourists and weekend warriors are going to flood the ocean over the next few days because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Well, it would seem that a handful found my home swell. For the most part, they just watched the sets roll by. A couple of them caught waves and nearly every time, they caught the other half of the wave opposite my direction, so I always had at least one corner. Very nice.)

November 24, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at medium tide. There were some exciting waves out there today. I caught some juicy lefts and rights and dropped in and flipped 360s in front of several people who were trying to surf. Great fun! There was a little current, but I was able to fight it and stay in place. The water was a little textured, but it wasn't too choppy or bumpy. There were some close outs, but there were plenty of corners, too . . . . . . . . I did another 360 on my butt today. I also rode a few waves on my rear. Additionally, I got tubed and pulled some other tricks.)

November 23, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

I rested.

November 22, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at medium tide with fair+ around Diamond St. at 9:45am. This was session was a battle! There were some big, long rides out there, but there were also some serious rip currents. They made it really difficult to get out, but I paddled hard and fast and made it. I flipped lots of 360s and even rode one or two on my butt . . . . . . . . I forgot to mention but about three days ago, a surfer ran over my ankle with his board. I was shocked that he stopped riding right where I was and rode over me because it looked like he had plenty of room and plenty of wave to continue riding on a different part of it. It only hurt a little and he said sorry, so I didn't get super angry with him. I just told him that I usually don't get hit by surfers until the summertime. He smiled and I could tell it was an accident, so I didn't get pissed . . . . . . . . The current pulled me quickly south today. I had to get out and walk back a couple of times. I also had some trouble with my leash. Yesterday, I had broken my leash in my first of two sessions. I wanted to repair it before entering the water today but I forgot. After catching a small ride and a big wave and ride, I decided to hit the shore and find a way to repair it. After trying seaweed and fishing line, I used a shoelace from a discarded shoe to repair my leash and it worked. Having a leash on my board makes everything easier. For instance, let's say a giant wave is about to crash right in front of me and I know a duck dive will push only result in me being pushed back 20 feet. I can bail off my board and dive under the thunderous wave and come out in a pretty good spot, but I must have a leash to pull that off. It's also handy to have a leash for ending a wave. I'm doing spins and cutbacks and God only knows what and I simply can't be bothered with remembering whether or not I have to grab my board before it washes away.), 45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at PB Drive with fair form at 4:15pm. There were lots of rip currents during this session. The waves weren't quite as big or structured as before. The wind was a little stronger and the waves were breaking fast - like in the morning - with quick intervals between them, making getting out tough. Nonetheless, I caught waves until the sun went down and the session was pretty good.)

November 21, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-7 ft. at medium tide at Windansea at 1:15pm with fair+ form. I had never been to this beach before, but it was an excellent place to go today at this time. There was a little texture on the water, but it wasn't very windy or bumpy. In order to get to this beach (and it wasn't labeled, but I think it was Windansea), I had to walk down a rock cliff. It was a little slippery, but not too bad. Heh, I remember thinking it was funny how I chose a sport/mode of exercise that involves walking down rocky cliffs and swimming around potentially dangerous animals that can bite me. No falls or bites today though, so it's all good . . . . . . . . The water seemed a little colder today, possibly by a couple of degrees. It could just be the natural chilling toward the winter or it could have been because I was a few miles north of where I normally go or because this was more of a deep water break than the typical beach breaks I am used to. At any rate, this place had a rock bottom and quite likely coral, too. This caused the waves to be peaky and sectiony - which are good things! In fact, there was a sort of lane directly out, which was also to the left of the break and I paddled out through it. The south current brought me right into the place where I wanted to be. Eventually, the handful of surfers were giving me that left! I caught lots of waves and had to paddle really far to get back out! In a sense, it was cool because of the longer intervals and longer rides, but it was a long paddle back out. About mid-session, I broke my leash and I had to swim nearly all the way in to get it. That was a bummer and it ripped the cord, so I couldn't fix it in the water. I caught another wave about 5-10 minutes later and forgot about it and lost it again . . . . . . . . Like yesterday, I did a 360 but slide down the face of a wave. For whatever reason, these waves have had a very steep angle. This makes for nice cutbacks and plenty of time to flip 360s and stuff, but it also makes the waves more difficult to catch. You could call them a bit soft, but it was a pretty epic session. On one wave, I flipped three 360s! These waves stayed open a lot longer than normal. Plus, the swell was crossed up and bowling up. In fact, it looked like a really big horse shoe! It also reminded me of the break at Spyglass Park. I decided to go here because the Surfline.com surf report said it was a foot or so bigger than PB.), 45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at low tide at Windansea with fair form at 4pm. This session wasn't as good as the earlier one, but it was all right. I took apart my leash and repaired it, but it came undone again! This time, a lot of rocks were exposed at the low tide and I had to enter a very rock area in about ankle deep water, where it kept surging in and out. It was a challenge! In fact, I found the best way to get in was to slide along on my belly in very shallow water while grabbing the rocks beneath me with my gloved hands. I pulled myself for about 15-20 yards to my board! After I retrieved it, I had to be very careful to get out again. There were rocks everywhere, but I did it without scratching up my board too much and without injury . . . . . . . . The waves were a bit smaller in this session and the low tide drained it out just a bit. There were still some peaky rides, though.)

November 20, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-8 ft. near Reed with fair form at medium tide at 1pm. This was a sweet session because the waves were really big. In fact, I finally started to understand what was happening when I was being catapulted. When a large wave crashes, the force makes a dent in the water, then the water rebounds and the wave of energy forces it upward. Think of bouncing a basketball because it's the same effect. Well, today and yesterday, I was catapulted and what I mean by that was I was riding a wave, then I dropped in but I did it in a way where me and my board felt the rebound burst and it tossed us many feet in the air! Quite a fun trick and probably only one that will work with surf that's over 6 feet . . . . . . . . I did a 360 spin on my butt, today. This was an interesting maneuver! Haha. It wasn't that difficult, but I had to try to maintain my speed. On another wave, I took it right until it was about to close, then I flipped a 360 across it and immediately dropped in right before it crashed. Whew! At times, this giant 8'+ wall of water crashed hard beside me and I was in awe of its power and force! Amazing . . . . . . . . Yesterday, I saw a 12-16 inch fish jump out of the water! It lept about 15 yards away from me at an 11 o'clock angle and it jumped about 1 foot out of the water! I'm still not sure why they do that.)

November 19, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (2-5 ft., occ. 6-8+ ft. in Ocean Beach with fair+ form at medium tide. I recorded myself talking about today's session and you can click the link above in the date to hear it.), 1 hour (2-5 ft., occ. 6-8 ft. in Pacific Beach at Diamond St. with fair+ form at low tide. This was another monster session! The waves were very big and pounding. I got tubed a couple of times and catapulted as well! There were some quick rights and lefts and a few lengthier rides. The current took me south again . . . . . . . . I meant to drink my Mountain Dew before this session, but I forgot. I had a lot of adrenaline rushing through my veins, so that was good enough. However, I think I would have attacked it a little harder if I would have pounded my caffeinated beverage beforehand. I was going to drink it mid-session, as I walked north to my entry spot, but I had forgotten it in my car . . . . . . . . Sarine took a video of this session and said she recorded one or two good waves. I'm going to check it out tomorrow and I'll probably put the video on YouTube.)

November 18, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at very low tide in Pacific Beach with fair+ form and not much wind at all at 4:15pm. This was a fantastic session because I got tubed up over and over! I even rode through some of the tubes before they threw me. Sometimes, they gently pushed me up and out of the water, though. One time, I was taking a wave right and I thought I was going to get tubed, but it didn't tube so well and the lip of the wave - where the water was descending - crashed onto me, pushed me under and drug me for awhile. Heh. I guess that's what I get when I'm looking to get tubed too much! . . . . . . . . I wore my 4/3 full wet suit, 5mm neoprene gloves and 2mm boots and I was toasty warm. There was a mild current that gently took me south. Eventually, I had to get out and walk back to where I started at Diamond St. I was about 75 yards from the pier when I walked back . . . . . . . . Nice big sets kept rolling in today. It was really great because there had been such tiny surf the past two days, I didn't even look at it. I was stoked to finally get a good swell and I knew the very low tide would make this an interesting session. There was a little seaweed as well and I remember taking one wave with a clump of it on my board. Oh well, when a wave comes, you better take it even if you have a little seaweed on ya.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

November 17, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

I rested.

November 16, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

I rested.

November 15, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour on the exercise bike

November 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at medium tide with good form in Pacific Beach by Diamond St. This was a great sesion because of the size and form. The waves were powerful enough to deliver some good rides and the swell was crossed up, making it peaky. There were a few walls, but I found plenty of corners. Although I tried to get tubed a couple of times, the waves weren't really tubing up. Nonetheless, I flipped plenty of 360s and cut around quite a bit. On one wave, I took it for a long time right, then it caught up with a crossed up SW wave and I cut left and spun on it. Sweet. Dude. Sweet. Dude!), 30 minutes on the exercise bike

November 13, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

30 minutes on the exercise bike

November 12, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

90 minutes of dancing at the Third Eye Blind concert

November 11, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at medium tide with good form and no wind at Diamond St. at 4:20pm. There was a glass off for this session, so it was really nice and glassy! There was no wind at all - not on the water and not in the upper atmosphere. The flags on top of Crystal Pier were straight down and not blowing at all. This caused some of the waves to be soft and roll a little. However, it also provided some really long rides! A couple of the rights and lefts I took were amazingly long and stayed open for much longer than normal. The combination of the rideable size and the open waves made for a great session. I also flipped a number of 360s and did some other tricks . . . . . . . . I saw Rob, Birdman and another friend of mine out there. They caught some good waves as well. However, there was a small congregation of surfers about 50 yards to my left and a couple about 40 yards to my right. They left me a nice, big section of waves! I don't know why, but that sometimes happens for me. I think part of the reason is because I take both rights and lefts equally. Another reason is because I take a lot of waves and I paddle quickly back out to take more. Whatever the case may be, it was a sweet session and I caught waves past sunset and until it was getting dark . . . . . . . . The water was cold. I was pretty warm with my gloves, boots and 4/3 wet suit on. One dude was catching waves on a surfboard and all he was wearing was a speedo! I'd be an ice cube in about 5 minutes if that were me! Unbelieveable. He caught some good waves, too. Some small fish were jumping out of the water near me. In fact, one or two fish kept jumping and jumping and jumping near some seaweed. I always wonder if they're trying to escape a bigger fish who is trying to eat them, if they're trying to catch some food, if they're playing or what.), 30 minutes of golfing

November 10, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft., very occ. 6+ ft. in Pacific Beach around Diamond St. with fair- form at medium tide at 10:30am. This session was ok, but not great. There were a couple nice rides, but most of the waves were walling up. The corners were hard to find, so lots of short rides. I did flip some 360s each way and made the most of it, though.), 45 minutes on the exercise bike

November 9, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 9 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6 ft., occ. 7-8 ft. in Pacific Beach around PB Drive with fair- form at 1pm. These waves were nice and big and more wind than yesterday. The waves were just a bit smaller, but still a great challenge with plenty of rip currents. Strangely, the current first took me north about 75 yards, so I walked back to my bag and got in only to have it take me about 75 yards south! I don't think that has ever happened to me. I was hoping for lighter winds because the strong winds made texture and chop and lots of the waves were closing out. I tried to spy a fairly consistent corner before I got in and it was, but I moved a bit and caught waves all over that strip. I spun some nice 360s on big lefts and rights. I also ate it a couple of times. I had to paddle pretty hard to get out past the inside waves, rip currents and outside waves. Some bombs would roll through every so often, but they were pretty wally sets . . . . . . . . My rear middle, left shoulder has been popping pretty much every session. The only time it doesn't is the day after a massage. Fortunately, I can usually adjust my stroke when it begins to pop and it helps me to be able to paddle without the popping. It isn't extremely painful - or maybe that's just the adrenaline talking - but I can't imagine it's good for me, so I try to avoid hurting myself. I frequently stretch it, but it's a difficult place to stretch and seems to come back a lot. I have a massage tomorrow, so I should be good to go soon! . . . . . . . . In addition to catching waves and spinning, I did a few butt slides on my board, today. Those were fun! When the waves are big enough, they can push me along nicely while I sit on my board. My weight works as a rudder and when I lean one direction, it goes the opposite way. So, I either angle it across the wave's face or toward the shore. It's a cool way to ride! . . . . . . . . There were a few REALLY long rides out there! A couple times, I took waves all the way to the shore from very far out there. It was a deep high tide and I was catching waves that were breaking past the pier's end! I'd toss multiple 360s on these long rides and keep riding. The crossed up swell would sometimes reach my wave and give me an extra push . . . . . . . . I didn't notice any brown foam in the water today. Hooray!)

November 8, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 8 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-7 ft., occ. 8-9+ ft. just north of Crystal Pier at high tide with fair form at 11:30am. These waves were big and powerful today! It was difficult to get out, but not as difficult as yesterday. There wasn't much wind, so only a little texture on the waves. Thankfully, there were some decent intervals in between sets. However, I'd still have to paddle as fast as possible in between sets in order to make it out before the bombs started dropping. There were a lot of lookey loos on the pier and a few girls screamed at me and said I was hot. Haha . . . . . . . . I caught a number of waves today, but I had to be picky because there were some closeouts. The biggest sets were breaking at the end of the pier and there were some decent lefts. On one wave, I literally dropped in and flew about 5-6 feet, then the wave caught up with me and grabbed me and drug me along a bit. Heh. I had one or two similar drop-ins and they were pretty gnarly. I don't think I had ever dropped so far and I remember just trying to keep the nose of my board up, so I wouldn't nosepick. I felt pretty invincible out there, even though the surf was very large for my standards. I flipped a number of 360s and tried various tricks and moves, despite the size. I only ate it a couple of times and ended up getting a good deal of water up my nose and held under the water for longer than I would have liked. Nonetheless, I stuck it out and ended up with some really nice rides and some challenging moments! . . . . . . . . There wasn't much of a current today. When I paddled out, there were two surfers in my vacinity, but they didn't catch any waves that I could see. Within a few minutes, they left and I had the whole section to myself! There were a small handful of surfers about 75 yards south of me and they were trying to catch a right that was fairly consistent . . . . . . . . There were a few brown suds in the water, but not as bad as yesterday. I still wonder if it's bacteria or what.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour of dancing at the Switchfoot concert

November 7, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 7 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-5 ft., occ. 6-8+ ft. at PB Drive with high/medium tide at 1pm with fair form and very light wind. This was an exciting session because these waves were very big! Every so often, we'd see a few 9' bombs roll in and it was like wow. So, it was tough to get out today because of the crazy rip currents and the huge surf. There was a lot of water with this swell and it would surge in and out. This was a little unusual and appeared to cause extra wicked rip currents. I suppose a ton of water at high tide with the big surf was being tossed to shore, then immediately sucked back out and it would make a bumpy surge that would hit the oncoming waves and cause violent rip currents. Ok, enough about rip currents . . . . . . . . Since it was so tough to get out and since a lot of these waves were closing out, I had to be extra picky. By sessions' end, I had caught about 7 waves. On one bomb, I had the chance to get tubed and said forget it. I like getting tubed, but you sometimes get thrown when you get tubed and I'm pretty sure it would have hurt pretty badly in this 9' wave, so I quickly adjusted and angled it toward the shore . . . . . . . . There were a hoard of people who couldn't make it out past the inside waves. No joke. Most of them had rental boards and they'd just get pummelled. Only a handful of dudes made it out past the small and big waves and a few waves were caught by those folks. There were some decent lefts and rights out there. It was a little crossed up and not so peaky. At least there wasn't more wind because more wind usually means more closeouts. There wasn't too much of a current today, but the current moved me slowly south. Tomorrow this swell is supposed to peak, so that should be exciting . . . . . . . . On my first giant wave today, I did a 360 spin down its face. That was gnarly. I had to keep the board nice and flat. I remember thinking that and doing my best to avoid even the semblance of a corner hitting the wave's crest. Success! That was in particularly gratifying, especially after the gnarly paddle out . . . . . . . . When I was scanning the surf at PB Drive, I saw three dolphins swimming north! I looked and looked to make sure they were dolphins. It looked like one big one and two little ones and they weren't stopping! While I was in the water, I only saw some tiny fish jumping nearby me. I'm under the impression that most fish don't like big, pounding surf, so I'm probably safe from sharks and stuff. Plus, if you were to check the rate of shark attacks you'd find that one has a better chance of being struck by lightning . . . . . . . . There were some brown suds in the water, today. I shouldn't call them suds, but the white foam was a bit brown looking. It looked really gross and I wondered if it was pollution from inland, from the storm or what. I hope I can buy a saltwater bacterial test kit one day. I've tried to find one, but cannot.)

