So Far, So Good

So, if the rest of this winter is like the first two weeks of January, 2012, we are in for a treat.

While the Hype Machine was making things crowded, there was such a string of
surf, some quiet sessions could still be had.

Unless you went somewhere like The Queen, where the crowd is the norm and shoulder hoppers are as common as sand fleas.

Some folks, however, choose not to bother with the “Best Spots in the World”
and would rather focus on home sweet home.

And rather than get all jacked up when some multi millionaire pro comes up from L.A. in his blacked out Suburban with his entourage in tow, we get stoked when a local boy shows up on his bike, and he rips it, hard. That’s pure stoke to us.
Ian Jenkins at his home break, doing what he lives for.

Then there’s Bromi Krock. As local as they come.
He’s been surfing this wave for years and knows it’s ins and outs as well as anybody.

So well, in fact, he can navigate his way through people doing weird things,
like this guy’s nifty seated duck dive.

No problemo.

Another Goleta local, surf legend and all around nice guy,
Johnny Shields came out this evening to catch a few.
While it appears Johnny’s telling this guy to go sit on the beach,
it’s more likely he’s telling him about a great hike he took the other day.

And then he dropped into a sweet wave….

The Smooth Style Master.

This was the day before “The Biggest” day was scheduled to appear,
according to local surf expert John Palmenterri.
So there was a crowd. Lots of guys coming to surf for the first time in months.
Which is so confusing, but there’s something about the evening news that is so compelling….