Do you like bigger surf?

[West81]

Man that brings back memories.

Also Portugal. Paddling out into huge storm surf with my 3 friends to make it out back and discovering I am the only one. Friends all gave up and returned to shore

So There I am by myself in these huge waves. The first time I was actually paddling up wave faces for several board lengths. Way, way larger than it appeared from the boulevard.

Not going to lie, I was scared to the point I could hardly move. Dodging sets I let myself drift for a kilometer to where I knew was a large bay where I could paddle in. I had one final option to get a good one but I was too frozen to stand up and just proned it inside.

Eventually made it back to shore and lay on the beach for 20 minutes just thankful to be alive

 

[Outside]

Yes, Few things will put your heart in your throat as fast as paddling up a rising face and trying to get through / over it before it gets vertical. During a particularly sketchy hurricane swell at the tip of Long Island, there was a torrent of a longshore current, jumbled big peaks and a shifty wind. My wife and I counted one hundred plus surfers on the beach watching. One surfer was trying repeatedly to get back to the beach but was sucked back out time after time to the washing machine of the inside break. I didn't time him but it went on for a while. Things started looking bad since it was obvious that he was running out of stamina. The cycle repeated itself over and over until a rogue wave washed him up and over the cobble / boulder beach and he scrambled up the beach with his board dragged by the leash, dropped to his knees, put his head down and kissed the sand.

 

[ParSurf]

I enjoy most waves, knee high to DOH. It's funny because towards the end of summer I am always ready for some bigger winter swell and about halfway through winter I am ready for some smaller summer swell.

My personal definition of big waves up here in the PNW is when the sets are consistently head and a half. I sit outside and pick off clean-ups that are usually in the DOH range. generally speaking in theses parts there are very few places that handle much bigger than that. It takes a pretty long period from the exact right direction to make most areas enjoyable to surf. Sure you can catch some bombs in the middle of chaos on occasion but its generally not worth the struggle to me.

This last Friday the forecast looked to be easing up and I was excited for some head high surf as opposed to the macking conditions i have been surfing between 30' storm seas. Pulled up to the spot and it was still solid overhead but actually cleaned up enough to be a little more relaxing. Sat outside with a couple buddies and party waved a few solid ones. caught about ten waves in about 3 hours and had a blast.

Video below was from several years ago when the stars aligned. 8'@18+ seconds, from the exact right direction. One of the best days I have had out there. very seldom does it look like that. Video is edited from a surfline cam that has been gone for ages. Locals destroyed the cam to keep us valleys off the waves. Fortunately for me I know whats going on from buoys and don't need a cam to paint a picture...