November 6, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at low tide in Pacific Beach around Diamond St. at 3pm. These waves were on the small side, but every so often a big set would roll in. The biggest ones may have exceeded 6 feet! I think we're beginning to see a swell from a storm far away north near Alaska. It is going to give Northern California and Central California some surf and maybe some rain and it's even going to throw some surf our way. It may peak on Sunday around 8 feet, but I'm not certain . . . . . . . . I got tubed several times in this session and I caught a ton of waves. There were a few surfers nearby and they weren't catching much. Some of the rides were quick and short. Other waves broke in pretty shallow water. Nonetheless, there were some fun lefts and rights. For the first time in awhile, I remember riding a wave and thinking, "Sweet! This wave is going to stay open for awhile!" Which is always good. Plus, there wasn't much wind today. There was only a tiny bit of texture on the waves . . . . . . . . I saw a big fish while I was walking out, today. The water was awfully clear, so that's one reason why. This fish was probably a foot big and it was white with thick, blue, vertical stripes. It was swimming back to deep water from ankle-knee deep water.)

November 5, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-2 ft., occ. 3 ft. at very low tide in Pacific Beach around Emerald-Diamond St. at 3:30pm. These waves were "fun-sized" and I caught many from my knees. No joke. It was super low tide and small waves, so that was the most sensible way to catch them. I could sit on my board, but my feet would sometimes touch the ground. There were actually some good lefts and rights out there, but you couldn't cut around on them much because the waves didn't have enough power to keep you moving. I flipped some 360s, but one 360 per wave and it pretty much ended the ride. The swell was a little crossed up, so there were some lengthy rides as the one swell ran into the other. It is supposed to pick up and up and up over the next three days, so I can hardly wait . . . . . . . . Today, when I was walking out I kicked something and it swam away. By its location and by the way it swam away, it looked like a little sting ray. It was about the size of a softball. Good thing I was shuffling my feet or I could have stepped right on it. When you step on a sting ray, it often sticks the barb on its tail in your foot. It hasn't happened to me, but I've heard it can happen pretty easily.)

November 4, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

2 hours on my beach cruiser, riding from PB to OB

November 3, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. at Diamond St. in Pacific Beach with fair form and a little bump from the wind at 12:30pm. This was a good session, but the waves were small. I was hoping they would be big like the big ones that finally rolled in yesterday, but they weren't. Nonetheless, there were some rights and lefts. I got tubed and pulled a 180 Shooter or two. I also flipped some 360s and a 720 or two.)

November 2, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at low tide with fair form at 4:30pm in Pacific Beach about 100-150 yards north of Crystal Pier. This was an exciting session because I got tubed a bunch of times! Oh yeah, one time, I double duck dived under water. Heh. Two waves broke and were coming at me, so I duck dived the first one and duck dived again while underwater. Worked pretty well . . . . . . . . I pulled of a 180 Shooter or three and I did a couple new tricks. One was where I got tubed after a 180, then I pulled it back 90 degrees and rode the wave sideways. Let's call that the Tubed Side Slide. These waves were getting big toward dark and many of them were breaking in knee deep water. I know it's a little deeper by the end of the pier, so I went near that area. The bigger sets were inconsistent and a bit deeper, so I'd focus on the inside waves and take them, then try to jam out there and take the larger ones when they rolled in. Most rides were quick lefts and rights and some of the waves were walling up. I looked for those corners, though . . . . . . . . When this session began, the sky was full of fog. It looked to be a very foggy session, but the fog began leaving and by sunset, there was only a small marine layer over the horizon.), 45 minutes on the exercise bike, 15 minutes of abs class

November 1, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 1 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST

I rested.

October 31, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:01:00 PST

October 2009 Surf Total: 23 hours . . . . . October 2009 Other Exercise Total: 14 hours, 30 minutes . . . . . October 2009 Grand Total: 36 hours

October 31, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour of walking up and down the rolling neighborhood hills trick or treating

October 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. at Diamond St. at medium/high tide with fair form at 4:30pm. These waves were definitely on the small side and some were unrideable. However, some provided some short lefts and rights. I also tossed some 360s. Some waves appeared to tube a bit, but I didn't get tubed. Some waves looked like they could have been taken left or right for awhile if I was in the right spot, but for some reason, I usually wasn't. I suppose you could say they were inconsistent. The larger sets took awhile to arrive. It wasn't a great session, but it was better than not going. Hopefully, a new swell will show up soon.)

October 29, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at medium tide with fair+ form at 1pm in Pacific Beach at Diamond St. This was a good session because the wind was very calm, so the waves had no bump or chop. It was totally calm or slightly textured at times. The flags were whipping around on top of Crystal Pier, but that wind stayed in the upper atmosphere . . . . . . . . I broke this session into two 30 minute halves. In between, I walked back to my bag and put on my 5mm neoprene gloves. The current tried to take me south, but I was able to fight it and stay where I wanted. The conditions were MUCH better than they were yesterday. In fact, this was a great session because there were some semi-lengthy lefts and rights. There were some closeouts too, so I had to be a little picky. I tossed some 360s and got tubed. Gnarly.), 60 minutes of walking fast and running around Sea World

October 28, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7+ ft. at high tide with poor- form, starting just north of Diamond St. and ending up in front of the lifeguard tower at Grand Ave. because of the very strong and fast current. This windswell was insane. I don't think I had ever been in a wind like this while catching waves. The current whisked me south really quickly and it was very hard to paddle out. Before I could even make it out past all the breaking waves, I was just north of the pier! I caught a quick wave and the current took me through the pier. I caught one more, then decide to get out and walk back to Diamond St. It was hard to walk against this wind! I don't know how many mph or knotts it was, but it was much stronger than usual. In fact, you could see the sand flying along the ground about ankle high because the wind was moving it . . . . . . . . I jumped in again around Diamond St. and was quickly taken south again. This time, I couldn't even get out past the breakers until I was through Crystal Pier! Like I've been implying, it was a pretty horrible session because of the wind chop and bump. This time, as I was headed through the pier, a wave flung me and my board right at a pylon! I jumped off my board and it hit the pylon and the wave pushed the board to one side of it and me to the other. Unfortunately, this caused a problem because my leash was wrapped around the pier. So, I'm in the water under the pier, my board is on one side of the pylon and I'm on the other and we're both being pushed hard south. I try to pull the board around the pylon to no avail. Next, I grabbed the mussel-ridden pier pylon with my gloved hands and tried to pull my body around it to my board's side to no avail. Finally, as I was being sucked south, the board followed me and my leash and I was able to grab it as it raced around the pylon at me. After this, I paddled out one last time and caught one more wave, flipped a 360 and got out . . . . . . . . As I was walking back to Diamond St. the first time, a surfer was looking frantically for his friend under the pier. He said he lost him. I told him there was a lifeguard tower nearby, so he could report it to them. However, on my second trip south I noticed him surfing with a buddy, so it appeared that the guy resurfaced somewhere, somehow.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

October 27, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

30 minutes on the exercise bike, plus stretching

October 26, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour on the exercise bike at 24 Hour Fitness, plus stretching

October 25, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

3 hours of dancing at the U2 concert at the Rose Bowl

October 24, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

45 minutes on the exercise bike at 24 Hour Fitness in PB, plus stretching

October 23, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

1 hour, 45 minutes (3-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at low/medium tide at 10am with good+ form and very light or no wind at Spyglass in Pismo Beach. I was about to catch waves at the Pismo Pier and I ran into a city worker named Mark. He was in his truck and checking out the surf around 9:30am. We chatted about the blown out surf at The Rock yesterday. He pointed out the closeouts by the pier and said there is another place that would be better for waves - Spyglass. Mark gave me directions to this great surf spot and I got the girls and left. Fortunately, it was only about 5 minutes away. He was right. It was great! This reef break was consistent and wasn't closing out hardly at all. Like he said, the nearby kelp beds were stopping the distant whitecaps from causing wind problems here. There was no wind chop or bump and only sometimes a tiny bit of texture. It was calm and the waves were big and fun. I'm not used to catching waves at a coral break, but the consistent size and shape were refreshing. These aspects let me relax a little instead of having to analyze each wave to find a decent ride like I do with the beach breaks at home. It was a little tricky to get in and out of the water here. First, you have to walk down a cliff to get to the water. There are rocks everywhere and there are a number of submerged rocks as well. I didn't see anyone catch a wave into a rock, but some people got really close. I'd catch one and jump off before hitting anything and many times I thought I'd hit the bottom, but I didn't. Maybe 5 or 6 times, while duck diving a wave, I scraped the nose of my board against the coral rock below me. The water was kinda murky, so you couldn't see anything. There was a nice sea otter who hung out nearby and poked his head up 4 or 5 times while I was out there. The first time I saw him he was just 10' or so from me! Fortunately, these animals don't usually attack humans . . . . . . . . I caught some exciting waves, some lengthy lefts and rights. I got tubed up on a large wave one time. Like my friend Troy was saying, there was simply more water behind these waves than the beach breaks I'm used to. This gave them a little more force and power. I wish I would have found this spot yesterday, when this swell peaked, but I'm glad I at least found it today. I flipped a number of 360s and caught lots of waves in front of the sewer drain and about 100 yards north of it. There were two big clumps of surfers catching waves and I pretty much stayed in between them. Eventually, I paddled over to the north clump and ripped off a number of waves, then paddled back to where I was . . . . . . . . It didn't seem like I was in the water for nearly an hour, but I was. As I tried to get out, I got cut by some rocks. The only way out was the way I got in and the place is strewn with big and little rocks. I tried to avoid them as well as I could, but my left arm got a 6 inch gash from one and my left leg got a little bruised and cut as well. Nothing big and I was happy that my wet suit wasn't torn, but it was a little tricky . . . . . . . . I learned a few things on this surf trip and found an unadvertised, local surfing spot. I know how to get back there, too. So, even though I didn't chase down 12' waves, the trip was fun and worth it . . . . . . . . Looking at my pictures of the surf next to Morro Bay's Rock, I'm noticing that all of them are really dark! I don't know if the situation could have been any more eerie or intimidating. I roll up in my car and there is mist everywhere. A girl on the phone at the Morro Bay camping facility had told me that lots of surfers like the Rock. She said it was 2 miles from the campsite, that's how I heard of this place and why I checked it out. When I got there, I could barely make out one person in the water. After a couple minutes, he disappeared. I noticed a guy with a surfboard and a girl with a bodyboard about to enter the water. And that was it. Nobody else getting in or out. As I park and get out, I notice a sign posted saying there was a shark spotted in Morro Bay today! Haha. Just my luck. On top of these things, the surf was a bit angry and looked kinda fierce and bumpy from the wind. Nonetheless, I sucked it up and went out there. I couldn't travel all that way and miss this big swell! However, the whole time I was in the water, I didn't see anyone, so I figured I should get out after the long, meaty left I mentioned earlier. I'm pretty hard core and don't have many rules, but I do have one small rule that I didn't want to break. If I can help it, I really don't like catching waves without anyone else in the water. Sometimes, there is a good reason why nobody is in - pollution, currents, sharks, etc. Even if that's not the case, it's good to have someone out there who sees you and knows you are supposed to be existing above water. It seems like it would be way too easy to die by myself out there. However, I do make exceptions to this rule in the winter in PB when I'm catching 3-4 foot waves in front of people on the beach or boardwalk. I feel safe enough under those conditions. But I didn't feel that safe today. Heck, with all the thick fog, even someone on the beach wouldn't be able to notice I was gone! . . . . . . . . By the way, you can click the link in today's date for the photo album from this trip.)

October 22, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:00:00 PST

15 minutes (3-6 ft., occ. 7-9 ft. just north of The Rock at Morro Bay with fair- conditions at 5pm. If you click the link in the date, you can see a video clip about today's session. It wasn't quite as great as I hoped it would be, but it was all right.)

October 21, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. between Crystal Pier and Emerald in Pacific Beach with fair form at 12:30pm. This was an exciting session because the waves were surprisingly big. It looked they were breaking best by the pier and in front of Emerald, so I started by the pier. I thought the current would be really strong like it was yesterday, but I was shocked to find there wasn't any current at all. There were a lot of rip currents, though. It was pretty rough and the kind of surf that would throw you under, let you up, then grab you and throw you under again. One time, I was in "no-man's land" and a giant wave was about to crash directly in front of me. It really threw me around under water, but when I relaxed my body and decided not to panic, I was able to comfortably wait it out and swim to the top . . . . . . . . There were only two surfers by the pier, but they were both pretty good and caught most of the better waves and paddled quickly out for each set. I recognized one guy because he's there quite a bit. After having a so-so first half of my sesison by the pier, I got out for a minute, then got back in at Emerald. I'm really glad I did because it was great there. There were about 10 surfers, but they weren't really catching waves. It allowed me to catch everything I wanted to catch. There were some fun rights and lefts and I tossed some more 360 spins. On the last wave of the day, I pulled a Bullride Backslide down and across the face of a 7' wave. As I held on with my left hand and leaned back with my right arm, my right shoulder bent in a way that it doesn't actually bend. I suppose I hyperextended it a little, so it was a little gimpy, but I think it'll be ok for tomorrow's gigantic session in San Luis Obispo. I iced it for a bit and it doesn't really hurt . . . . . . . . Tomorrow, I'm driving around 5 hours to Central California because a giant swell is supposed to hit. Today, I emailed two forecasters back and forth - one friend from Surfline and one friend from Transworld Surf - trying to figure some things out. Unfortunately, there were some conflicting reports. Things are pretty clear now and I know where to go and where not to go to get this swell. If the forecasts are correct, these may be the biggest waves that I've ever caught. They could be anywhere from 10' to 15'. I'm hoping for clean conditions, too. I'm going to get some pics and videos taken.)

October 20, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. from just south of Crystal pier to Diamond St. at medium tide with fair form at 1:30pm. There was a little bump/chop from the wind, but the waves were nice and big. They looked largest just north of Crystal Pier, so I parked at Diamond St. and walked down there. I was surprised to see a number of sunbathers on the beach. It was a nice, sunny day, though . . . . . . . . The big left from the north side of the pier was breaking, today. It was a fun ride and I caught lots of lefts and rights. I also did some 360 spins and launched off two waves in a row. I must have dropped 5 feet! On one of the drops, the wave shot me ahead of itself, then quickly caught me and ate me up with white wash. The rip currents were very bad, today. It was the kind of day where a wave would pull you under, let you up, then pull you under again! There was also a ton of white foam everywhere. I suppose it was churned up from the rip currents. The current took me north, although I fought it for awhile and managed to stay by the pier until I decided to forget it and let it pull me north. I got out at Diamond St. and walked to the south side of the pier, so I could shoot it. And promptly shot Crystal Pier with a nice left . . . . . . . . At times, it was hard to get out. I remember paddling and paddling and paddling inside a rip current one time. I suppose I should have paddled north or south to get out of it - which is how you get out of a rip current . . . . . . . . In addition to the other tricks, I also got tubed a few times. Getting tubed is always fun, but it seems to be a primary reason I get water up my nose. I'm always exhaling out my nose when I'm catching waves and it really helps water to get out and stay out, but something about getting tubed shoots water up my noise.)

October 19, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. between Emerald and Diamond St. in PB with fair form and very low tide. This was a really fun session, even though it was very low tide. I got tubed a bunch of times! Plus, I took some quick lefts and rights and maybe a lengthy one or two as well. I also flipped a number of 360 spins. I got a good deal of water up my nose, but I didn't have any really bad falls. Of course, getting tubed and catching waves in shallow water is always a little risky, but it's also part of the fun! . . . . . . . . There was a fairly strong current taking me north. I fought it quite a bit and eventually let it take me about 50-75 yards, then I got out and walked back to where I began. There were a few divebombing seagulls around me. One crash landed only a few feet from me in order to grab a fish in its beak! It startled me and I let out a colorful expletive. I had never been that close to one of these birds and it came outta nowhere! . . . . . . . . According to the models and forecasts, there should be a giant swell of 12-15' waves hitting Central/Northern California on Thursday and Friday. I've been tempted to travel up there and catch some waves. However, there isn't a good airport by this swell, so I could either drive it or take the Amtrak. I may just stay here and catch waves because the forecasts look pretty good here as well - possibly in the 5-8' range over the next few days. However, you never know and I may pack it up and go for a road trip . . . . . . . . The forecast at wavewatch.com is calling for 7' waves to be here tomorrow around 12. Their forecasts have been under the actual wave heights, so I'm wondering what we'll really get. Also, Hurricane Rick is supposed to toss us a little swell bump on Thursday. We may have a foot or two increase for a few hours from the time the hurricane spent in our swell window.)

