The Good
The weekend of January 20th started out nice enough.
Fun little waves graced our shores after a long flat spell
and locals like Ryan Castorino were there to meet them.
The local crew was on it and having a good old time trading (and sharing) waves.
Donovan Maccarone was doing what he loves to do on a sponge.
And that’s always fun to watch.
Gavin from Surf Country was getting some fun ones.
Mike Hamer was doing what he’s been doing here since he was a kid.
And doing it well.
The overall vibe was one of fun and kinship.
A small group of guys enjoying the ocean and each other.
The frosting on the cake was we were getting some rain
and our creeks were beginning to flow into the ocean for the first time in years.
This quiet little stream gently broke through the sand and rocks and drained into the sea.
Meanwhile, on the Internet, a swell of epic proportions was bearing down on us.
And almost as overwhelming as the wave size, was the hype preceding it.
The Bad
Friday, January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as a day Goleta got
3″ of rain in a very short period of time.
Waterfalls that run so rarely no one can agree on a name for them flowed.
Our phones all buzzed with flash flood warnings, and we scoffed….
But we soon learned the warnings were legit, and not to be scoffed at.
The recently burned canyons of upper El Capitan were inundated by an intense period of rain.
The barren hillsides let the water flow freely down into the narrow gorges
and rush quickly towards the ocean.
Kinda like flushing a toilet…
With a flick of the wrist, Mother Nature wiped a canyon out, and crippled a thriving business.
Amazingly, and thanks to the quick work of those on hand, no one was seriously hurt.
But even more mind boggling, is how the innocent little 2 foot wide creek I photographed the day
before, could suddenly transform into a flood strong enough to carry several cars out into the ocean!
Hours later, it was back to being a mellow little stream.
Just like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, from a monster to a lamb.
But the damage had been done.
In addition to the vehicles, lots of junk and trash was pushed out into the muddy surf,
including the contents of several septic tanks…
But guess what, there was a big swell coming!
And surfers from all around had been planning on paddling out to greet the incoming swell.
And I’ll be damned if they were gonna cancel their plans for some lousy microscopic crap….
What’s the worst that could happen?!
Hepatitis be damned, it’s pumping!
And not far from the septic discharge, these two guys were among the first out.
If you look closely you can actually see the shit monster lurking in the wave….
But who cares, when your getting barreled bro….!
While this day was tragic and disgusting, the next day would bring a shit storm of another kind
to our normally quiet little neighborhood….
The Ugly
Early Saturday the 21st, things were pretty quiet. The eagerly anticipated Big Swell was
beginning to show, but nothing worth freaking out about.
As the morning wore on we began to hear reports that the current at Rincon was so strong only a
couple guys made it out. And Sandspit was at max capacity with armies of surfers and photographers
invading all at once.
So, the overflow crowd continued north…..
The parking lot at UCSB was packed early, and guys were walking up from
the Goleta Beach parking lot to get out in the “Big Swell”….
Which, by the way, didn’t turn out to be all that big and not all that great angle wise….
But that didn’t stop the crowds from pouring in.
Actual conditions never seem to change anyone’s mind these days.
“If it said it’s gonna be epic on Surfline, it’s gonna be epic! Now get out there!”
And as the day wore on, the surfers kept wandering further up the coast.
Anywhere there was access to the ocean, there was a makeshift parking lot.
The Costco surf team was on site.
This dude was ready for anything…
“Let’s suit up on these railroad tracks Wilbur, hurry up!
It’s the Big Swell for God’s sake!”
Even when there wasn’t room to park, they parked…..
“This is the Big Swell damnit! Make room!”
There were even crowds where there wasn’t ocean access!
Very few followed the rules of the land….
And social media exploded with reports the awesomeness of the Big Swell.
One shredder from down south got so excited he ……..
Well actually, we have absolutely no idea what he was trying to do, but he failed fabulously.
Silver lining was, he got a lot of free publicity for his shop
by being stuck in the center divider of Highway 101 for most of the day.
Oh, the things we do for “The Big Swell”….
Finally, Johnny Law had seen enough, and he shut down one offramp.
But there was no stopping the masses from getting to the wonder of The Big Swell.
Such is the state of surfing in 2017. Too many people with too much information.
Needless to say, the locals were glad when it was all over….
