Linda Mar was cold, windy, grey and the surf was a jumbled mess, but I’m so stoked right now. Today was the first day in many months where I had no clavicle or shoulder pain during a surf session. Woot!

With the road to recovery looking like the end is near – I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time in the water. Thanks to my wife Emily for hanging in there with me and keeping me stoked through this strange period in my life.

See you in the water! :)

#149 / #3 for 2012 2:00 pm

After many months I finally gathered up the strength and the nerve to try out my 10.0 noserider today. We had the perfect conditions at Linda Mar. It was 2 to 3 feet with a gentle offshore wind. While it sounds counter intuitive my 10.0 is always easier to paddle because of its size and weight.

As we headed out Emily went to the outside, and I stayed behind to catch a few reforms which was awesome. After a while I decided to make my first attempt to paddle to the outside. After some struggle with my shoulder I finally made it out. Woot! Just as I got out Emily said, “welcome to the outside again”. I was smiling ear to ear. Funny how such a simple task can make you feel so good. After that my shoulder and clavicle …

It may have only been in the whitewater on a reform, but it was one of the most awesome rides I’ve ever had. After healing from my injuries for a little over two months I’m back in the water. I got three little reforms which felt great. I’m still not 100% by any means, but I can start to re-learn how to surf again. It’s amazing how much I lost in such a short time. My popup was slow and awkward, and I still can’t paddle properly, but it will all come with time.

Glad to be back! :)

#147 / #1 for 2012 2:00 pm

today was an awesome day! for the first time i got up to my knees several times on my shortboard. we got to linda mar at high tide and the set waves were hh to oh. i stayed by the river and emily went down to boat docks to try to catch some real waves. we were out for about two hours and both survived and had a great time. emily caught one nice hh ride, and i caught more stomach rides than i could count. putting on the wetsuit and getting out in the water is really helping my recovery, both physically and mentally. great day! :)

#146 / #52 for 2011 2:00 pm

my physical therapist cleared me to doggy paddle on tuesday, and we were on it today! paddled out on my shortboard and caught some quality stomach rides at linda mar. emily continued her recovery and caught two nice rides at the south end. we both had so much fun!!! i’m still smiling. :)

#145 / #51 for 2011 12:30 pm

in the spirit of the holidays emily and I headed down to the beach to have some fun and get wet. we planed it for low tide and had nearly perfect flat conditions at the south end. A few sets came in now and then, and emily caught her first two rides in over six weeks! It was so awesome to see her surfing again!!!

I took my shortboard today as it is much easier to carry. It’s also a stomach ride catching machine. I caught two nice ones today. getting the wetsuit on is still tricky, but it’s getting easier every day. all in all we had lots of fun, and are super stoked right now. :)

today was my first day back in the water since I visited dr. dave over six weeks ago. i still can’t surf or really paddle, but i was cleared by him to put on my wetsuit and sit in the flats. he’s also a daily oceanbeach surfer and feels that being in the ocean for a surfer can help heal the body and the mind. my physical therapist is also a surfer so i’ve had great advice through my down period.

after surfing on my injuries for a month, i finally start getting treated six weeks ago. after two mri’s and multiple visits to various health care professionals my final diagnosis was that i received multiple injuries on that dreaded overhead day in seal beach. These included, strains in 3 of 4 rotator cuff muscles, damaged a/c joint, flared out …

Stickers on our 11th floor window in SOMA. Looks like art. :)

Hehe. :)

Today was our friend Cynthia’s birthday, so we met up with her for a surf. We had a nice sunny day with some decent conditions. We all three paddled out together with Cynthia positioning herself a bit further inside as she was on her shorter board.

I saw everyone catch several nice rides. I caught a couple of nice rights, one left, and got crunched by a couple of close outs. They waves weren’t that big (maybe shoulder high) but they did seem to have some power. All in all an awesome day!

Once again happy birthday Cynthia! :)

#142 / #48 for 2011 12:30 pm