Post for Surf Nerds

Unnecessary Detail about Surfing in Santa Catalina

If you're not into surfing, feel free to skip this post. 

SC has two places to surf: the point break, and the beach break. The beach break is located at the very end of the road, right in front of Oasis surf camp. You can surf everyday here, it's never flat! It might not be great everyday, but it's good enough. It can be sloppy and the rides may not be longest, but there is fun surfing to be had. I surfed at least twice a day, everyday. 

I rented a board from Rancho Estero for about $10 a day. One of the best things about going to Panama on a trip is that they use American dollars everywhere. 

My goal for the trip was to surf the point. I was a little bit terrified because the wave can be big, and the water is shallow with a rocky reef. I'm not an absolute beginner surfer, but I'm not that good, either. Every time I asked for info on surfing there, I got these condescending looks from other girls.... "uh, it's a pretty advanced wave, you know". 

Well, I knew I wasn't going to go by myself, so I would just wait until I found someone willing to take me. 

So I spent a week surfing at the beach break and got really comfortable with my board, and could catch pretty much everything. I met a lot of friends surfing there and we would surf together everyday. One day my friend Agustin said I was ready for the point. I felt kind of like Karate Kid. 

We got up super early the next day and walked to the where the paddle out starts. The paddle out is really long, maybe a 20 min. paddle. I was incredibly nervous as we got to the line up. I hate trying to catch waves with the really good, local surfers. It just adds the pressure of trying to not look stupid with the pressure of trying to not die. 

But Agustin told me I wouldn't die. He just said if he said to paddle  for a wave then I better really paddle for it. He said the waves are big, but they are easy to catch and you have a lot of time to set yourself up. The wave breaks both right and left, but the right is better. 

And it was true, as I was paddling for the wave, it would be HUGE behind me, I would be so scared, but it wasn't that steep. It was easy to get on it, to get up, and then it was a loooong ride. 

It was incredible. I got a good left, and then a super long right, and then I was ready to go because I didn't want to push my luck. I hadn't gotten crushed and I didn't want to. 

Like most places where the wave is great, it gets crowded. There was only 6 or 7 people out with us, and that was almost too many. But you can get up earlier and be okay. Or you can be aggressive and be great :)

But to give you a point of reference I surfed at the beach break the rest of the time, and those waves are better than anything in LA. 

In California, I'm not a surfer. Oh I get in with my board and paddle around, but I really wouldn't call it surfing. I can't wait to plan my next trip to somewhere with warm water!

This is my surfing mentor Agustin from Argentina.