October 18, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at very low tide at Ocean Beach with fair+ form by the pier. This was a fun session, even though it was super low tide. I tossed a couple of 720s and did some 360s. I also shot the pier once. There weren't many rideable waves through the pier, but after trying for a bit, I got a good one and took it all the way through and continued on. I tried to toss a 360 spin on that ride, but I ate it. There wasn't much wind at all, so it was really clean. There was a decent current pushing north, so that's probably why there was a big clump of surfers about 50-75 yards north of me and one or none right next to the pier . . . . . . . . I pulled a couple of starfish off the pier and gave them to Jordan to play with in the tidepools. They were stuck on there really well! In fact, after I took them off, they stuck to my board and both times I was able to catch a wave without them falling off. Pretty funny. One of them was eating a mussel for dinner when I obtained him. By the time we removed the mussel, it was gone. Click on the link on today's date to see the photo album from the OB tidepools . . . . . . . . The last time I was here I did a headplant and rang my bell on a submerged rock by the pier. I ate it a couple of times this session, but I didn't hit my head. An injury-free session is always a plus.)

October 17, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. and about 50 yards north of it at low/medium tide with fair form and very foggy at 5:50pm. This session was super foggy! In fact, I couldn't see the pier or the shore for most of it. I could barely make out the pier at the beginning of the session. I could also barely make out the cliffs behind me. However, around mid-session, they were both totally engulfed by fog! In fact, it was even a little difficult to see the waves . . . . . . . . The waves were definitely smaller than the past few days, but they were still decent. I caught a number of rights and lefts and did several 360 spins. I also got tubed a bit and did a 180 Shooter. Great fun and exercise . . . . . . . . I was surprised to see so many surfers out there. The conditions weren't optimal because the visibility was so low. Plus, it was late and the waves were just ok and not as good as the past few days. Nonetheless, they were a nice bunch and we all respected each other's space and took turns in the lineup catching waves. I also ran into a friend I had met there a few months ago . . . . . . . . The sun set around 6:13pm, but it was impossible to tell because of the fog! The odd thing is that it stayed light for quite awhile longer than usual. I'm not sure if it was from the sunlight or the lights from the hotel next to the Capri. I think the lights played a big part and the fog somehow magnified them to give us enough light to catch waves by. They usually shine on the inside waves a bit. Thinking about it now, since it was low tide, the lights probably also reflected off the wet sand. Whatever the case was, it wasn't as dark as it was the last time I tried to catch waves by those lights and I was out there about 40 minutes after the sun set.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

October 16, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at Diamond St. with good form at 10:30am at medium tide. This was a very sweet session and Sarine got lots of great videos. You can click the YouTube link in the date above to go to my channel and find them. I caught lots of lefts and rights, did 360 and 720 spins and even a couple of 180 Shooters. I also got tubed over and over. There were some lengthy rides and some short rides. Some of the waves walled up, but there were some good corners out there, too . . . . . . . . I trunked it with gloves and boots because the sun was up and it was fairly warm. The water was still cold though and by the time my nearly 90 minute session was complete, I was cold. It was worth it, though. I'm really not looking forward to wearing a wet suit for the next 7 months or so. I better get it into my head that I have to and get over it pretty quickly cuz I do.

October 15, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

45 minutes (2-5 ft., occ. 6-8+ ft. at medium/low tide at Diamond St. in Pacific Beach with fair form. This session was insane because the waves were juicy and big! Yeehaw! According to the videos (see the link in the date above), I took more rights than lefts. It was one of those days where the waves were so giant that you didn't want to mess up on one and you didn't want to take a lame one and have to fight to get back out, so I was a little more discerning than usual. Nonetheless, I caught a ton of waves - lefts and rights - and flipped some 360s. I've been really wanting to try an aerial, but I didn't. Hopefully I'll do one soon! . . . . . . . . One surfer dropped in on me and it really pissed me off. He didn't look over his left shoulder or he saw me and didn't care. Either way, he should have looked and been more careful; especially in a big surf day like today. I had some choice words for him afterwards and a few minutes later I gave him the PB wave goodbye and paddled back out. Some people . . . . . . . . This was one of those 45 minute sessions that felt like an hour and a half. Know what I mean? There was so much work (and risk) involved that it felt like a longer session. I was really happy that very few waves broke on me, if any, and I didn't swall water or get jacked up. Perhaps I was too conservative, but leaving after 45+ mins. of no killer falls was cool. Gettin' out and goin' while the goin's good . . . . . . . . Sarine recorded some good videos of me catching waves. I uploaded one so far and might upload a couple more. It's good to have a few good ones for once because the previous two or three attempts didn't turn out so well . . . . . . . . I trunked it for this session and wore 5mm gloves and 2mm boots. They kept me warm enough for the session. It was totally overcast and cloudy the whole time, though. There was a light wind, but it wasn't doing much to the waves. I hope this evening's session is just as good or better. There will likely be a little more wind and a little bigger waves with the increased tide and the peak. Here goes!), 1 hour (2-5 ft., occ. 6-8+' at medium/high tide at 5pm with fair form and a little bump from the wind at Diamond St. This was another adrenaline filled session with very large waves. I caught some big lefts and rights and flipped some 360s. The surfers out there were taken back a bit at the giant waves and there may have even been a 9 footer in there somewhere. Another surfer dropped in on me and pissed me off, again. I gave him the PB wave and he later showed a little remorse. Oh boy. It's not that hard, people. Just look both ways....kinda like driving a car! . . . . . . . . Many of these waves were walling up. I was hardpressed to find a corner or two, so I passed on a good number of walled up waves. However, over the course of the hour I was out there, I caught a ton of exciting waves. Great fun and great exercise. It was a real test to get out past the waves and do it all. Thankfully, there were intervals in between the biggest waves, so I was able to make it out without much problem. However, toward the end of the session I became a little slower and noticed that it took more effort to get out before the big sets rolled in. I trunked it again with gloves and boots and nearly turned into an ice cube. Seriously, my hands were numb and when I got out of the water, I couldn't feel a couple of my fingers. Unless the sun is out and it's really warm in the middle of the day, this was probably my last session this season where I won't wear a wet suit. I hope to lose a couple of pounds in order to make up for the speed loss that we're a wet suit will cause. I think my 4/3 wet suit weighs around 7 pounds when it's soaking wet. It may not seem like much, but it really is. Even 5 extra pounds makes a difference out there.)

October 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:21:00 PST

1 hour (2-5 ft., occ. 6-7+ ft. with fair form at 4pm with medium/high tide at Emerald in PB. Listen to recording for details.)

October 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at medium/low tide at 11am with fair form at Emerald in PB. Listen to recording for details.)

October 13, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at medium/high tide with fair form at Emerald in Pacific Beach. These waves were very good because they were a little peaky and not too walled up. There were several rides were I caught the wave one way, then cutback and went the other way. I also flipped some 360s. On one wave, I tossed two and a half 360s. On another wave (which happened to be a left), I flipped a fast Clockwise 360. Lots of good rides out there today and the wind was pretty calm, providing only a little texture . . . . . . . . Near the middle of my session, I encountered a sea lion. It was only about 10-15 feet from me! This animal was swimming north against the current without much trouble. While he was swimming, he took a look at me and continued. It was a little unnerving because I don't usually see these guys in the water. In fact, I think this is the first time I've been in the water catching waves with one near me. Dolphins seem like friendlier folks, but this sea lion didn't come after me or anything. Another surfer saw it and we chatted about it for a minute . . . . . . . . We are starting to get some odd weather because there is a big storm up north. It is dropping heavy rain on the Monterey area and the mountains east of the city. It's headed our way, so I've been checking forecasts. There are a few scattered showers in Los Angeles, but nothing of significance in San Diego yet. I hope this storm doesn't give us any rain because when we get .2 inches or more, we have to stay out of the water for at least 72 hours or risk infections from the polluted runoff. In two days from now, we are supposed to get 8-10' surf! So, I'm really hoping the rain stays away and the ocean stays clean!!!)

October 12, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair- form at 5:30pm. There was some bump from the wind and a lot of the waves were walling up. Nonetheless, it was a decent session. I couldn't find many corners because there were long lines of walls. However, it was a tiny bit crossed up, so I was able to catch some short rides and flip some 360s. I also tossed a 180 Shooter and a Clockwise 360 spin off a left. Some very large waves are supposed to be here soon, but they might be met with inclement weather. I hope it doesn't rain more than .2 inches or else I'll have to cross-train for 72 hours or more while the pollutants get absorbed into the ocean.)

October 11, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes of dancing at the MuteMath concert at the San Diego House of Blues

October 10, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4 ft. at medium tide with fair form just north of Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach at 2:15pm. There was a little bump from the wind and these waves were on the small size, but it was still a good session. I flipped some 360s and pulled a 180 Shooter on one wave. Every once in awhile, a 4 foot set would roll in and provide some decent rides for the 10 some odd people who were trying to catch waves around me. I trunked it but this may be the last time I do so. It was really cold and I was thankful that the sun was up and it was around the warmest part of the day or else I would have been freezing cold.), 1 hour, 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

October 9, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 9 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4 ft. at medium/low tide at 6pm at Diamond St. in Pacific Beach with fair form. These waves were definitely on the small side, but there were some decent rides out there. I flipped a few 360s, but I often couldn't because it would have meant the end of the ride. I pulled a 180 Shooter right at the end of my session. There was a little bump from the wind and texture from the wind . . . . . . . . I wore my 4/3 wet suit for tonight's session and it was nice and warm. The sun set at 6:23pm and it keeps setting earlier and earlier. I'm going to need to cross-train soon because it's tough to get down there before the sun sets. Plus, I need more exercise because I want to get into better shape and lose about 5-8 pounds. I'm at 158 right now, but I want to get a bit leaner and it's going to take a couple of months of hard work to get there - especially with Halloween and Thanksgiving coming up! Heh. I wish I could have ridden my beach cruiser to the beach, but it would have been nearly dark by that time.)

October 8, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 8 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4'+ around Emerald in Pacific Beach at medium tide with fair form at 2:45pm. There were some lengthy lefts out there today. I flipped some 360s and enjoyed the session. There may have even been a few 5 footers. From atop Diamond St., I noticed it looked pretty good by the pier and toward Emerald, so I got in around Emerald and caught waves. I trunked it and it was cold, but I made it through. The waves were a little on the small side, but big enough to ride. There was some bump from the wind, but it wasn't too bad.)

October 7, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 7 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 30 minutes of playing football

October 6, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5+ ft. at the Ocean Beach pier at medium tide at 1:40pm. Unlike yesterday, I trunked it today. It was the warmest part of the day, so I wanted to go for it. I was able to make it through an hour, then I was really happy to turn on the heat in my car! I caught most of my waves a couple hundred yards north of the pier. The SSW swell was coming in nicely, but the NW swell was gone. There were some corners and some walls and I flipped some 360s and had a good session . . . . . . . . After I caught some waves, I paddled through the pier and caught three waves through it. They weren't breaking that well through the pier, but I managed to pull off some ok rides. I came very close to a pier pylon one time! In fact, I drew the board in close to my body and hit myself in the nose. Heh.)

October 5, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 5 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at medium tide at 12:30pm just North of Crystal Pier. This was an exciting session because the waves were nice and big and there were some lengthy rides out there. There was supposed to be a lot of wind, but there wasn't much wind when I was in the water. In fact, the little wind that there was seemed to be a South wind - like an eddy condition . . . . . . . . After catching some waves, I paddled through Crystal Pier and waited for a good wave to take through it. Eventually one came and I took it through the pier. I also flipped some 360s, got tubed and pulled a 180 Shooter. It was a sweet session . . . . . . . . I chose the Crystal Pier area because it looked biggest. I parked at Diamond St. and looked there first, then I checked out the strip from Diamond to the pier and it was best by the pier. There were a few surfers there, but they were amicable and we took turns on waves - usually taking them in different directions. Instead of taking that big left from the pier, I took a lengthy right toward it from about 100 yards away from the pier. It was a great, long ride.)

October 4, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 4 Oct 2009 14:21:00 PST

45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. from PB Drive to between Towers 21 and 22 because of the strong south current at Noon with poor+ form. There was a ton of wind chop and bump today. I expected it because I had read the surf report beforehand, but it was rough. There were also some strong rip currents and they were a bit dangerous. Not only did they make it hard to get out, but they also routinely pushed me under and tried to keep me under while I went under breaking waves. The intervals in between waves was very short. It was probably 6 seconds or so, which made it very difficult to paddle out. I fought hard to get out several times and only caught 5 or 6 waves this session. Some of the reasons why include the time involved getting out, the poor form making me extra choosey and not wanting to take a bad wave and have to fight to get back out . . . . . . . . There were not many people in the water today. In fact, most of the time I was out there alone, with nobody within 50-100 yards of me. Most of the people who were in the water were battling the whitewash. There were a couple of surfers here and there and one or two of them were finding a corner here and there . . . . . . . . I choose this time for my session because it was a good tide to get in. I also figured the wind would be calmer than later in the afternoon. There is a chance that around 6pm one could have a good session with lighter winds and a tide push. However, I'll be watching the Chargers play the Steelers at that time, so that wasn't an option. Even though the conditions were poor, I probably picked the best time to catch waves today. Yesterday's report said the wind should calm a bit for tomorrow's session and these two swells should also peak tomorrow.)

October 3, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 3 Oct 2009 21:41:00 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6+ ft. at low/medium tide with fair+ form at Diamond St. with very light wind at 5pm with a north current. This was an exciting, spirited session. I caught waves all over the place, flipped 360s, got tubed and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I also did a new maneuver today. I was riding a wave and flipped a 180, sat on the board, grabbed it with one hand and leaned back while riding the waves. While leaning back, I put one hand in the air. I call this maneuver the Bullride Backslide. One of my friends - who is an excellent sufer - hopped in the water about mid-session and I told him about the move. He suggested I call it the Bitchslap Backslide . . . . . . . . While I was catching waves, there were a few tourists in the water - one from Idaho and one from Arizona. Both of them witnessed some of my tricks and told me they were awesome . . . . . . . . It was a bit chilly, but pretty sunny so I trunked it and didn't freeze. Most of the people out there were wearing wet suits. I ran into Rob before getting in the water and we talked about wet suits. We agreed that they weren't necessary today . . . . . . . . On one wave, I was taking it left and got fully tubed. After riding in the tube for a couple of seconds, the wave spit me out and I was able to continue riding it! I don't know if this move has a name or not, but I'm going to call it a Tube Shooter.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

October 2, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 2 Oct 2009 21:41:00 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair+ form at medium tide at 5:45pm. From above Diamond St. in PB, these waves looked small and I was a little bummed, but after I got in the water it was a bit bigger. Some plus sets rolled in with the tide push. There was virtually no wind at all and even the two flags on top of Crystal Pier were lifeless. I took some lefts and some rights and got tubed. I also flipped several 360 spins. It ended up being a very good session and there may have even been a 5 footer or two in there somewhere.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

October 1, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 1 Oct 2009 11:41:00 PST

I got a massage and rested today.

September 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:42:00 PST

September 2009 Surf Total: 30 hours . . . . . September 2009 Other Exercise Total: 21 hours, 15 minutes . . . . . September 2009 Grand Total: 51 hours, 15 minutes

September 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:41:00 PST

45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7+ ft. between Lahaina Beach House and Reed Ave. in Pacific Beach with good form and medium/high tide. There was nearly no wind at all for this session! I'm not used to catching waves in the morning, but I know the wind is much lighter. There were some very long rides out there and I caught some lengthy lefts and rights. The waves were breaking differently, though. They were extremely peaky and powerful. There was a lot of water because of the tide and many of the waves were curling up. I tried a barrel roll on a 6 footer and it didn't quite work out like I planned. Heh. I had a couple good crashes, but I didn't get hurt or jacked up that badly . . . . . . . . I trunked it and everyone out there except one guy had a wet suit on. I had to give the dude props and we chatted for a minute about barebacking it. One of the surfers I ran into later in the water said he was hot in his wet suit. The water was cold, but the sun was out and a wet suit wasn't essential at this time today . . . . . . . . Yesterday, we had a tsunami advisory between 9pm and midnight. There was an earthquake near Samoa that caused some very small tidal waves. We didn't receive much of anything at all, but I wonder if these oddly powerful and peaky waves had anything to do with last night's tsunami. Whatever the case may be, there were some strong rip currents out there and the current pulled me south pretty quickly. I paddled against it and I got out of the water once and walked north.), 30 minutes of walking at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheater, 1 hour, 30 minutes of dancing at the Creed concert, 1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at T Street in San Clemente with good form and medium/high tide at 5pm. This was a cool session and the first time I've ever been to T Street. There were a ton of kids in the water! There must have been 20 kids and most of them were blonde (some bleached), ages 10-15 years old and they shredded! Several times, they caught waves just inches away from me. It was a little unnerving at first because it was so crowded and they were so good . . . . . . . . I split this session in half and stretched for 5-10 minutes in the middle. During the first half, I noticed the current was pulling south pretty well, so I fought it a bit and got out once or twice and walked north. The waves were breaking strangely and some of them were actually coming in almost totally sideways and parallel to the beach. They were breaking fast and they didn't give you a lot of time to figure out which way to go or whether or not to take them. Nonetheless, I got used to it and caught some good waves. I also flipped some 360s and caught some pretty long rides . . . . . . . . In the second half of my session, I went for the best break that was breaking furthest out. It produced some great rights and some lefts. The kids were either a little tired from surfing or battling the current or they gave me a little room and I enjoyed this half a lot. I flipped four and a half 360s on one wave! This was a record for me and one dude saw it and commented. He was stoked and then he promptly did a barrel roll. This place reminded me a little of Hawaii and Sandy Beach for a couple of reasons. First, it was pretty big pretty close to the shore and just rose up quickly. Next, there were a ton of surfers in the water but there were also a ton of bodyboarders. It didn't seem that there was much of a distinction to me. However, most of the bodyboarders caught the inside waves . . . . . . . . I chatted to a handful of people in the water and they were nice and cool. No big long conversations, but small talk. It was obvious to me that they had a very cool, fun surf community at this location. After my session, I chatted with the Dad of one of the kids and he mentioned what I overheard earlier - that many of these kids are part of a surf team. Pretty sweet . . . . . . . . I was happy to log 90 minutes at T Street, bringing my monthly total to 30 hours in 30 days. Perfect. I really want to keep averaging one hour a day catching waves. The sunset was beautiful and it literally set over Catalina Island! I asked the dude who saw my 360 record if that was an island and he said yeah it was Catalina. I had never seen that happen before and I was stoked.)

