Friday, February 17th, 2017 we got rain. 5 inches in fact.
For Goleta, that’s something to talk about, although no one will believe you…
And the next day, an extra large swell was predicted to slam into us.
The morning greeted us with sunshine.
The ocean was less inviting, however.
All that rain was racing through our canyons to get out into the raging surf.
And in its hurry to get there, it knocked stuff over and made lots of messes.
Campgrounds became swamps.
Twin Lakes Golf Course became one big lake.
And workers scrambled to save what’s left of Goleta Beach.
The day started with promise, large sets and not too much wind. But conditions were
deteriorating rapidly. The ocean was full of logs and other debris and a strong current
was determined to drag you to Ventura.
We considered surfing here, but this guy suggested otherwise.
So, the search was on.
And whenever we’d find a spot with some promise….
A set would roll through and change the equation.
We’d be looking at this, thinking, OK here we go….
And then a set rolls in and turns a dream into a nightmare.
So, where do you go when it’s big and ugly?
Good old Goleta pier of course.
And she was taking a beating.
Occasionally, there would be moments of organization….
But they were quickly and violently wiped away.
Meanwhile, men and machines struggled to argue with Mother Nature.
And this guy enjoyed a front row seat to the whole fiasco.
A small group of Goleta surfers gathered at the base of the pier to assess the potential….
But there were no takers.
So we cruised up the coast a bit for a different perspective.
Things were a little more protected from the wind up here.
A handful of guys were out.
Struggling with the stormy conditions.
But when they got one, the rides were long…..
Going deep into the cove.
As the day wore on, the wind continued to increase and blow the next storm in.
We found out later, Leadbetter was the place to be…..who knew!
Friday, the 17th, Ray Cook found a break in Goleta with some sizable and surfable waves.
He shared some photos with us-
Hellacious clean up sets, cleaning up.
