THE ART OF THE SURF CHECK
10-24-07
By Corky Carroll
Probably, most of you think that checking out the surf involves little more than pulling up at the beach and looking at it. “Well, there it is….. yep… 4 feet and blown out….. no good. Off to do something else.” That would seem like the obvious course of action unless you are a true dedicated surfer with years and years of surf check knowledge and experience under your belt; the wisdom that only a half a century of surf checking can instill into your brain cells. Not many of us have that kind of experience. No, I say thee nay folks. Not many indeed. But, I do.
It is with this thought in mind that I embark on this tale of my recent surf trip to Rincon. Rincon is a great surf spot just south of Santa Barbara that is known as one of the premier winter spots in the world. It doesn’t really break much in the summer. So why did I go up there when it is still summer you ask? Here is why.
The day before I went up I was standing on the pier in Huntington Beach checking out the surf. It was about four in the afternoon and the normal westerly winds were all over it. There was a small south swell sort of raggedly working on the assorted sand bars to the north and south side of the pier. As I was looking closely at the wind patterns and how the odd piece of kelp or some other flotsam floated by in the currents I began to see, lurking within the ebb and flow of the obvious, a very slight pulse coming from the northwest. Yes, there it was. Faint to be sure, but there nonetheless. A little winter swell was making its way in amongst the south swell. This in itself would have little, if any, effect on the local conditions. But given an area that does not get the south swell in the first place this little new winter swell could actually have a chance to produce some waves. And a place just like that is Rincon. And, nobody would know about it this early. I could be up there at dawn and get one of those extremely rare non-crowded days at one of the best surf spots on the planet. My plan was unfolding like a Thomas guide to surf nirvana.
To double be sure about this I came back to the pier a couple hours later and did a recheck. Yes, it was there and getting stronger. You had to look very closely in the little nooks in between the curl and the bottoms of the waves to see it. But it was definitely there. The decision was made.
The alarm woke me up harshly at the crack of 4:45 AM. A quick wake up shower and into the car. I already had my board in the car ready to go. Quick stop for a freeway coffee and a couple surf breakfast for dummies donuts and I was sailing up the 405 listening to the Best of Jackson Browne and happy as a clam at high tide. I was on it. This is something that I don’t do anymore. So it was kinda like a trip back in surf time for me. There couldn’t be too many people on this like I was. The kids don’t take the time to learn these things anymore. They are too busy having fun and making lots of money. Hmmmm, that really isn’t all that bad a plan either though. But anyway, I was feeling good about this day and my chances of catching Rincon with a fresh new swell and hardly anybody there.
I flew through Los Angeles and out into the valley just beating the morning traffic. It was clear and clean out and looked to be a beautiful day. The first rays of the new day were coming from behind me as I cruised through Camario and into the Ventura area. I could see a golden sunrise in my rear view mirror. My anticipation level was going through the roof.
As the freeway started running along the coast north of Ventura I could see it. Yep folks, there it was. A perfectly clean little three to five foot new swell gracefully brushing across the reefs. I had done it. I was soooo stoked.
And then I came around the corner and there was Rincon. I could almost see it. As I got closer I could see that it was breaking. And, and, and…… what was that? There were probably 200 guys already in the water and it was barely light. I parked and walked out to look at it. How had all there guys known? There were a couple of definitely city looking dudes standing there and I asked them how they had known about this new swell. They looked at me like I was from the Stone Age or something.
“The internet dude.”
SECOND ANNUAL ROCK FOR CHOC
The Wave ~ 10-24-07
By Corky Carroll
My favorite “cause,” so to speak, is the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Whenever I can do anything to help out this fantastic place I do it. My really good pal Mike Skalarzky got me involved with it years ago by visiting sick surfers that were there. Then my own daughter was there too and it all came home. This is a needed and very wonderful hospital. They are having a benefit coming up and I hope you will ALL participate in it.
The second annual Rock for CHOC, sponsored by the CHOC Foundation, is scheduled for Saturday, November 3, at the historic Harborside Pavilion Restaurant in Newport Beach. This totally fun and casual surf-themed event begins with a cocktail reception and silent auction at 6:00 p.m. Guests will enjoy a buffet dinner and a performance by the legendary HONK band of Laguna Beach. HONK is a band from the 1970’s associated with the epic surf movie, “Five Summer Stories”. Years later, they still play together and are sure to rock! This is also my favorite band by the way. Jeffrey Bitetti will be the emcee. There is hope to fill 400 seats with people ready to have fun and celebrate CHOC! Last year’s event sold out!
Guests will have an opportunity to learn more about Children’s Hospital of Orange County, the new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and life-saving medicine that takes place there every day. The money raised by the CHOC Foundation helps provide services and equipment for Children’s Hospital of Orange County and CHOC at Mission.
WHEN: Saturday, November 3, 2007
Time: 6:30 to 10:00pm
WHERE: Haborside Pavilion Restaurant
400 Main Street
Balboa, CA 92661
COST: $100 per seat pre-event ticket price.
Sponsorships available.
Online registration closes on November 2 at Noon.
For more information call 714-532-8690 or www.rockforchoc.org
The Personal Story Behind Rock for CHOC
Mary Lynn Gaddis, a resident of Newport Beach, knows what it’s like to suddenly have a child become critically ill. Her daughter, Zoey, almost lost her life. At 18 months old, Zoey suffered a life-threatening condition that required care at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). After weeks in the intensive care unit, Zoey recovered. Mary Lynn and her husband appreciated having a pediatric hospital in Orange County to provide the specialized care her daughter required and in turn, saving her life. Now at age four, Zoey is a survivor who is in pre-school, plays soccer and is medication free.
Mary Lynn became passionate about her experience and began fundraising for CHOC. Last year, she and her husband Alan conceived “Rock for CHOC”. The casual surf-themed music affair was a success! Influential surf-industry, business and community leaders came together for a celebration in honor of CHOC. This year Mary Lynn and co-chair Eileen Coe hope to make it twice as successful to support OC's only children's hospital.
About CHOC
Named one of the nation's top children's hospitals by CHILD magazine, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) is exclusively committed to the health and well being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to our patients. CHOC's growing healthcare network includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several community clinics, a residency program that trains tomorrow's pediatricians, and four centers of excellence - The Heart, Cancer, Neuroscience, and Orthopedic Institutes.
CHOC earned the "Excellence in Patient Safety & Health Care Quality Award" from the state's leading health plans, and was one of only eight children's hospitals in the nation to be named to the Leapfrog "Top Hospitals 2007" list, based on results from The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Quality and Safety Survey. For more information about CHOC, visit www.choc.org or call 714-997-3000
Folks, this is going to be a great night and it is for a super wonderful cause. If you have never heard Honk you really should go. If you have then I am sure that you are already online buying tickets. What better way to give a little bit back to the community than to have an incredible evening among other very cool Orange County people celebrating such a good organization and hearing the best band to ever come out of Orange County, bar none, period.
In the words of the late Art Laboe, “Be there or be square.”