September 29, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:03:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at medium tide at 4:30pm with fair form and very light wind. The waves were significantly smaller than they were yesterday, but infrequent 4-5' waves rolled in. I flipped plenty of 360s and enjoyed the session. There were some lengthy rights and lefts, but some of them petered out prematurely. The current moved me north and I had to get out and walk south a few times. The water was a little cold, but I was able to trunk it without turning into an ice cube. I practiced a few barrel rolls, but most of the waves made it very hard to pull them off.)

September 28, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:03:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at Diamond St. and about 100 yards north and south of it with fair form at medium/high tide at 5:30pm. The surf was up today, but there were sometimes intervals in between the bigger waves. There was a NW and SW swell mix, so some of the waves were peaky. From the top of Diamond St., it looked like really long, walled up lines. However, there was one corner that was semi-consistent, so I tried to stay around it. There was a current that seemed to take me both directions! Or perhaps it was just taking me north and I was catching more rights, putting me south of Diamond St. Whatever the case was, I had a lot of fun out there and saw a couple of my friends. It was a little crowded out there and I caught one wave with two other surfers. It was a friendly atmosphere, though. Nobody got pissed off for dropping in because there was an unspoken sense of camaraderie. I flipped a number of 360s and went off pretty good. I got tubed and/or partially tubed a couple of times. Most of the waves weren't tubing up, but some were. I wore my full 4/3 wet suit because I wanted to stay warm and I did. I was nice and toasty even though the water was chilly. Almost everyone else was wearing a wet suit as well . . . . . . . . I think I'm starting to get accustomed to larger scale surf. Looking back, I think I would have been a little more impressed and taken back by the large waves out there like the ones I caught and faught against today, but after doing it so many times the awe has become a little more commonplace. I hope the surf stays up for tomorrow's session! . . . . . . . . When I was in waist/chest deep water after catching a wave, I looked back at the beach and noticed a large fish jumping out of the water! This fish was probably 12-18" and may have weighed 5-10 pounds. It was jumped while it was swimming from the shore toward the setting sun. It was about 10-15 yards from me.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 27, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:03:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at medium/high tide at 5:15pm from PB Drive almost to Lahaina Beach House because of the current with fair form. This was a great session because there were long peaky lines rolling in and there was only a little texture from the wind. Unfortunately, from time to time, I had to wait awhile for the big sets to roll in. I got tubed on one wave and it was gnarly. I flipped lots of 360s on lefts and rights. Everything went well and it was a spirited session. There were lots of other people in the water, but I still caught lots of waves. I pulled back from a couple where I didn't have the right of way, but I was able to find another wave pretty quickly. On one wave, it closed and I turned my board to face the beach and dropped about 5 feet! Fortunately, I didn't fall off or nosepick and I was able to keep riding. I did let out a yell, though . . . . . . . . The water temperature is down to 65 degrees. I was able to trunk it because it was sunny and warm outside, but I couldn't get warm until I took a warm shower. Only a couple of people were in the water without a wet suit today.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser, 30 minutes of walking at the Chargers game

September 26, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:03:00 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at medium tide at 3:30pm from PB Drive to Lahaina Beach House with fair form because of the current. I enjoyed this session with my friend Noah. Unfortunately, both of us broke our leashes though. I was able to quickly repair them with some elastic netting I had in my backpack. These waves were nice and big and they may have been hitting 7 feet. There was a little texture from the wind, but it wasn't too bumpy. I flipped 360s and had a spirited session . . . . . . . . I trunked it but I'm not going to be able to much longer. The water is getting really cold.)

September 25, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:03:00 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at medium tide with light wind and fair+ form at 4pm. This was an awesome session because the waves were just right. Some were on the small side, but when the largest sets rolled in they were just the right size and there were lots of long rides! I took some great lefts and rights and on one left I flipped three 360s. There were a couple surfers and bodyboarders in the area, but we didn't compete for the same waves . . . . . . . . It was warm and sunny out, so I was able to tolerate the cold water. Someone said it was 64 degrees, but it was probably 65. Nonetheless, the air was about 80 around the time of my session, so I was able to stay warm throughout it. About half of the people in the water were wearing wet suits . . . . . . . . I saw one dolphin while I was in the water and it jumped out of the water about 40-50 yards ahead of me. It was going north. When I got to the top of the stairs, I saw a bunch of dolphins swimming and jumping around for about 10-15 minutes. Eventually, the sun set and I left and they were still out there playing. I tried to get a few pictures of them, but it was hard to capture their brief appearances.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 24, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at medium/low tide with some texture from the wind and fair form at 3pm.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 23, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at 2:30pm from Diamond St. almost to Crystal Pier because of the south current with fair form and cold water. The air temperature was 86 degrees today, so it made the 68 degree water much more bearable. I could feel the heat radiating from the asphalt, so I rode on the sidewalk to the beach today. I was so happy to find the seaweed gone! I suppose the very strong north wind took it away. There was a good deal of bump and wind chop on the waves because of the howling wind . . . . . . . . I glued my board with sponge rez and it held and worked well. In fact, I hardly missed a beat! I was able to flip 360s like before and even two of them on one wave. The only thing I noticed was that the board seemed a tiny bit more flexible than before. In other words, due to putting pressure on the board in certain places for an hour a day for many months, it's starting to break down a little bit. I suppose this is normal, so I'm happy the bottom is repaired and hope I can get another month or two out of this board before I have to replace it . . . . . . . . There were a couple of girls bodyboarding out there today. One of them was catching a number of waves. I talked to her afterwards and she said she used to be a swimmer. I was impressed because she was even doing it without fins . . . . . . . . The tide was perfect today. I timed it just right on purpose because it worked into my schedule nicely. It was really nice to catch normal waves again instead of these super low tide waves. I'm looking forward to tomorow's session because the larger surf and warmer temperatures are supposed return.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour coaching soccer

September 22, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. at low tide with fair form and lots of seaweed. The waves have picked up a bit and even with the low tide, they were breaking nicely. I caught some lefts and rights and flipped some 360s. I also got tubed. However, the seaweed was outta control. On some waves, I would duck dive them and wind up with a robe of seaweed around me. Seaweed was in my shorts and everywhere. It took me several minutes to rinse it out of my hair. After riding certain waves, I'd wind up in a huge mess of seaweed. I'd have to paddle on the surface of the water or risk grabbing handfuls of it while paddling. I don't mean to go on and on, but it was and has been an issue . . . . . . . . Today was the last full day of summer! Last year on this day, I taught Jordan how to surf. This year, she caught waves with my bodyboard. We both used my backup bodyboard because I was drying my good one in order to glue it (which I did a couple of hours ago). I put a new leash on the Daniela Freitas Morey board, but it isn't as good as my Custom X board. It's super light, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it also bends just a little, making me a little slower in the water. I did wear both of my fins today, so I was faster than I was yesterday. I hope my board glues well and works like new tomorrow.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 21, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

30 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. at low tide at Diamond St. with fair form at 2:30pm. There was a ton of seaweed in the water, so that made this session a little icky. Besides that, it was pretty good. The waves weren't too bad and I flipped a few 360s. I was using my backup board and only one fin, though. I'm letting my good board totally dry before I use some sponge res to repair it tomorrow. The gash I got from the tip of a surfboard during my session on April 29 is finally starting to bubble and cause problems. I'm hoping to fix it and buy a new board soon. I have my eye on a couple of deals right now.)

September 20, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

30 minutes of walking at the Chargers game, 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 30 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. at Diamond St. with very low tide and poor form. This was a horrible session because the tide was super low and there was a gigantic amount of seaweed. It was pretty gross and all over me. I was paddling through it and it really slowed me down. After a few minutes, I got out of the water and entered about 50-100 yards south and the seaweed problem wasn't quite as bad . . . . . . . . Although this was a crappy session, it was good to get back in the water after yesterday's fall. Like any athlete after an inury, the first time back on the field is a bit touch and go. I'm happy to report everything went well and seems to be in working order - regarding my body and head and stuff. Now all I need is some good surf.)

September 19, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

30 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at the Ocean Beach pier with very low tide and poor form. This was a jacked up session. Yesterday, I noticed the waves in OB looked great, so I wanted to catch them today. However, they were much smaller today and the form wasn't very good. Plus, I took the worst tumble I've ever taken and I thought I may have gotten a concussion. I was riding a 3-4' wave left and I tried to spin a 360 and ate it. Unfortunately, the water was so shallow that I hit my head on the bottom. I was near the pier where there is a rock bottom, so my nose and forehead hit square on the rock bottom. When it happened, I thought I gave myself a neck or spinal cord injury. I was shocked that I wasn't in more pain and totally jacked up after that fall. I shook it off and slowly paddled back out, mainly just to see if everything was working as it should. I had some lingering pain in my upper back, but nothing too serious. However, after Billy Mays' death, I was concerned that there could be some internal bleeding or problems that are not detectable. As I write this on Sunday, I'm feeling pretty good. I didn't take any pain medicine, but I iced it and got a full stretch yesterday. I had a little bit of a headache last night, but I think I'm ok now. I do have a little broken skin on the bridge of my nose and my forehead . . . . . . . . I took a crummy wave through the pier. These waves were small and rolly, though. Plus, the water felt extra cold today. There was also a good deal of seaweed in the water, again. Many people were interested in the tidepools, so I searched for a starfish attached to the pier and only found one after searching numerous pylons. Fortunately, it wasn't too attached, so I was able to rip it off with my bare hands. I put it on my board, so I could paddle back in and quickly found it sticking to my board! I even caught a couple of waves and a wave even hit the starfish and it didn't come off. It was stuck on there like it was glued!)

September 18, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. from Diamond St. to Crystal Pier at low/very low tide at 1pm. Hear audio file for report.)

September 17, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:15:00 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at low/very low tide at 1:15pm with good form, starting at Diamond St. and making my way to Crystal Pier. This was a very fun session because it was very low tide with very big, peaky waves. This meant lots of good lefts and rights. Plus, it was crossed up, so the other swell made it interesting. For instance, I rode a 6' wave right from the NW swell, then it caught up with the crossed up SW swell and I flipped a 360 in the air and flew off! The current was pulling me south and I fought it a little, but ended up going with it and catching waves from Diamond St. to Crystal Pier. I did get out once and walk back to Diamond . . . . . . . . I got tubed up at least three or four times this session! One time, the tube was huge and resembled a low hallway that a gnome or small child could walk through . . . . . . . . Catching waves in this very low tide was interesting. It seems that I always get some sand in my eyes at low tide, probably because the waves break in shallow water and it kicks up a lot of sand into the water. It also caused me to pop my fins off several times because I finished the ride in knee deep water and figured walking back to the break would be smartest . . . . . . . . The weather was beautiful and it was sunny when I left my home, all clouded over when I entered the water, then totally sunny about 15 minutes later. It has remained sunny since that time! Funny how the clouds blow in and out around here. I'm reminded of the line, "so much depends on the weather" by Scott Weiland. Ain't that the truth? . . . . . . . . I'm looking forward to tonight's session. Yes, I have to go back. You don't get waves like this very often. I hope there is no wind an hour before sunset because there wasn't any this afternoon and that made it groovy.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser . . . . . . . . 1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at high tide at Diamond St. with fair (almost fair-) form. This session was good, but the tide was a little too high, causing some of the waves to just roll. I did a pretty hot Stop N 720 and got tubed a couple of times. It was another spirited session. The sunset was very cool, although the sun disappeared shortly before the horizon because of a small cloud layer. The shade of orange looked like the orange in the Endless Summer t-shirts. There were long, horizontal lines of yellows and oranges. The water reflected the reddish tones . . . . . . . . It seemed that everyone out there had a wet suit on, but it really wasn't that cold. If you're in the water and paddling around, you're going to stay warm. One of the surfers I often see there said the same thing when he got out. He said he was sweating in his wet suit. That has happened to me once or twice and it isn't comfortable. In fact, it's pretty annoying and bothersome because you overheat . . . . . . . . This was another windless session. I'm fascinated....the wind can be blowing hard a few hundred feet above, but calm below.)

September 16, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at Grand Ave. in front of the main lifeguard tower with fair form at 3:45pm with medium/high tide. This was an exciting session because the waves were big and rolly. This northwest swell that we've been getting is holding and the tide was just right at this time. However, the swell was downright funny today. It appeared crossed up and it was pretty peaky. I looked at Diamond St. real hard, then rode on to the pier and checked it out. It wasn't blowing me away at either place and I seemed to remember catching waves in deeper water south of the pier, so I thought I'd find better surf ahead. While I was reading about today's conditions on the lifeguard tower, I also checked out the surf and noticed it was very good . . . . . . . . There was a current moving us north today, so I got out of the water and walked back once or twice. I flipped numerous 360s and had another spirited session. On one wave, I took it left and when it was about to close out, I hung a sharp left and went into a 720 spin again. I need a name for that maneuver, so I'll call it the Stop N 720. After I flipped this one, a kid on a board smiled and gave me a thumbs up. I thought that was cool because I don't say too much out there and I just do my business and a kind gesture is always well received . . . . . . . The water temperature was 68 degrees according to the lifeguard tower. I was able to trunk it, but by the time I got out I was cold. My hands didn't get warm until I took a warm shower. I suppose I'll have to start wearing my gloves on the ride home . . . . . . . . The surf reports look good for the next few days. I hope this swell holds and I hope we're thrown some more swell form the surrounding storms. There are a couple of developing storms that may contribute to some surf during the upcoming heatwave. It is supposed to be about 80 at the beach this weekend.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 15, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at Diamond St. at 5pm with very light wind and fair+ form. This was a fun session and I flipped a 1080 spin! The wave ended with the final spin, but it was sweet.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. with fair form at 4:20pm with high tide at Diamond St. This was a very spirited session because the waves were big and fun and I was hopped up and ready to go. There was some bump and texture from the wind, but it only made things more interesting. The waves walled up a little, but there was usually a corner or two and sometimes a peak. On one wave, I saw a meaty left open up and I took it for a good long time. I flipped lots of 360s and 720s and went off pretty good. I also ate it in great fashion a few times . . . . . . . . I was able to trunk it and I didn't get too cold. The sun was out, but the water and the air were around 70 degrees. There were some people there, as there usually is on Mondays in the summer and some of them saw my chops. These waves were big and breaking pretty far out because of the high tide, so I often had to paddle long and hard. Yesterday, I cut the last few inches off my new duck feet fins. This turned them into custom v-ducks and they worked quite well. However, they are causing some blisters on the outsides of my feet.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 13, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-8+ ft. at Diamond St. at 10:45am with fair form and high tide. The waves were giant again. I hit it early and took a caffeine pill with my espresso mocha to get me going. It was a very spirited session with 360s, lefts, rights and some wild falls. None of the falls were too painful, but I probably ate crap in some of the worst ways today. Toppling over this way and that. One time I tried to flip a 360 on a 7' wave and it was too vertical to do so, so it threw me under. There were a couple of surfers out there eating major crap. Perhaps that's why I went for some extra crazy tricks. I knew if I ate it, I was in good company . . . . . . . . On one large wave, I took it left and I suppose I dropped in a little bit on some dude with the name Byrd tattooed on his back. It all happened so fast, but I think I thought he was going to take the wave right and not left. At any rate, the wave closed out pretty quickly and we both took it left. He was about 5 yards or so behind me. After the wave ended, he chewed me out. We were about 20 yards apart when we had this conversation, so it was difficult to hear, but this guy was a little pissed so I said sorry and told him the wave sucked anyway. He mumbled something and paddled out again . . . . . . . . There was a decent current today and it was taking us north. I broke my session into two - 60 minutes and 30 minutes - and in my second session, I found myself about 300 yards north in 30 minutes. I fought it a bit the first time, but not much the second time.)

