Surfers show up for epic swell
Waves were in the 11to 14-foot range Friday
SANTA CRUZ >> Steamer Lane, as well as nearly every other surf break along the Central Coast, was a machine Thursday, turning out overhead sets with regularity.
Surfers showed up to The Lane by the dozen, which created some congestion in the water, but there were significantly more smiles than there were grimaces. Spectators lined the railing at Lighthouse Point to catch a glimpse of the thrill-seekers doing their best to tame the epic swell.
Waves were in the 10- to 11foot range throughout the day and got even bigger Friday, when they were in the 11-14 range. Saturday’s forecast called for waves to be in the 10-11 range.
“It’s been nonstop, so the last couple of weeks have been pretty fun all over the place,” said Santa Cruz’s Nat Young, 29, a professional on the World Surf League. “And it looks like more is on the way. This is definitely better than most winters. I don’t think it’s the best winter I’ve ever surfed, but it’s definitely up there.”
The diehards have been tuning into surf forecasts with a religious fervor, and showing up to their favorite break at sunrise to beat the crowd and get an early piece of the action.
In addition to the giant swell,
COVID-19 and shelter-inplace orders have played a role in crowded waters.
“There’s definitely more people than I’ve ever seen,” Young said. “I’m sure people are trying to occupy their time with something — and that seems to be surfing.”
Most of the area’s smaller breaks checked in at the 4to 5-foot range Thursday. Manresa, The Harbor, and 26th Ave saw waves in the 8-12 range. North of Natural Bridges, Four Mile, Davenport, Scott Creek and Waddell Creek were looking at 10- to 15-foot waves.
“It’s one of the best days I’ve ever seen,” said Rohnan O’Riordan, a 14-year- old who competes for Santa Cruz High in the Santa Cruz Scholastic Surf League.
O’Riordan said conditions were perfect at Indicators.
“For my skill level and my confidence, I wouldn’t say I’d go anywhere except for in town right now because it’s so big,” he said. “But you can get good waves anywhere right now.”
And that’s why most breaks are drawing crowds.
“I saw a couple of guys where they couldn’t surf the wave,” O’Riordan said. “They just had to navigate through all the other people.”
O’Riordan said his skill level has increased more quickly than he believed it would during the pandemic. Seeing daily action has helped the cause.
Santa Cruz’s Jonah Chizinsky, 15, who also competes in the Santa Cruz Scholastic Surf League, said he likes Four Mile and Waddell when he’s not at The Lane.
Like many others, Chizinsky tries to get into the water twice a day. It’s that good.
“Pumping,” he said. “Non-stop swell all December, early January. When it’s really good I really like going in the morning before school; get up early up at like 5:30. And also in the evening, like right before dark, it really empties out.”
Chizinsky was snowboarding in Lake Tahoe last week, but he kept his eyes on Surfline.com’s forecast.
“I got so psyched,” Chizinsky said. “It looked so fun.”
His smile said confirmed that. He ended up testing his mettle at Middle Peak, where he caught an 8-footer.
Adam Reppenhagen, 24, an Encinitas native who lives in Bonny Doon, also hit up Middle Peak in search of a big left, and it didn’t disappoint.
“Pretty much as good as it gets, because the conditions were so glassy,” he said, noting NorCal surfing tops SoCal because the size and consistency of its waves.
Reppenhagen was out of town for five weeks and couldn’t wait to get back into the water. He said he didn’t have any issues with the large number of surfers who showed up.
“It’s really not that hard to catch a wave due to the crowd,” he said. “Mainly, it’s just being in the right spot. If you have the right board, I only have a 7- 6, but guys on the 10 footers, they can get into it really easily.”