surf session photo from october 27th 2008 in Alaska

The 27th, Monday, brought some surprisingly nice chest high waves to Kachemak Bay. The photo above was a quick snap before I ran down the beach with a surfboard, leaving the camera in the car for this session. The photo doesn’t really do the waves justice. First of all, I was too impatient to wait for a good set, and the best waves where actually around the corner on a little sand bar. For about 30 minutes the little swell stood up against a light offshore on the sand bar making some beautiful, hollow chest high waves. Then the tide rose too high and they went soft. Some of the guys stayed right there on the point (see above photo) and got some nice, pretty long rides while another friend and I were out prospecting around the corner.

Monday was the first day the water started to feel a bit like winter. Up till now we were enjoying warm fall water, but with several straight days of below freezing air temps it’s clearly over. No complaints though, the sun was out and the breeze was offshore. I’m still happy wearing 2mm gloves and am yet to leave the beach feeling hypothermic this season.

The forecast is not looking very promising, so perhaps I’ll sort through a few of the other surf sessions we’ve had in the last couple weeks as I wait for the next swell.

It hasn’t really been THAT long since we last had waves. Only a few days really. But yesterday afater my brain had gone to mush and any chance of productivity had left me, I left the office and went to try out an idea that had been brewing for a while – tie a line to a bridge, jump on a surfboard and hang on while trying to surf standing waves. It all seemed a bit fantastic in my mind, but even I figured it might not actually work out. Talking about it certainly wasn’t going to resolve my curiousity, so off I went to our nearby river.

I took my handy pocket digi cam (canon G9) and recorded this fine film:

It was better than sitting at home. With a faster moving river and larger standing waves I think this could be pretty fun. The board I was riding is an 8’6″ and barely kept me afloat. Maybe I’ll go back when the river is flooding some day.

Fall morning with glassy waves at point Carew in Yakutat, Alaska.

During a week long surf trip to Yakutat this fall we had one partly sunny morning. Not the best waves that morning, but certainly some outstanding scenery!

Nothing happening for waves in Kachemak Bay (Homer) Alaska today.