September 12, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-9 ft. at Tower 22 with high tide at 6:45pm and fair form in North Mission Beach/South PB. This was an exciting session because these waves were huge and there was a ton of water and force behind them. This was the swell that I was watching all week. Surfline.com notified me about the storm in the Pacific when it was just forming. Those guys rock. Anyhow, they said the swell was supposed to arrive in the evening, so I timed my session accordingly. I didn't see the surf earlier, but it was apparently much smaller. While I was buying some new duck feet fins from Play It Again, the manager said the surf was 1-2'. I playfully agreed that I must be mistaken, but he checked his phone's surf report and seemed shocked to find it said 5-7'. As for the fins, I knew one fin wasn't going to cut it today. I would have been paddling at half speed and that's the last thing you want in 9' surf. So, I decided to give my childhood choice a try again. The two duck feet worked well - much better than one cburchill makapu fin - but I felt the fins were a bit long. They seemed better suited for slow, more methodical and lengthy kicking and not the quick short kicks that bodyboarders use . . . . . . . . Today I was happy to ride my beach cruiser to the beach. I had a bonfire to go to in South Mission Beach after my session, so I first stopped at Diamond St., but decided to continue until I found the best spot. Well, after about a mile or so, I saw a very nice, big break by Tower 22, so I stopped there to get wet . . . . . . . . These waves gave me all I wanted and then some. They were so big that my brain told me to avoid taking a few. Sometimes I listened and sometimes I didn't. There was one huge left that tubed me up and spit me out. I knew this giant wave was going to swallow me up in this tube, but I went for it anyway . . . . . . . . At one point, I lost one of my fins. However, I was able to find it very quickly. These duck feet apparently float very well and much better than both of my slasher fins that were independently lost on the same day about a week ago.), 1 hour, 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 11, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at Diamond St. at 3pm with fair form. This was a good session, but there was a little bump from the wind. Most of the waves were small, but I was able to trunk it and get some good exercise, so I can't complain.)

September 10, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form and low tide at 6:45pm. This was a good session, but the waves were on the small side. I still got tubed once and pulled a 180 Shooter. I also flipped a few 360s, but there were lots of weak lefts and rights where I couldn't flip a 360 or else the wave would end. Every once in awhile, a bigger set would roll through . . . . . . . . The sunset was amazing today. I don't think I've ever seen such beautiful yellows, reds and purples.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 9, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 9 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour of coaching soccer, 2 hours of dancing at the Def Leppard and Poison concert

September 8, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 8 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at medium/low tide around Diamond St. at 4pm with fair form. These waves were nice and big and there were some great lefts and rights. On one wave, I flipped a 180 and while riding backwards, the wave tubed me and shot me out! I decided to name that maneuver the 180 Shooter. I also decided to call it's cousin the 180 Eclipse - that's when you do a 180 and then get eaten up by the giant whitewash. Reflecting, there are several maneuvers I do where I finish by popping the board's rear into the water, making it shoot up into the sky as I jump off. I think I'll call that the Pop Out. The board pops up and I'm out . . . . . . . . The water was nice and I trunked it. There was a little wind that produced some bump and texture. The current wasn't bad and seemed to move me a bit South, then a bit North. There was strong NW swell mixed with a weaker SW swell today. Good thing my break picks up both . . . . . . . . Over the past 24 hours, my foot has went through a miraculous recovery. In the late hours, I had felt severe and shooting pain in it to the point where I thought it might be fractured. In fact, I used Sarine as a crutch and I called the doctor for an appointment. However, when I woke up, I was much better! I decided to avoid riding my bike today, just in case that put extra pressure or stress on my foot and I didn't hurt it in my session at all. I wore no fin on that foot and the aerobic exercise seemed to help it from its stiffened state a bit.)

September 7, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 7 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-7 ft. at 1pm at medium tide with fair+ form around Banana Bungalow in PB. This was a fun session because the waves were big, although the big sets were inconsistent. There were some meaty lefts and rights out there and I spun lots of 360s, some 720s and did various other tricks. It was very crowded, but there was enough water for the bigger sets to break far enough outside that I wasn't around the crowd too much. There was some wind chop and bump, but it was light. The current took me about 100 yards north to Be Curious or PB Drive, but it wasn't moving that strongly.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour, 15 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6+ ft. at low tide at 3pm near Lahaina Beach House in PB with fair form. The waves suffered a bit from the low tide, but the lowest point was at 5:30pm and it was a .8, so it was going to get worse with more giant shorebreak. This was another fun session and the water felt great. I did all sorts of tricks like 360s and 720s. On one wave, I was taking it left, then it hit the bump of another crossed up swell and I ripped off a 720 going right. Pretty tight. On some of the waves, I got up on my butt and rode the board that way . . . . . . . . I only used one fin again today and it was definitely tougher. I'm much faster with two fins. I probably missed a wave or two I would have otherwise caught - which is a little disconcerting - but my paddling out speed was probably even more bothersome. Since I didn't have my usual speed, waves that I normally would have sped past, over or through were just barely crashing on me. Not cool. I gotta get another fin asap . . . . . . . . On my last ride of the day my right foot nailed someone's head. It hurt like hell - frickity frack. I flipped a 360 spin and it clocked someone really hard, so I just kept on riding to shore and took off. I figured if some duded kicked me in the head that hard I'd be super pissed off, so I didn't want to stick around to meet the dude I nailed. I've iced my foot twice since that happened and I'm wearing a compression bandage. It might keep me out of the water tomorrow. It probably wouldn't have hurt half as bad if I would have been wearing a fin. However, It has been really fast and easy to catch these crazy waves, get out of the water in waist or knee deep water, pop off my single fin and walk back out. In fact, until I recently noticed my speed being slower, I thought it was a convenient and fun way to catch waves. I still think I'd trade convenience in for speed because I can't stand going slower. I need to fly! . . . . . . . . My thanks goes to all the forecasters who said the surf was 1-2' over this fine Labor Day Weekend. Hope it kept lots of kooks out of the water.)

September 6, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 6 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. around Lahaina Beach House and Banana Bungalow in Pacific Beach at 3:30pm with low tide. This was a fun session, but it was really crowded. On one wave, I ran into three different people! It seems that the kooks, I mean people in the swimming section like to take waves in a west/east manner whereas I enjoy taking waves left and right. This causes a problem when it's crowded and I tend to nearly hit people, but I'm not sure what else I can do. It gets even crazier when I start flipping 360 spins! Nonetheless, it was a spirited session and good fun, but I felt a little bad about the people I ran over . . . . . . . . The water was nice and warm and the lifeguard station said 75 again. This is Labor Day weekend, so that's why it's so crowded. After this weekend, it will start to thin out at the beach. I'm looking forward to this last month before having to put on my wet suit! In fact, I really hope I log a ton of hours in the water from here on out . . . . . . . . I also got tubed a few times - sometimes partially and sometimes fully.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour of dancing at the AC/DC concert

September 5, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. between PB Drive and Tower 21 at medium/low tide with fair+ form at 2:45pm. This was a fantastic session - so much fun. The waves were surprisingly good! There was some chop and bump from the wind, but that only made things a little more interesting. A few of the waves were curling up, so one time I got tubed by a big wave. I was taking it right and I accidentally shot out in front of it a bit, so I used my right leg to get back to the wave crest and it tubed right over me! It was interesting how dragging my right leg in the water a little made me turn right and hug the wave. I also flipped some 360s and had quite a spirited session . . . . . . . . There was a fairly strong current moving south. It also appeared that we were having an eddy and the wind was moving south as well. Before too long, I found myself nearly at lifeguard Tower 21! The current usually moves north, so this was a little unexpected. The main lifeguard tower at Grand Ave. said the water was 75 degrees! It did feel extra warm and really nice. It was a very beautiful day and a great way to kick off Labor Day weekend. I did all kinds of fun stuff in the water and can't wait until tomorrow!), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour of dancing at the Delirious concert

September 4, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 4 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. at low tide with good form at Diamond St. at 3pm. This was a great session, but really different because it was very low tide. I was catching waves in waist to chest deep water and finishing in ankle deep water. There were some surfers out there, but it was better suited for a bodyboard. Great lefts and rights and stayed open a long time. Even curling up a bit here and there. I flipped some 360s and ran across another maneuver that needs a name. When I do a 360 spin, I sometimes lift myself up and put my butt on the board while I spin. I need a name for that one . . . . . . . . The water was exceptionally warm and probably 72 degrees. Lots of people were out there and I ran into one or two of them. Pretty crowded.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 3, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 3 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. at Diamond St. at low tide. These waves were very small - fun size, if you will. Most of them weren't worth catching, but the 3-4 ft. swell came through every so often. These waves amounted to quick rights and lefts where I was able to cut, toss a 360 and get off. I was wearing only one fin and that proved to be the ticket. I could stand and catch waves with the water around my waist, so when I was finished with the wave, I was in knee deep water. Having only one fin allowed me to quickly pop it off, walk back into the ocean and pop it back on when I got right in front of the breaking waves . . . . . . . . The water was the warmest I've felt it all summer. Last night, the news said it was 72 degrees and it probably was for once. It was warm outside, so the water was super refreshing.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

September 2, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 2 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour of coaching soccer

September 1, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 1 Sep 2009 19:10:01 PST

I rested today because I was still feeling sick.

August 1-31, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:10:02 PST

August 2009 Surf Total: 25 hours, 45 minutes . . . . . August 2009 Other Exercise Total: 18 hours, 30 minutes . . . . . August 2009 Grand Total: 44 hours, 15 minutes

August 31, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:10:01 PST

30 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. at 3pm. This was a horrible session - probably the worst all summer. I lost a fin after about 30 minutes and I admit it was pretty good until then. I had flipped a couple of 360s and I was getting inspired and used to the NW swell. However, I looked and looked for that fin and couldn't find it. Sarine and Jordan even looked. Eventually, the lifeguard gave me an extra Churchill fin because they had a ton in lost and found. After I returned, Jordan promptly lost the other fin. Haha. I wish I was making this up. So, it bummed me out and I didn't get as much water time as I wanted. Not a great way to end the month or the summer - well Jordan's summer before school starts Wednesday, anyway.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair+ form at 3pm. I spent 30 minutes on each side of the checked flag and both sessions were good, but the one in the swimming section was epic. On one wave, I was taking it left, then I cut right and immediately flipped a 720 spin! It was a killer move that I've done a couple times before (one of my signature moves?) and a Mexican dude with his friends saw me and yelled out loud and told me it was off the hook. Haha. I was stoked to get his praise and I paddled out with a big smile on my face. Another kid saw one of my spins and asked me how I did it. At first, I just shrugged my shoulders - partly because I had almost no voice from my cold and partly to be funny. When he pressed me for an answer, I explained it to him. I told him how I used my hand as a rudder at first and cut into the wave and I explained how it would spin me. And I told him how I longer do it and just throw my body weight toward the spin. That's pretty much it except for having the correct balance/position on the board and taking my feet out of the water . . . . . . . . One of the lifeguards named Barney paddled his board out and flipped it! While a wave was beginning to take him, he flipped a 360 with a board that must have been 7' long! Pretty cool.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 29, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:10:01 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6 ft. from PB Drive to Banana Bungalow, but usually around Be Curious with fair+ form at 4:20pm. This was an epic session. Even though my back was still sore from hitting that rock and even though I was fighting some sort of cold, I had the time of my life out there today. There were fun lefts and rights and I tossed lots of 360 spins. On one wave, I was taking it left and the lifeguard ski doo went past me and created a swell! So, I was riding one wave, then encountered another and it redirected me a bit and it felt like a water park. Several times today, I did some crazy tricks and wasn't entirely sure what happened AND I thought it felt like a water park instead of the ocean . . . . . . . . When I got in the water, I entered at PB Drive in the surfing section and a lifeguard truck was nearby. I'm pretty sure they said something over their loudspeaker about me getting in somewhere else. Oh well. I paddled out and caught some waves. Later on, after absolutely shredding for over an hour, the truck was back while I was around Banana Bungalow and they asked me to move back into the surfing section. Haha . . . . . . . . It was a very warm day in San Diego, so there were lots of people at the beach. In fact, I ran over a surfer and a bodyboarder. During the ride I described earlier where I caught a tasty left and flew off the ski doo's swell, I also ran over a surfer on the same wave. Now that was an insane ride like I've never had before! It was a pretty fun obstacle course out there with all kinds of people - young and old - boys and girls, with and without boards . . . . . . . . During one long left, I tossed a 360 spin and kept riding. The wave was pretty deep, but still about to end and be total whitewash, so I flipped one more 360 and let the whitewash overtake me. I don't have a name for that trick yet, but I imagine it must look like the whitewash from the wave ate me up. In a sense it did, but it was planned because the wave was done . . . . . . . . I stopped by the lifeguard tower on my way home and said hi to one of the lifeguards. He was very nice and thanked me for complying with them and I said no problem, but I wasn't sure what he was talking about. I thought he may have been speaking facetiously or perhaps he was just being nice or something. He obviously remembered me, which surprised me . . . . . . . . I had anticipated the current taking me through Crystal Pier, but it didn't. It was weaker than I thought and I decided to get out a few times and walk back to my starting point . . . . . . . . The wave angle was awfully steep today. The wind wasn't too bad and the waves weren't breaking very quickly. This was cool because they stayed open for a long time, providing some longer rides. However, they were also a little more difficult to catch at times. I was up for paddling hard and leaving it in the water, so to speak, so it was all good. Can't wait for tomorrow! . . . . . . . . The tide was on the high side, which made for some large inside waves with a lot of water. There were big outside waves that were fun to wait for and catch and there was often a nice corner. However, I also had fun on the inside waves . . . . . . . . I trunked it for the entire session and stayed warm enough until the end. When I got out, I was tired and hungry and cold. I didn't eat anything beforehand and the wind and the lack of energy were taking their toll. Nonetheless, it was a session I'll never forget. A truly epic session for lots of reasons from the surf to the new things that happened to the reactions of the onlookers who saw my tricks and energy. Great fun!), 1 hour, 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 28, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Lahaina Beach House at 3pm with fair form. There was a little wind chop and bump, but it could have been worse. Most of the waves were on the small side, but some larger sets rolled through every so often. I caught some nice rights and lefts and tossed some 360 spins. It was a very good session, even though I was recovering from some ailments . . . . . . . . There was record heat in San Diego, today. Four cities in SD county broke records. It was 91 degrees in the city of San Diego, measured at the airport, and that was a record as well. Lots of extra people were at the beach today and it looked just like a weekend day!), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 27, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:10:01 PST

I rested one more day because my back was still sore and I had a cold or sinus infection.

August 26, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:10:01 PST

I rested because I had some back soreness and sinus pain. While I was playing in the water after yesterday's session, the current pushed me into a rock and it hit the bone in my lower middle back and bruised it. My massage today helped, but it isn't 100% yet.

August 25, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (4-6 ft., occ. 7-12 ft. at Trestles with good form at 1pm. This was an epic session. I took a limo to Trestles because the South swell was hitting it best and not San Diego's beaches. Sure enough, the surf was off the hook. I caught giant waves ranging from 6-12 feet! I think I caught the largest wave I've ever caught at 12 feet. I flipped a number of 360 spins on them, too. In fact, on one wave, I was cutting right and flipped a 360, then cut back left and flipped a 720. Sweet . . . . . . . . I entered the water around Lower Trestles and caught waves there and about 100 yards north and south of that point. The hour long session felt much longer because the giant surf required much more energy. However, there were nice intervals between the huge sets, so I simply waited until the waves died down, then I paddled as quickly as possible to make it out without getting worked. The wave angle was not very steep and there was a lot of water behind these waves. Listen to my audio file for a report from Trestles . . . . . . . . While duck diving under one wave, my right upper rear tooth started hurting. I thought I may have a cavity. However, I later realized that it was a sinus problem. So much water had crept into my sinus cavity it wasn't draining! I experienced some pain and discomfort and my right nostril drained all night long! I've had water come out of my nose before, but never like this!), 30 minutes of walking to Trestles

August 24, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. just north of Crystal Pier at medium tide at 3pm with fair form with Derek. This was a good session because the waves were big! I flipped a number of 360s and enjoyed a challenging session.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7 ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at 7pm and very low tide. This was a funky session because it was huge shorebreak! I was catching 6-7' waves in knee deep water! I got thrown a few times and it was wild. One time it was like a cartoon because I saw the inside of the wave and my board fly in front of me. I got tubed really well a couple of times. In fact, one time I did a rollo in a tube and it was the most gentle roll I had ever done. Another time, I let out a yell as I was getting tubed and flung and it was all instinctual . . . . . . . . On one large left, I was tubed and thrown under water only to ride over a surfer. I don't know if I hit his back or his board, but I ran over one or the other underwater. After I came up for air and started to paddle to deeper water, he yelled at me and told me to watch out where I was dropping in. I was blown away that he was upset because I was tossed by a giant wave and thrown underwater and happened to run over him. I couldn't have done that again if I tried! However, he was trying to get to deeper water and I think he was just frustrated in general. It wasn't a good time to surf because it was so shallow, but I was getting away with it with my bodyboard. Anyhow, I gave him a weak apology and shook my head. Since he was in the swimming and bodyboarding section, I also had to tell him that it gets kinda wild in the swimming section sometimes. Heh.)

