A week into 2023 and a series of north pacific storms provided the largest swell to hit California in years. With the proximity of the storm, most big waves and outer reefs were too wild, so the mission was simple; get north of Los Angeles to some fickle point breaks and other areas that rarely see any size of swell, let alone a predicted 15 foot swell.
3:30am
After departing the Watermen headquarters in the dark and driving a few hours north, we arrived to watch the sunrise at a classic rock boulder point that has the potential for large ruler edge lines and punchy scraping barrels. The Large raw swell was slightly overwhelming the point, but still manageable, with large double ups and long racing walls breaking up and down the large boulder field. Waves would taper off down the point, only to merge with another line of swell and double in size as they pushed further into the small cove. Within a few minutes of paddling out, we were trading off waves amidst a small crowd, pulling into shallow sections and flying down the line on large bowled up sets.
6:30am
Dawn patrol at a fickle, boulder-ridden righthand point break
9:30am
As the tide peaked a couple hours after sunrise, the swell backed off slightly, creating longer, more organized lines from the top of the point into the bay and the crowds came by the dozens. Feeling very content with our uncrowded dawn session we caught one more wave in and headed south to food and lesser known points that could possibly be in rare form.
High tide and mid-morning late comers push us to the next wave
10:30am
Just like clockwork, we arrived on site at another ‘fickle’ right point that was breaking in multiple spots along the point, with big walls racing off the rocks into a large sandy bay. Huge mounds of water were coming in consistently, with the opportunity to connect one of these waves 100’s of meters down the shoreline, through a variety of steep sections, and big swinging walls of water. Each of us took turns sitting deep out the back for a taste of the larger bombs, before sitting inside the rocks and swinging into large steep green wedges. With arms tired, and legs muscles burning from pumping through endless sections, the barrels became less make-able, and a light breeze began to ripple the surface texture. After a couple hours at this ‘un-mentioned’ point, we packed up and hit the road in search of one last miracle. With a few hours of light left, we had enough time to check Rincon and nearby spots. As the tide bottomed out and hundreds of surfers poured off the highway into coastal parking lots, hoping to take advantage of the unique conditions.
A lesser known point converts the large swell into long bending lines
Racing down the line on a freight train right
2:30pm
After an hour of poking around, the search came to a halt at a lesser noted right point break, with the strength and direction of the swell offering unusually long lines over mussel covered boulders and patchy sand. One last change into the wetsuits and we were running down the coast highway to our third session of the short winter day with salt in our eyes, and smiles wider than our sunburnt mouths could handle. Although the Largest swell to hit California in years did not necessarily translate to the largest waves we surfed this year, it did offer an incredible opportunity to score some fickle and lesser-surfed points with considerable size.
5:00pm
Sales team member Ryan admires long lines of swell bending around a point at sunset.
Whether they surf or SUP, lobster dive or scuba, swim or sail, most seasoned watermen know what it’s like to be in and around the water even when it’s a tad unbearable during winter. We know what it’s like to be out in a variety of water temps and conditions, even if some have the luxury of living in a sub-tropical or tropical location.
A wetsuit is an obvious piece of gear to wear into cold water. In California we split the year into two: spring suits and trunks; and in the winter 3-, 4-, and 5-mil suits. Yet sometimes, that’s just not enough. In addition to your full winter wetsuit, you might need a little extra “armor”.
Here’s some extra tips to add even more warmth when your wetsuit isn’t cutting it and you just can’t stay out of the water.
+Don the booties. A lot of us are not huge fans of extra accessories weighing us down in the lineup but we can attest to booties adding a significant amount of warmth to the whole body.
When you compare the tradeoff of extra warmth to extra weight/drag, warmth wins based on how it improves attitude, energy levels and physical range of motion. Those on the North Pacific and North Atlantic coasts don’t think twice, particularly when the offshore winds howl around. Some may even don the hoods and booties for 6 months of the year!
+Extra neoprene. The more you wear – the better. This means choosing a wetsuit with enough thickness for the water temp, but also being knowledgeable when it comes to the seams and construction of the wetsuit itself. Glued seams and zipper-less wetsuits tend to be the warmest.
All that extra neoprene can be bulky and rigid. And unless you’re paying top dollar for your wetsuit, you’ll likely get some chaffing on your thighs and neck, and knees and arm pits (at the body’s main joints). In addition to our performance rash guards for your neck and arms, our boardshort & wetsuit liners are great to wear under a wetsuit.
+Layers, layers, layers. We’ve covered this plenty before with some other basic tips to keep warm in winter, but it’s so important it’s worth emphasizing again.
Using layers to keep your core temperature higher will significantly increase your blood flow and temperature. And that will significantly increase how long you can stay out in your favorite element. Using our amphibious compression shorts under your wetsuit will do just that. Further, they’re extremely comfortable with their ultra-soft material, and they’re the perfect base layer – guaranteed rash free.
All in all, being out in the cold is bound to happen if you are a serious water- enthusiast and athlete, but being cold and shivering doesn’t have to be the result. Using these tips and tricks might not make you ready to tackle the polar ice caps, but we’re pretty sure your next cold session will be a little toastier.
Here’s more tips and tricks on our blog if you want to learn more from our experience of surviving in, recovering from and even enjoying the bitter cold waters of winter—
Let’s state the obvious here, this is one wave you’ll dream about forever and our crew is stoking to surf it. Chicama is best known for having the longest wave in the world, then you can mosey over to Pico Alto for one of the biggest waves in the world, not a bad place huh? Don’t even get us started on the food there, ceviche for days… Maybe not the “American Dream” but sure as heck the “Watermen Dream”.
We’ll land in Lima take a jumper flight to Trujillo, and by that time the froth sets in. Once we are in Trujillo we hitch a ride to Chicama, the trip usually takes around 45 minutes, give or take how hungry we are. Start the days off with some eggs and bacon, hop on the zodiac and surf until your thighs are too sore to move.
Why do we do this to our bodies? Why do we travel to the ends of the earth all for a wave? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you, but here at Watermen we are hooked on that feeling. That feeling of adventure and being in the ocean, and what better way to travel than with your favorite crew? Maybe we could do without Ryan, since he is notorious for snaking waves.
Next month’s newsletter will have some pictures from our trip. I imagine a few stories of mishap and casualties, more than anything tales of one of the best waves around the world. But for now, we will leave you at the edge of your seat wanting more…
