The lefts were really good

Date: October 13, 2004
Time: 0830--1000
Spot(s): Holtons
Conditions: Light trades, smallish crowd
Swell: Slowly rising northwest
Surf: 3-5' Haw'n

Words: Took some time off from work to catch the rising swell with light morning winds. Combed the North Shore, but couldn't find a spot that was really happening just yet. Ended up paddling out at Holtons with the Brewer gun.

There were actually some pretty fun ones that came through. The swell was actually kind of funky, seemingly coming from several directions. The lefts were actually really nice, but getting caught inside between Holtons and Jockos is not fun. The rights were sectiony, but if you were lucky, you could get some really long rides.

I once again had a blast with the Brewer gun. Took off on some really nice ones, including a really late drop that the board handled with ease. Of course, just when I thought I had it wired, I got caught inside on a set. Got that sickening feeling of my leash snapping, knowing that I was right in front of a very rocky shoreline.

Did the slow swim in, all the while wondering the fate of my friend's vintage board. I was somewhat relieved when I saw a guy holding onto the board on shore, but I still didn't know how badly it was damaged.

I didn't really worry about my body and scrambled up on the rocks, whitewater pushing me all over the large boulders. Thankfully, the guy got the board before any serious damage occurred. There were some pretty deep scuff marks, but it wasn't too bad. I thanked him profusely and decided to call it a day and head to work.

Now, I'm really worried about the board. Not going to be taking it out at Holtons any time soon. I do want to bring it out to Backdoor for a few waves before returning it, but this incident has truly made me much more tentative with it now.

Aloha from Paradise,

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