August 23, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour, 45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. from PB Drive through the pier. Today's report is on audio file - http://sdbodyboarding.com/8-23-09.m4a), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 22, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3 ft, very occ. 5-6+ ft. from Lahaina Beach House to almost Emerald. Today's report is on audio file - http://sdbodyboarding.com/8-22-09.m4a), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 21, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

45 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair+ form at 7:15pm. This would have been a sunset session, but it was all clouded over. The wind died down a lot and we had a glass off. Most of the waves were on the small side, but every so often a much bigger set would roll through. These bigger waves were lost of fun and I was going off. I spun lots of 360s and had some fun as I talked to a couple people catching waves.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 20, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3+ ft. at very low tide at Diamond St. with fair form. These waves were small, yet not too bad. There were times when it looked like a lake - with a little wind chop, of course - then a little set would roll through. I flipped plenty of 360s, but only one per wave. This was one of those sessions where you could stand, turn and take a wave because the water was so shallow.), 1 hour and 30 minutes of dancing at the Green Day concert

August 19, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour of coaching soccer, 1 hour and 30 minutes of dancing at The Cult concert

August 18, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft., very occ. 5+ ft. at Diamond St. with good fair+ form at 6pm. This was a very spirited session. I flew to the beach on my bike, so I could have a session before my music lesson. There was some shorebreak and once in awhile it would break outside. I did my best to catch all kinds of fun inside waves, then haul ass to the outside waves when the arrived and catch them too. There were lefts and rights and 360 spins. In fact, a once or twice I did some sort of trick maneauver and wasn't quite sure exactly what happened. Some surfers and some beachgoers seemed mildly impressed . . . . . . . . There has been some extra seaweed in the water, lately. Not sure why. The largest waves we received were very inconsistent. This leads me to believe they could be from a far away source like that hurricane that's approaching Hawaii. Some may say we missed the window for it, but I think some is coming through in PB.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 17, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at 5pm. This session had some good lefts and rights. There was a little wind chop - a condition between the two sessions from yesterday - not as bad as the first one, but not as good as the second one. I flipped some 360s and did it up.)

August 16, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Lahaina Beach House at medium/high tide at 1pm with some bump and chop from the wind. This surf was kinda crazy because it was really bumpy. It wasn't as easy as usual to paddle out because of the chop and the quick intervals. I met a friend named Justin who I caught waves with, today. He had some questions about different maneuvers, so I showed him. I flipped some 360 spins, duck dived under waves and paddled my butt back out with vigor. Justin was a tall dude on a cheap Morey board, so I loaned him my Custom X board made from polypropelene and it floated him a lot better. I was able to flip a couple 360s on his Morey board, but it was really slick on top and my body wanted to scoot right off. He was complaining of this problem back when I met him at the Be Curious coffee house. I told him that some wax could help or he could scuff the surface wih his fingernails. I also showed him how my ribs were created for bodyboarding . . . . . . . . 60 minutes on my beach cruiser, 45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at medium tide at 7:15pm with good conditions at Diamond St. This session was cool cuz it was near glassy! Yep, the wind had died and the water felt warmer. It was really nice. The sunset was cool, but nothing spectacular today. The waves were good, although some were rolly. There were some pretty consistent corners, so I took lots of fun lefts and rights. The waves were on the small side for the most part, but sometimes a bigger set rolled through. In fact, they were close to 6' tall, so I was wondering if we might be getting a little swell from that hurricane that's in the ocean and way southwest of us. The forecasters have said it should only hit south facing beaches, but this southwest facing beach may have gotten a bit of a charge from that power source.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 15, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Diamond St. at medium tide at 3:45pm. I trunked it for this session and didn't feel very cold, but the wind always makes me a little cold when I get out. Don't get me wrong. The water is cold - as it always is - but getting hot from the sun and exercising hard in the water keeps me as warm as possible . . . . . . . . I caught some good rights and lefts. It was on the small side, but every so often a bigger set rolled through. Some of the waves were walling up, but there were some decent corners out there. Flipped some 360s.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. at medium tide at 3:30pm with fair form. This was a good session because I caught some great waves. It was a bit on the cold side, though. I trunked it and was pretty cold when I got out of the water. The sun helped warm me, though . . . . . . . . I noticed some people in the water watching me do 360 spins and cut around on the waves. One kid asked me how to do a spin and I explained it to him. I really don't mind answering questions like that, but I'm surprised at how often people ask me.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 13, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at 2:30pm. The waves looked small at first, but every so often bigger waves rolled through. Derek and I flipped some 360 spins and had a good session. The current moved us north a bit, but it wasn't too bad.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour, 15 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. at 4pm with fair form. This session was similar to the last one. The waves were on the small side, but the larger ones provided very nice rides. There were some lengthy lefts and rights out there. I traded Derek boards for a few minutes, so he rode my Custom X board and I rode his Mach 7-7 board. Good to see something from another perspective, but I think I need a shorter board at some point. Both of ours are 42" and if I had one that was about 40", I think I'd be able to do some more tricks and my spins a bit better . . . . . . . . After I did one 360 spin, I tried to stay tucked for a second one and I faceplanted into the water. It must have looked pretty gnarly because a kid with his board looked at me and his mouth dropped open while he said, "Oh my god!" Kinda fun when the other people in the water stare in amazement at the tricks I pull . . . . . . . . On one wave, I was cutting toward a girl who started screaming in horror, I didn't hit her, then flipped a 360 and started laughing and laughing. I told her what I tell all people I don't hit...that I don't apologize unless I hit someone. Heh. It was pretty funny . . . . . . . . Some yahoo was out there flailing his arms back and forth. Apparently, he was trying to bodysurf a wave by moving his arms really fast. He looked like a fool and unfortunately he hit me in the shoulder while doing his bird dance. I was pretty pissed because dumb luck would have it that he hit me hard, like a closed fist hit. Nonetheless, I knew it was an accident and that he was a moron, so I didn't yell at him or anything . . . . . . . . It was encouraging to catch waves with Derek. In fact, it gave me a renewed passion for my sport. If you look at the past week's entries, they were becoming routine and mundane because I wasn't really appreciating everything and because I wasn't really thinking about the cool, fun or interesting things that were happening in the water. I think I'm more in touch with those things now and I'm excited about hitting the surf, again.)

August 12, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour of soccer practice (coaching U7 girls)........My backpack was stolen with lots of valuables in it on August 7, 2009 from Diamond St. I was in the water at sunset and someone ripped it off - no joke. So, I think God is finally smiling on me through a major surf report site (name withheld). They're forecasts have been keeping people out of the water this week and I appreciate it. But I wish I could have went in today. I hope it holds for tomorrow because I'm meeting Derek for another session in the afternoon.

August 11, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. from Emerald to Diamond St. at low/medium tide with light wind and fair conditions. The waves looked good today, but not too many curling up. Most of them were in the 2-4 ft. range, but every so often a 5-6 foot set would roll in - sort of a sneaker set that you had to be ready for........Derek joined me for the session and we caught plenty of lefts and rights. I saw him do a fat barrel roll on a tasty left. He said he hadn't been in awhile, but he did plenty fine. In fact, if he keeps tearing it up like that we might have to carve out a special spot for him at sdbodyboarding.com (which is a site that I'm going to give a big facelift to in September, 2009.)........I lost a fin at one point. It wasn't my most gratifying moments. I stepped on the ocean floor and I must have done it right over the holes and flat down because it created a suction and as soon as I lifted my foot up, I found the fin was stuck on the bottom of the ocean and my foot was not in it. Nonetheless, after about 5 minutes of looking, it turned up.)

August 10, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

30 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at medium tide at 3pm. I wish this session could have been longer because it was a good one. There were some nice rights and lefts. Plus, I flipped a number of 360 spins. It was a little overcast, but I was able to trunk it and stayed warm enough.)

August 9, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 9 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. from Emerald past Diamond St. because of the tide with fair form at low tide at 5pm. The waves were breaking very nicely in this session and I caught lots of them. I spun plenty of 360s and got tubed. Gnarly, bra! My friend Randy caught some waves with me today. I met him last night after his session), 60 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 8, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 8 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

I rested and opted to search for the thief who stole my backpack while I was at the beach from around 7-9pm.

August 7, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 7 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Diamond St. at 7:15pm with fair form.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 6, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 6 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. at 7:15pm with fair form.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 5, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 5 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at low/medium tide at Diamond St. with fair form at 3:15pm. This was a fun session because it was warm outside and the waves were nice. Some were walling up, but some had nice size and longer rides. I flipped a number of 360 spins and one time I tried a quick 720, but did one 360 and a faceplant. I saw a bunch of people in the water checking out my chops. A few times I sped through and in between people, barely missing them. On one wave, I was going backwards on my board and cutting left and ran into a bodysurfer. Actually, I bumped him and straightened out and we both took the wave for a very long time. I apologize to him afterwards and he didn't mind . . . . . . . . Something new happened today. A female sunbather was soaking in the rays without any top. At first glance, I was pretty surprised and almost thought it was a guy. One of my friends commented, so I suggested that maybe she was from another country where that is more common. A lifeguard eventually approached her and asked her to put her top back on. Something new every day!), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 4, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 4 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 3, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 3 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

15 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at 3:30pm. This was a very short session, but not bad. The waves were much bigger than the report said because of a wind swell. The wind was very strong, producing some chop.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. and a block South with fair form at 7:45pm. This was an amazingly beautiful session. The sunset was a cool mixture of reds, oranges and yellows. There were puffy clouds of gray and white. Plus, there was a full moon rise over the mountain in the southeast. When I was paddling out and waiting for waves, I took in the sunset and the cool clouds and when I was catching a wave, I checked out the moonrise . . . . . . . . I had planned to catch waves until past dark this session and I did. I think this was the latest I've caught waves, except for the one time I deliberately went with David Piester at night. When it became dark, I moved South a bit because there is a light that shines on the beach and water and it helped me see the waves a bit. However, it only gave good light on the inside waves and the outside ones were difficult to see. The texture is hard to see and that means the angle and the time when it will break becomes harder or impossible to ascertain. Eventually, it became wise to exit the water, but I had caught lots of fun waves beforehand! I flipped many 360s and had an awesome sunset session. Plus, the wind was much calmer than earlier.)

August 2, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 2 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. near Emerald St. in Pacific Beach at 5:15pm with fair form. This was a good session and somewhat like the past two days. There were small scale waves, but bigger ones every so often that provided some lengthy rides. However, I had to be discerning to find the best rides (as usual). I flipped lots of 360s and a couple on one wave. I also got tubed once or twice.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

August 1, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 1 Aug 2009 21:10:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at low tide near Emerald St. in Pacific Beach with fair form. This was a good session, although there was a little bump from the wind. Some waves just rolled and others were too small to catch, but larger waves rolled through every so often. Some walled up, but there were also some good corners. Plus, some of the 3 footers provided lengthy lefts and some rights where I was able to flip 360s. I flipped a 720 on one left.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 31, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:30:01 PST

July 2009 Surf Total: 39 hours . . . . . July 2009 Other Exercise Total: 22 hours . . . . . July 2009 Grand Total: 61 hours

July 31, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

30 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at 7:15pm at Pacific Beach Drive with fair+ form at low tide. This was a good session, but not that long. There were some small waves, but every once in awhile larger ones rolled through. They were peak, which provided some nice lefts and rights. I tossed some 360s and a 720 spin . . . . . . . . While I was riding my bike down the boardwalk to my surf spot, I saw one of my friends on the beach with a football. He gestured like he was going to throw it to me and I laughed and declined his kind offer. However, he threw it to me anyway and somehow I was able to ride my bike with my left hand and catch the ball. I found the laces, pump faked, then threw it to the guy he was playing catch with. Boom, perfect strike. Good mojo.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour of soccer training, 1 hour and 30 minutes of dancing at The Wailers concert at the Anaheim House of Blues

July 29, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair+ form at 6pm with medium tide. There were some lengthy rides in this session. Lots of fun rights and lefts. Plus, I flipped the most 360 spins ever on one wave! I got a little dizzy and nearly lost track, but I flipped four and a half 360 spins on one wave! It was insanity. I was riding a lengthy left and I kept flipping them and flipping them and flipping them! When I ride a wave that stays open for awhile, I'm always looking to see the best time to flip a 360. It's difficult to articulate this because it relies on visual cues, but there are times when I could flip a 360 and it would end my ride because of bad timing. For instance, when a wave is too angled and slow, it's unwise to attempt a 360 because it won't have enough power to keep pushing me along. Plus, if the wave is about to break and turn into whitewash, there are times when I want to avoid a 360 spin in favor of riding the wave longer and to another section of the wave where it isn't breaking, yet. At those times, I balance on the middle of the board, lean into the wave and push down the corner of the board to go faster. However, there are those times when the wave is at a good angle and not about to break where I can flip a 360 and keep riding. This is what happened today four times! Quite unique and exciting....then I tried a fifth flip and the wave was ending in whitewash and I was only able to pull a 180 out of it. Nonetheless, I was stoked and several onlookers seemed to be pleased as well . . . . . . . . Shortly after the four and a half spins, the lifeguard truck came by and asked me to move out of the surfing section. I was taken back and gave him the PB wave because I've had many different lifeguards tell me I could catch waves in the surfing section - as could anyone else - if they were a good swimmer with fins and a bodyboard. I actually felt like this guy wanted me to give the poor surfers a break and let them catch some waves, but I was being very fair to them and didn't drop in on any of them. In fact, I was sitting a little bit inside and taking tons of waves and they were mostly missing them, ignoring them or picking their noses or something. At any rate, I was catching waves right in front of the flag and about 25 yards on each side of it the whole time and besides that warning, they left me alone. In the name of full disclosure, they also said something to the surfers about staying out of the bodyboarding section - which I hear them say about 4 or 5 times every session I'm near a flag.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 28, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at medium tide at 7:15pm. This was a decent session, but it was a tiny bit depressing after such a huge weekend of surf. The larger waves were infrequent and when they came in, they were walling up a bit. Nonetheless, there were some small and medium sized corners out there and I caught quite a few of them. I flipped 360s and once or twice two of them on the same wave. I also got tubed a bit, but the surf wasn't tubing really well . . . . . . . . There were a few four or five surfers where I was catching waves. One became a little talkative and asked me if I believed in God. I don't know if anyone has ever asked me that out there, but I said yes and he said it would be hard not to out there in the ocean.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 27, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

I rested.

July 26, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-8 ft. from PB Drive to Grand Ave. in Pacific Beach with fair form at Noon. There was a little bump on the water for this session. The waves were still very big, but not monster sized like yesterday. My friend took lots of pictures and videos of me catching waves. I'll check them out and post a link here to the good ones. I caught lots of waves, but mostly lefts and I flipped a number of 360s. However, I was a little disappointed that the waves had dropped off so much since yesterday. The current wasn't nearly as strong as yesterday, but it eventually moved me down the beach about a mile, forcing me to get out and walk back a couple of times.), 1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-7+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at 6:30pm. This was a good session, but felt anticlimactic after yesterday's monster waves. The surf is definitely in decline, but there were some big sets that rolled through every so often. I flipped some 360s and made the most of it. I also got tubed in a 180 spin a couple of times.)

July 25, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

2 hours (2-4 ft., occ. 6-10 ft. from Lahaina Beach House past Law St. in Pacific Beach with fair form at 11:30am. This was probably the most amazing session ever. You can read all about it here: http://mylifebeach.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-25-2009-epic-surf-in-pacific-beach.html), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser, 45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 6-11 ft. at Ponto in Carlsbad with fair form at 6:45pm. I went to Carlsbad to visit some friends and I chose Ponto Beach because of Mackey's recommendation. It turned out to be an excellent break and the waves were huge. It was a little difficult to get out and I only caught two or three waves in my session. Some where closing out and it was a little crowded. Plus, these waves were giant! The one meaty left I took was awesome and I wish I would have had the guts to do a spin on it, but I simply held on for dear life. I'll admit that I was actually a little scared with this surf and on this wave. There may have even been some 12 footers in the mix.)

