Super Typhoon Choi-wan

Super Typhoon Choi-wan came and went bringing some huge surf to the coast here, Saturday was probably 15 feet and fairly clean conditions, but not much shape around here. Some of the outer sandbars were breaking, but I didn't see any takers willing to paddle out (or anybody on the beach at all for that matter). I will come clean right now and admit that I wussed out and I was not willing to charge the outer sandbars alone. Somewhere in Japan was going off I am sure, but my local knowledge is limited, maybe next time I can get to a point or reef that can handle the size. But I was out there the next moring when it was a more manageble 4-6 ft.

California, I think this thing is headed into the northern Pacific then coming your way, hopefully you will get some waves as well.

One of those mornings where you can hear the surf and smell the salt in the air before you even see the ocean.

This would have been a fun surfable wedge, but unfortunately there is an unfinished skaffolding/pier coming off of the jetty here, so at the end of each ride there would have been a chance of being impaled on the pilings.

Tetrapods, Eagerly awaiting their new homes in a lineup near you. As I have mentioned before, from the coastline that I have seen, Japan has more concrete structures developed along the shoreline than I have seen anywhere in the world. When the waves come up, some interesting nature vs man-made object battles take place.


Local skimboard crew, playing it safe on the inside.

This was the only surfable wave I saw along the coast this day. But the currents and closeouts kept everybody out. It is much bigger than it looks. Ok, I am all out of excuses as to why I didn't paddle out but at least I lived to post photos for everybody to look at.

Not the smartest place to be fishing this day. You can sort of get a feel for the size of the surf in this photo.