Crumbly Lips
The end of February, 2014.
We had been enjoying weeks of consecutive swells, bringing more waves to
the Goleta nooks and crannies than we had seen in years.
This session something was a little different. There was a storm bearing down on us,
and the ocean looked like it was getting a little shook up.
A few days later, the storm would hit us.
We got some rain, but the extensive coastal damage was the result of high tides and a fat swell,
all rolled up into one big wrecking ball.
Multiple boats were beached, a window at Moby Dicks was broken as diners watched in horror,
the manager at the Beachside was dragged out to sea, The Gaviota pier was snapped in half, and
most tragically, the doors of the ever popular Bacara snack bar were knocked in.
Sandy beaches were transformed to cobble stone shorelines literally overnight.
And this guys umbrella was damaged beyond repair….
Our ocean was an angry froth of debris and disease.
But back to a few days earlier….
A Thursday afternoon found a few folks out making the most of the fun waves.
There were some clean faces to be found.
And a slight offshore helped things hold shape, but there were a couple of swells
colliding from different angles, giving us barrels with crumbly lips.
The funky conditions didn’t keep these guys from having a good time.
A couple of surfers were standing out. Like Vinny Leonelli, one of Goleta’s finest.
Another up and coming young Goleta surfer, Sam Harden was digging up some nuggets.
They may not have been pretty, but there were some tubes to be had.
But Sam Harden took home the prize for the fattest and ugliest tube of the day.
And he came out the other side smiling!
Guner Tautrim showed up for his second session of the day,
and dropped right in to a nice set wave.
Sam Harden found another clean one.
And Vinny always finds some good ones…
Funky, bumpy and not too pretty. But fun!
Come around June we’ll be fantasizing about these days…
There were some speed bumps out there.
Cowboy was not amused….
Wayno, heading out.
Just another afternoon from a long stretch of solid surf.