July 24, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-9 ft. at medium tide from Law St. in Pacific Beach almost to Tourmaline with fair form. These waves were very large! In fact, I may have caught the largest wave I've ever caught. Strangely, it wasn't unnerving. One thing that made the giant surf more friendly was the long intervals between sets. It was either flat or small waves rolled in for a few minutes at a time. During this time, it was easy to paddle out. In the past, I recall large scale surf and not being able to paddle out as easily . . . . . . . . I caught some very large lefts and rights and I also flipped a number of 360 spins. Some of the sets walled up, but there was probably a good corner or two in every set. The only annoying thing was the current. It was extremely fast and moved me north in a hurry. This caused me to take a couple of waves, then get out of the water and walk back to where I began. One time, the current took me from Tower 28 to Tower 27 in about 5 minutes!), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 23, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

15 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. at Ocean Beach at 5:30pm with fair form. This was a bad session. Well, not all bad. I did shoot the pier twice. The first time I was barely pushed through the pier - maybe 20 ft. past it. The second time was cool because I shot the pier, then was able to flip two 360 spins! I had never done that before. Now the bad news. These waves were 2' smaller than yesterday in PB! Plus, the surf was supposed to be even bigger today! It made me recall something from the Surfline.com forecast web page. It said local knowledge is key for this swell. We're getting a South swell, so it isn't hitting all beaches equally. When you stand on the beach parallel to the water and look straight out into the ocean, notice where the sun is located after 4 or 5pm and you can figure out which way the beach faces. If the sun is directly in front of you, then you're at a West facing beach. If the sun is way off to your left, then you're at a NW facing beach - like OB. If the sun is way off to your right, then you're at a SW facing beach. Easy enough. I knew this, but I didn't realize it was going to make OB miss this swell) . . . . . . . . 1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7+ ft. from Diamond St. to Law St. because of the current with fair+ form at medium tide at 6:20pm. This was a great session and I'm really glad I left OB and returned to PB! The waves were so much bigger here! I caught lots of lengthy lefts and rights. There was a little bump in the water, which ruined a few waves, but I was still able to find some great corners and take some long rides. I also flipped a number of 360 spins. I almost pulled off three 360 spins in one wae, but the last one was only a 180. Quick, someone do the math! . . . . . . . . There were lots of surfers and bodyboarders out there today and they were kind of clumped together. I entered the water at Diamond St., where surfers prevailed, then the current took me all the way to Law St. where there were tons of bodyboarders and some swimmers catching giant waves. Past law was another surfing section and then Tourmaline where there were a ton more surfers . . . . . . . . I can't wait for the gaint surf tomorrow! It is supposed to peak either Friday or Saturday. Sometimes, when a giant swell comes in, I consider going to another beach to make it epic, but I'm staying put this time! I learned my lesson today and I'm overjoyed with the waves at PB. I wouldn't be surprised if I caught waves for 4 or 5 hours tomorrow. Hell, I'm doing a barter with a massage therapist now and I had a 90 minute deep tissue massage today! It was amazing and I have another one scheduled for next week, so even if I get lazy and don't stretch enough, she'll take care of me. Game on!), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 60 minutes of dancing at the Jars of Clay concert

July 22, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at 3pm. Surf's up! The anticipated surf has arrived and it was a good session. I flipped lots of 360s and had a blast. A couple different people asked me how to flip 360s, so I told them my story. When I first started trying them, I'd stick my hand in the water as a rudder and I'd throw my body weight and lean that direction and it would spin me around. I read about this somewhere and tried it and it worked. However, after awhile, I found that I no longer needed to stick my hand in the water and all I had to do was shift my body weight toward the middle of the board, lift my feet out of the water while leaning and throwing my body weight the direction I want to spin . . . . . . . . The surf may reach heights of 9-10' this weekend! Bring it on, baby!), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 21, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 20, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6 ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at medium tide between 4 and 6pm. There were lots of good waves in this session and something new happened! I flipped two 360s on one wave, but in different directions! One was clockwise and the other was counterclockwise! The quick spins didn't stop me from riding the wave, too. Epic . . . . . . . . I saw two dolphins about 30 yards away from me. One jumped fully out of the water! The swam around for a few minutes, then headed north.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour, 15 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6 ft. at Diamond St. at 7:10pm with fair form at high tide. This was a crowded session, as lots of surfers were in the water. Many of these surfers were actually taking waves, too. It didn't bother me too much and I know I can always go about 50-100 yards south and catch waves by myself in the swimming/bodyboarding section. Nonetheless, I flipped a number of 360 spins and got tubed after a 180, then pulled out of it . . . . . . . . Something that never happened to me also happened in this session. I was taking a lengthy ride right while a surfer with a huge board was taking a lengthy ride left. Well, we eventually met and he went over me and I went under him! I think his board was only a few inches from my head! It was quite a rush and I couldn't help but laugh and befriend him when the ride ended. He was nice as well and I told him we both had the right of way. Thank God it didn't hit me cuz that woulda hurt.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 19, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Imperial Beach at medium to high to very high tide, starting at 4pm with fair+ form. I broke this session into two sessions, one of 30 minutes and one of an hour. The 30 minute session was without my wet suit, but I got really cold and put it on for the remaining hour. I also wore my gloves and boots. I had never been at this beach before, but it was good. I went to IB, North of the pier and in between two jetties. I was toward the South jetti and found lots of nice rides. I flipped lots of 360s and even two on one waves. I caught one really nice right that stayed open for a long time, then I did a spin toward the end. Lots of fun.), 30 minutes of walking in IB

July 18, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

30 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3+ ft. at La Jolla Shores with fair form at medium tide at 4pm. These waves were tiny, so this wasn't much of a session. I flipped some 360s, but that was the end of each wave. I caught most waves my standing there, turning around and jumping on my board. I didn't even get my hair wet until I ducked under a wave by choice. I had a good attitude, so it didn't matter too much, but it wasn't an epic session by any stretch of the imagination. I didn't wear my wet suit and I was freezing cold after 30 minutes.)

July 17, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at medium/high tide at 5pm. The first 20 minutes of this session weren't too good and the waves seemed very small. I was catching inside waves and flipping some 360s, only to find myself in ankle deep water afterwards. However, I moved down a bit and caught some larger waves for the rest of the session. It seemed that some larger waves were coming in every so often. I think this inconsistent swell was due to Hurricane Carlos that is far south of San Diego. Surfline's report said it should miss most of San Diego. I think these rogue waves were making it through from that storm . . . . . . . . I wore my 4/3 full wet suit because the water was awfully cold. I had a conversation with another kid who was surfing and he was shivering and freezing cold. I'm very happy I wore my wet suit!), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour of dancing at Winston's

July 16, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

45 minutes of indoor soccer

July 15, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

2 hours, 30 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. and occ. 5 ft. in the last 45 minutes at Diamond St., beginning at 5pm and ending at 8pm with fair form. This session was broken up into three parts - 1 hour, 45 minutes and 45 minutes. There was small scale surf for the first two and the larger sets were few and far between. A few larger sets rolled in toward the sunset. Some waves provided short rides and others walled up. However, there were a few decent lefts and rights where I was able to flip some 360s. In most cases, the wave was so small/weak that the 360 ended the ride. I was able to toss a 720 spin once or twice and I got tubed a few times. Once again, I was tubed after a 180 and pulled out of it to finish the 360. I still need a name for that maneuver . . . . . . . . This was a long and grueling session. In order to get up for the last hour, I listened to some music and took a caffeine pill. It certainly did the trick as I attacked the final 45 minutes like it were my first 45 minutes; actually, it was probably a more enthusiastic session than the first one. The water felt 2-3 degrees warmer today than yesterday. I wore my full wet suit for all sessions, but I may have been able to get away without it. I'm not entirely sure, though.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. at Diamond St. with medium tide at 2:15pm with fair form. This was an ok session because I was able to analyze the waves closely and find some nice rides. However, it wasn't easy because of the small size. Nonetheless, I did flip a 720 and 1080 spin on two different waves! The spins were done with some pausing in between, but I was surprised to be able to flip so many with such small surf! . . . . . . . . The sun and air temperature was nice and probably around 74-76 degrees. However, the water temperature was very cold. It felt like 60, but was probably 62-64. I only lasted 45 minutes and my hands were freezing for the next hour or two! I may need to wear my full wet suit even during the day sessions. I hope it warms up soon, so I can keep trunkin' it.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 13, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. with low/medium tide at 7pm with fair+ form. These waves were on the small side, but there were lots of lefts and rights. Every so often, a 4-5 ft. wave or set would roll in. I flipped some 360s and got tubed a couple of times. There is nothing like looking down the barrel of a tube! Again, I approached this session like a man possessed. One of my friends parked his car illegally, so he could take a quick look at the surf from the top of Diamond St. I told him I didn't even look because I need this session so badly. I'm finding this form of exercise to be a great release for me, not only physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It's a fantastic reset button and allows me time to wear myself out while pondering whatever I want to think about. It's quite a beautiful place to be, too! . . . . . . . . I noticed that I caught the interest of a few girls and guys. I wonder if they think I'm a talented surfer or a psychopath. Haha. Either way, I don't really care.)

July 12, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4+' at Diamond St. with medium tide at 2:45pm. This session was fun because it was warm and sunny outside with lots of people in the water and on the beach. In fact, I saw at least one boy that I saw yesterday and he was catching waves. I caught nice lefts and rights and flipped plenty of 360s. Great fun and exercise. I trunked it, but got a bit cold toward the end - especially my hands.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour, 15 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. with low tide and good form at 7pm. This session was really tight. The waves were picking up a bit and I was going off. I flipped another 1080 spin - well, three 360 spins on one wave. I also got tubed a few times where I was spinning and I stalled for a couple of seconds inside the tube, then got out. One time, I got tubed up in a way where it spun me as I looked directly down the tube and I wiped out! It made me think that I either need to discover the names of these tricks or I need to invent the names . . . . . . . . I saw Rob and Jacob in the water and they were surfing. One surfer had the chance to drop in on me while I was about to jump on a beautiful left and he refrained. I thanked him and he was cool about it.), 1 hour on my beach cruiser

July 11, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-5 ft. at Diamond St. with fair+ form at medium tide at 3:30pm. This was a fun session because it was sunny and warm and I was able to trunk it. However, my hands were freezing cold by the time I got out of the water. I thought I was in for about an hour, but when I got out and checked it was just over 45 minutes. Nonetheless, I took some fun lefts and rights and spun lots of 360s. There were quite a few people in and out of the water. I also saw a dolphin, but only for a few seconds. It was about 30 yards away from me while I was in the water.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 30 minutes of walking, 1 hour, 30 minutes of dancing at the Duran Duran concert at the OC Fair/Universal Ampitheater

July 10, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. at N. La Jolla Shores at 12:15pm with good form at medium tide. I forgot how close to the shore the waves break here! I was catching waves in water I could stand in and when the ride was over, I was in knee to ankle deep water! Nonetheless, I caught some fun lefts and rights and flipped lots of 360s. There were lots and lots of kids in the water, so it was like an obstacle course. I was able to avoid all of them except for one big kid. When I flipped a 360, my foot came around and got him in the face. I apologized and felt bad, but he paddled back out and caught more waves, so it couldn't have hurt him that badly. I was able to trunk it for this session.), 1 hour, 15 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with good form at medium tide. I was like a man possessed for this session. There were a number of surfers in the water, but none of them got in my way. Sure, I yielded right of way to one or two of them because they had it and that's how it works out there, but the rest took waves the opposite way or spent most of the time sitting on their board. Thank you very much . . . . . . . . I was surprised to see the nearly 6' sets roll in from time to time! This truly is an excellent break. Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone. I was thrilled to flip my first 1080 spin!!! Well, to be totally accurate, it was three 360s on one wave. These waves were staying open for a long time, making them quite fun and a little challenging. On one long left, I kept flipping 360s and managed to get three in before the wave ended. I was pumped afterwards and let out a yell while smacking the water. I probably should have exited then, but I paddled back out for a few more waves. Great, great session. Wore my full 4/3 wet suit and was comfy and warm.)

July 9, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 9 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (1-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at 2pm. This was a fun session and the waves were great. Very nice 4-5 ft. sets would roll through every few minutes, providing nice rides. I took lots of lefts and rights, flipped plenty of 360s and had great fun in the sun. I got tubed up really well one time. No problems with my back muscles, but this was a more laid back session because of the longer intervals.)

July 8, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair- form at medium tide at 7pm. There were lots of people in the water for this session, many of them longboarders. The waves were breaking like Tourmaline - slow and rolly. I had to paddle my ass off to catch some of them and many people just sat on their board or got out of the water in frustration. I still managed to flip plenty of 360s and I'm working on my 720 spins . . . . . . . . My back felt great and there was no popping or problems. I got a 1 hour deep tissue massage earlier today, so that's probably why!)

July 7, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 7 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Diamond St. with medium tide and fair form at 3pm. This was a good session and I caught plenty of lefts and rights and flipped 360s all over the place. After I flipped one spin and cut in between two bodyboarders, I heard a dude say it was a wicked maneuver . . . . . . . . I broke this hour session into two 30 minute sessions because my upper rear, left back was hurting a bit. I'm looking forward to my massage, tomorrow!), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at 7:15pm at Diamond St. with fair form at medium tide. The wind totally died for this session, which made many of the waves roll! It was unusual to have such little wind and I had to paddle very hard to catch some of these waves because they were so rolly. They were breaking here the same way the normally break at Tourmaline. At any rate, I caught one right and took it for awhile and when I saw it closing out up ahead, I did a counterclockwise 720 spin! I had never done a move like this and I was still able to continue on the wave after it! When I finally got off, I had to think for a few seconds about what I actually did. This isn't the first time I've tried to wrap my head around some crazy maneuver I did. Heh. Some people on the beach saw it and were excited. Good times. My back didn't give me any trouble in this session, but it did feel a bit tired after I was finished.)

July 6, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 6 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-7 ft. at medium/high tide between Lahaina Beach Houes and Banana Bungalow with fair form at 2:30pm. This was a good session with some fun rights and lefts and 360 spins. The waves were nice and big today! Unfortunately, after about 30 mninutes, my back chased me and I had to rest to get in 15 more minutes. I found myself trying to rely on kicking and paddling with my right arm, not to mention walking out and swimming as far as I could to reach the oncoming waves. Not a bad strategy, but I hope my back gets well soon, so I can paddle quickly again. I got a quick massage and I'm icing it now, but I may end up getting an hour long massage on Tuesday or Wednesday. If I had been stretching, I don't think this would have happened . . . . . . . . The lifeguard ink board on the Grand Ave. station said it was 60 degrees today, which is 2 degrees warmer than yesterday. I couldn't really tell, though. It seemed pretty dang cold and I wore no gloves for 30 minutes and then I put them on for my last 15 minutes.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 5, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 5 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-6+ ft. at Diamond St. at medium/high tide at 6pm with fair+ form. There were some very nice, long rides today. The waves stayed open for me long enough to cut around and flip 360 spins. Several of the regulars were out there like Left, Birdman and Jacob. One guy dropped in on me and I yelled, so he ended up apologizing afterwards. I told him it happens and that it was no big deal . . . . . . . . I broke this session into two parts. The first was an hour long, then I took a 15 minutes break and caught waves for 30 more minutes. Towards the very end, I started feeling a popping in my left upper back. When I paddled with my right arm, it popped and hurt a bit. I don't know if it was a ligament or tendon problem, but I really hope it goes away. I was able to catch another wave or two, but it forced me out of the water a little early. I'm going to ice it and possibly take some anti-inflammatory medicine and get a massage . . . . . . . . While I was in the water, I witnessed the full moon rising! It was surreal. It came from the Southest and slowly came up over the hill and pier area from my Diamond St. viewpoint. Not only was this awesome, but the sunset was amazing. There were some large clouds toward the horizon, but the sun poked through them right before setting. However, there was also a tiny line of clouds going through the sun that cut it into two sections! Due to something like light reflections/refractions maybe, the two parts didn't look like a good/complete circle. It is obviously hard to describe, but it was cool and unique and I happened to take a video of it - which is now on YouTube.), 1 hour on my beach cruiser

July 4, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 4 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Lahaina Beach House at medium tide at 5pm with fair form. This was a fun session because there were lots of good waves and I flipped lots of 360s. The water was very cold, so not many people were in it, although some were. I wore my 4/3 full suit and gloves, again . . . . . . . . I did some research and found the water was 58 degrees due to a phenomenon called upwelling. In short, this swell has brought us some very cold water. Surfline.com has a good article on the topic.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 3, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 3 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. with fair+ form at medium/high tide at 4:30pm. I had to be picky, but I found lots of good corners today. Nice long lefts and rights and plenty of 360 spins. Many times, I'd take the wave for a long time and flip it at the end. Or I'd flip it once and ride then a second time. I also did some reverse flips where I would be taking the wave one way, left, for instance, and I'd flip the 360 back to the right. I suppose you could call this a reverse 360 spin. I think I began doing those out of necessity because sometimes the wave is breaking ahead of me, but actually staying open a bit longer behind me.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser, 30 minutes on my beach cruiser to the bay and back, too

