Goin Coastal

The Third Plane crew has been getting after it! Dave, Richard, Nick, and I have had some great sessions recently. Typically, we have trouble coordinating our schedules, but we had a great day at the coast last week! Check it out...

We watched the forecast for days. It called for lots of sun, light off-shore breezes, nice waves, and leisurely 13 second periods. PERFECT for the long boats!!

We get out for a pretty wide variety of paddling opportunities, but few things get us as pumped as a day of long boat surfing at the coast. The sea kayaks allow us to catch the waves soo far out and really shred the shore break if properly coaxed.

Dave White and I paddled out beyond the break while Richard rattled off some shots. It didn't take Dave long to drop onto one...

Dave drops into one way outside

Dave and I both drop in. He is nice enough to share.

The conditions were really nice, but with variable swell size. It would be near flat one second, then jack up for a huge set the next. The swell was rolling in from the west, so the haystacks out beyond the break would help protect us at times but others would wrap in off the point on occasion providing some entertainment for those on shore.

With a West or even a NW swell we really enjoy Oceanside. There is a bit of everything . Go a few hundred yards south of the parking lot and you get big beach break. Go out to the North and you can get some of the best rock gardening in the west. Head straight out and you will find some amazing arches, caves, and crazy cross reflected swell that side swipes the beach with big pockets of foam.

Big set outside

These boats look impressive on a wave, but when they go vertical it's unreal. It doesn't always work out as planned...

Dave takes his punishment as Nick looks on without envy

Amongst it all, there are moments of serenity that go unmatched. The feeling you get when paddling out into the open sea off the Oregon Coast is difficult to describe. Even on calm days, you can't escape the fact that we are very very small.

You can see the rock we used to shoot from for all the pictures of Dave at the end of this post. It's the one on the bottom right of this photo.

Nick heads West

Once back on the beach, we took a breather and ate a snack. We ducked through a tunnel in the cliffs and walked North to scout out the rock zone. It was gorgeous! Nick and Liz (Nick's Girlfriend) had to get home early so we all walked back to the truck to say bye and gear up for the late evening session. Dave suited up and I grabbed my camera. The tide was coming in, but there was an enormous rock right at the water line to shoot from. Here is what we saw...

Dave gets a feel for things amongst the rocks


Another big set rollin in

At some point Dave began to feel comfortable. Some big waves were sneaking through the rocks, but most were manageable. Some nice clean rides could be had, you just had to be careful about where you were. Dave was waiting for the right wave to come along...when this massive one came in out of nowhere.

Dave is cranking to get up to speed for this one...

He's on...!

He caught a nice floater at the lip...

The money shot. Once he came back down, the ride wasn't over yet...

He managed to stick the landing and keep er' upright on his way into the rocky beach

Satisfied with the shots we got, we eventually convinced Dave to come in so we could get back to town. He paddled in and Richard helped him get the boat back to the car through the tunnel.