July 2, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:55:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Diamond St. with medium tide at 1:30pm with some light wind bump. The waves were nearly as big as yesterday, which was great. However, like before, I had to wait a few minutes for the bigger sets to roll in. I sometimes became impatient and caught the inside waves. Nonetheless, it was a fun session and I flipped some 360 spins. The water was ice cold! I wore my 4/3 wet suit and gloves.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

July 1, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 1 Jul 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour, 15 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Crystal Pier with medium tide and fair form. The waves were a good deal smaller than yesterday, but still fairly big. There was some decent wind and bump when I went at 6pm. I spent about half of my session on the north side of Crystal Pier, then a surfer made a comment to me about going to the other side of the pier to catch waves. I reassured him I could catch waves anywhere I damn well pleased, then I swam through the pier and shot the pier twice. I also caught a few waves into the pier! Crystal Pier is designed in way where the 50 yard section by the beach is low and a little dark and I caught a few waves into this section. I don't think I could have stood on a board because the beams were so low, but on my stomach on my bodyboard, I was able to safely make it. I didn't run into the pier at all, but I came very close. I flipped several 360 spins, but some waves were a little on the weak side, so they didn't continue to propel me as good as yesterday.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

June 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:30:01 PST

June 2009 Surf Total: 35 hours, 45 minutes . . . . . June 2009 Other Exercise Total: 17 hours . . . . . June 2009 Grand Total: 52 hours, 45 minutes

June 30, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7+ ft. at medium tide at Diamond St. with fair form at 2:15pm. The waves were huge today! I caught some giant lefts and rights, flipped some 360s and had a blast. However, I trunked it and the water was very cold! I split my session into two 30 minute sessions, with a breather and a break in the middle to warm up. Some kids were treading water and saw me flip a 360 on a huge wave. They marveled and talked to me for a minute before I paddled back out to catch more waves. This giant surf shouldn't be taken lightly, so if you're not in great shape and if you haven't been catching waves over the past few months, you'd be best advised to stay out of the water. Fortunately, the current wasn't very strong today.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser, 45 minutes (2-4 ft., occ. 5-7+ ft. at 7pm at Diamond St. with fair form at medium tide. This was another session of huge waves. However, the wind had died down a bit and there wasn't the chop and bump that there was in the afternoon. It was a little crossed up, though. Nonetheless, I caught some huge waves - rights and lefts. I didn't flip as many 360s as usual because some of the waves were so huge that I didn't want to jack it up and wipeout. Like I always say, when the waves are huge, you have much smaller room for error. I wore my full 4/3 wet suit AND my 5mm gloves for this session and I'm very glad I did. The water was very cold! Putting my gloves back on was odd because I had just trunked it on Saturday and the water was a great temperature. Plus, I had removed my gloves weeks ago, but for whatever reason, I needed them again today . . . . . . . . Unfortunately, hunger actually chased me out of the water, today! I didn't realize it, but I had only eaten a banana, a couple of pretzels, a little whole wheat bread, a little bit of candy and two iced espresso mochas all day. I should have eaten better and if I would have, I would have lasted 15-30 more minutes. It's pretty rare that I do something foolish like this, but I was simply run down and beat from all the exercise and from the lack of nutrition/refueling. I started thinking about eating Mexican food and couldn't get it out of my mind!)

June 29, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-6+ ft. at Diamond St. at medium tide at 7pm with fair form. This was an epic session because the waves were really big and there was some wind chop. It forced me to be picky and find the right waves to take because you don't want to mess around with poor rides or getting wiped out when the waves are bigger than you! I took some fun rights and lefts and did a whole bunch of 360 spins. On one giant right, I was so exhilirated that I let out a 'Woohoo!' The wave opened up for me nicely, allowing me to take it right for awhile, then I saw it closing out ahead, so I decided to spin and do a bailout jump into the huge wave! For the first time, I took some pride in my wipeout. It was obviously an occupational hazard that couldn't be avoided, so I made the most of it . . . . . . . . I also took a wave and did a forward flip after the fun part ended and I started scooting along on the whitewash. Why not? Maybe it's becoming my trademark . . . . . . . . There were several surfers in the water today and they all seemed very friendly. Don't get me wrong. They weren't little kids or overly friendly, but they were all nice enough and happily engaged in a little chit chat here and there. One asshole did drop in on me and I called him on it after the wave and he played stupid. I asked him to look both ways before taking a wave. We had both taken it left and he either didn't see me in the prime position (e.g. my wave not his position) or he didn't care. After I said that he acted like he didn't hear me, so I repeated myself to him. I was very happy when one of the dudes I was chatting with decided not to drop in on me a few minutes later in a very similar situation.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

June 28, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5 ft. at Diamond St. at medium tide with fair form at 7:15pm. This was a fun session because there were some lengthy rides and some short rides. The wind wasn't too bad and I flipped some 360s and got tubed. I thought I saw a fin or two in the water, but it ended up being a bird or two. I decided to wear my full 4/3 wet suit for this session, even though I trunked it yesterday and the day before. It proved to be a very wise idea because the water felt colder than yesterday. I figured that the sun was much lower and it would be cooler and I was right. Until later this summer, I'll probably trunk it in the afternoon and wear my wet suit in the evening.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

June 27, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. with fair form at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas at 3pm. I caught waves at Switchfoot's 5th Annual Bro-Am event. The waves were rolling a lot, but the wind wasn't too bad and there were some good rights and lefts. I flipped plenty of 360s and dodged tons of poeple who were swimming in the water. In fact, I had never seen so many people in the water or on the beach this year. It was a beautiful, sunny day, so I was able to catch waves in both sessions without my wet suit. The water was a tiny bit cold, but staying active in it kept me warm . . . . . . . . About midway through this session, the current took me South and into the surf contest. I didn't realize it, though. I caught one beauty wave right, flipped a 360 spin, then did a forward flip over my board when the ride was over. When I popped up, people were cheering and the host asked me to get out of the way of the contest. I smiled and waved and came out of the water. As I was walking North, he made a nice comment about me being a big guy and he said he probably shouldn't have said anything to me. Haha.), 1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-5+ ft. at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas with fair form at 5pm. After the Switchfoot concert, I got back in the water and caught more waves. They were breaking like before, but there was a tiny bit more wind. The inside waves were fun and the bigger outside waves were breaking every so often. I got tubed and did more 360s. On my last wave of the day, I flipped two 360s on one wave, before it turned to whitewash! The wave ended in ankle-deep water and I got out of the water to end my session.), 1 hour of dancing at the Switchfoot concert

June 26, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. at medium tide in Solana Beach at 3:30pm with good form. I had never been to this beach before, but it was pretty cool. There was a small beach area sandwiched between some very tall cliffs. After walking down a concrete ramp, there was a small beach and lifeguard tower on the left and a small beach on the right. This beach was set up in a way where the middle 1/2 was dedicated to swimming and bodyboarding and the outside 1/4s were reserved for surfing. They were designated by a giant yellow flag with a black dot . . . . . . . . These waves reminded me a bit of Lower Trestles. I think they did so because they were relatively the same size and shape. They were consistently breaking right and left, offering lots of good rides, even though the waves were on the small side. One dude snorkeled out for a few minutes and returned and said there was a reef about 100 yards out. I'm not sure if that contributes to the sand break very much, but it probably could . . . . . . . . I spent 3/4 of my session catching waves in the middle of this beach - or a tad to the right. However, there was a consitent right breaking in the near distance to my right, in front of some giant cliffs. There were a few surfers sitting on the break, trying to catch the waves, and not having a lot of luck for some reason. I decided walk then paddle over there and I caught some waves. They were good, but not quite as good as I thought they were going to be. I also ascertained that those surfers were a bit too far out and a bit inexperienced, for what it's worth.), 90 minutes of dancing to Switchfoot in concert at the San Diego Fair

June 25, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

90 minutes of dancing to Third Eye Blind's music in the Palladium in Hollywood, California

June 24, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair form at low/medium tide at 3pm. This was a good session, but the waves were on the small side. In a way, this felt like a lazy session because I could stand and catch most of these waves. It didn't require a whole lot of effort, but that was probably a good thing because my right groin injury was still hurting. If there were heavy surf, it may have been strained even more.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

June 23, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4+ ft. at medium tide at 3:20 at Lahaina Beach House with fair+ form because of light wind and some lengthy rides. These were the kinds of waves you could take left for 10 yards, flip a 360 and continue riding. However, some of them sputtered out a bit after a full rotation . . . . . . . . A couple kids asked me how to flip 360s, so I tried to explain it to them. It felt good to be asked and it felt good to impart such information to these kids. It was a beautiful day today and the summer crowds are starting to come to the beaches. The water is still cold, but I may be able to shed my wet suit in a couple of weeks . . . . . . . . Although I favored them a bit, my right groin and hamstring did well today. I think the rest did me some good, even though I decided to avoid anti-inflammatory medication. Yesterday and today I was tempted to take my Vicodin with Tylenol pill, but I figured I'd save them for a rainy day. I did some extra stretching yesterday and today and it is helping to keep me limber as my body repairs itself. I noticed a good bit of healing between now and the other day, reminding me how awesome the human body is and how it amazingly heals itself over a short time . . . . . . . . I saw four or five dolphins swimming in front of me, today. They were heading North first, then they stopped and played for awhile. They were probably 20 yards from me.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser

June 22, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

I totally rested today. Complete shut down, so my strained groin and hamstring can heal. I've had groin injuries and I know they drag on for days if you don't rest them early on. It felt nice to take a well deserved rest today. Between catching waves and riding my bike, I've been working my ass off.

June 21, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. at Diamond St. with fair/fair+ form at medium tide at 5:30pm. These waves were small, but fun. I caught some lefts and rights and flipped some 360s. Good overall session, although there was a little bump and chop from the wind. There wasn't much of a current, although the current took me South instead of North, for the first time in days.), 30 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-5 ft. at Ocean Beach in front of the main lifeguard tower at 7:45pm with fair+ form. There was only a little texture on the waves, not the bump and chop I had to deal with earlier in PB. There were some very lengthy rides in OB today and I caught one very long right. It's not the first time I've caught these big, lengthy waves in OB . . . . . . . . In the distance, I noticed someone hugging a pier pilon. I figured they jumped off the pier because it was super high tide and there must have been only about 8' between the pier's floor and the water below! A minute or two after I started looking, another person jumped off the pier. Apparently, the lifeguards were concerned - or maybe the first kid couldn't swim to shore - so they were paddling out to help . . . . . . . . I noticed that I have a mild to severe groin pull and a mild hamstring pull on my right side. From what I can tell, each of these areas were first traumatized during my indoor soccer game. I'm pretty sure catching waves and riding my bike hasn't helped it heal. In fact, they may have made it worse. I'm having second thoughts about cross-training with indoor soccer because of the violent impact my body makes on the rock hard surface. I'm content with being sore for a day or two, like the way I feel after lifting heavy weights, but I certainly don't want to get muscle strains and be sore for a week, even to the point of it interfering with my primary sports. Perhaps I should play on grass instead of "turf" and my body would respond better. However, not only have I had those problems, but I've had muscle spasms in my right buttocks - which is also sore - and muscle twitching and tingling in my legs more than usual. I think my lower half is a bit shellshocked and still trying to full recover from that indoor game! I feel fortunate that I'm able to participate in two sports - bodyboarding and bike riding - that are low/no impact sports! There is no better way to exercise and keep your body from injury and structural damage.))

June 20, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4+ ft. just North of Crystal Pier with fair form and medium tide at 9:45am. Tim Curren and Taylor Knox were supposedly surfing here between 8am and 12pm today because Rip Curl and Southcoast Surf Shop were having a demonstration. It was a cool, cloudy day, so not many people were there, but there were three small covered booths and some surfboards to try. I never saw Curren or Knox, however I had a very energetic session! I caught lefts, rights, short rides, long rides, did 360s, 720s and got tubed. After I exited the water, some kid in street clothes said Knox was in the water tearing it up. Like I said, I didn't see either of those guys - in or out of the water. I did see a small mulatto kid who couldn't have been over 14 years old and he was tearing it up.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser . . . . . . . . 60 minutes on my beach cruiser

June 19, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

45 minutes (1-2 ft., occ. 3-4 ft. at high tide in Mission Beach in front of Canes with poor form. This was some serious shorebreak. I would catch a wave, spin a 360 and be in the sand on the beach. Not good. Nonetheless, I tried to make what I could out of it.)

June 18, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

45 minutes of walking around PetCo Park and downtown San Diego, 45 minutes of playing indoor soccer at the Point Loma YMCA (We started the game with no subs, but one eventually came. I played most of the game, but came out for a couple quick breathers here and there.)

June 17, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. at Diamond St. and thereabouts because of the strong North current with fair form at 2pm. I caught some lengthy rides in this session. In fact, I caught one very long left that took me all the way to the beach. As I rode this wave, I concentrated on the water in front of me and had to angle my board slightly different ways in order to keep on the wave. It wasn't a huge wave, but had enough push to keep me going as long as I aimed for the cupped water. This time, because of the current, I got in the water a few times just North of Crystal Pier and caught waves to about Diamond St. This was a good system for me and allowed me to catch several waves in between these locations. However, I did notice that the North current that had been very strong for a few days was backing off . . . . . . . . First, I visited Tourmaline because I drove my car to the beach today. Tourmaline had very small surf, especially in comparison to yesterday's surf. It was so bad that I got back in my car and drove to Diamond St. Even at Diamond, I was a little disappointed that the surf had dropped about 2' in less than 24 hours! I was pretty shocked as well . . . . . . . . 1 hour (1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. between Crystal Pier and Diamond St. because of the North current with fair form at 7:15pm. This sunset session was very good because I was able to carve out a number of good rides. I also began working on my 720 spins. I recalled someone flipping spins where they looked like they weren't ever going to stop spinning! I decided to try the same thing and began flipping 720s with more confidence.)

June 16, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour (2-3 ft., occ. 4-7+ ft. at Diamond St. and thereabouts because of the strong North tide, with fair form because of some bump from the wind at 3pm. This was a good session because I caught some lengthy lefts. The current was pushing me North quickly, but I got into a rhythm where I'd enter the water a bit North of Diamond St., catch two or three waves, then get out and walk back . . . . . . . . One time, I paddled hard to catch a wave, but it just rolled. After I missed it, I turned to paddle out and noticed a huge wave about to break right in front of me. Right after paddling hard to catch a wave, the last thing your body wants to do is paddle even harder to get over or through a 7'+ wave. You're breathing hard and you could use a quick break or breather, but you don't get it. Unfortunately, even though I turned and paddled hard, the giant wave still broke in front of me, so I dove down deep. It still tossed me around a bit under the water.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser . . . . . . . . 45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-8 ft. starting at Diamond St., then Crystal Pier and going until Diamond St. and about 200 yards North of it because of the strong current. The form was either fair or fair- because there were a lot of walls. In fact, when I looked at the waves from the top of Diamond St., I saw very long lines with infrequent corners. These lines were hundreds of yards long, so it wasn't easy to find a good corner ride. Most of my rides were quick, but I caught a couple semi-lengthy lefts . . . . . . . . This was a sunset session from 7:37pm until 8:28pm. The sunset was beautiful and I caught waves until it was almost dark. There were a few passerbys who spoke to me about the large scale surf and how I caught some waves on it. I flipped some 360s and did quite well . . . . . . . . I received an email tonight that said Tom Curren and Taylor Knox are coming to surf at Crystal Pier on behalf of Rip Curl this Saturday! I'm looking forward to catching waves with them. Perhaps someone will notice my skill or my style and promote or sponsor me. I happen to wear a Rip Curl wet suit, too. It's probably a pie-in-the-sky dream, but I'm out there every day and I like dreaming.)

June 15, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour, 30 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-7 ft. at medium/high tide at Diamond St. and North because of the strong current. Fair form because of some wind and bump at 2pm. Caught some rights and lefts and flipped some 360 spins. Good overall session, but there were some closeouts and I had to get out and walk South several times because of the current taking me North.), 30 minutes on my beach cruiser

June 14, 2009

Jason@sdbodyboarding.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:29:01 PST

1 hour, 45 minutes (2-3 ft., occ. 4-7 ft. from Be Curious to the Green Flash because of the strong North tide at 4pm at medium/high tide with fair- form. There was some wind bump and chop, making many waves wall up. However, I caught some quick rides and some long ones. I had to be picky and discerning, though . . . . . . . . I saw some dolphins catching waves near me. In fact, a dolphin took a wave toward me when I was paddling out! They didn't jump out of the water, but they swam around for a minute or two, then disappeared.), 45 minutes on my beach cruiser