Watch: Lines And Length // Ocean Beach
Quintessential Ocean Beach: Lines stacked from the South Patch to the outer bar, where hooded surfers hunt shoulders on long, sleek guns.
This video has all of that.
Filmed a week ago, during a long period swell with a rare all day offshore, it'll make the purists smile. Those long, sleek boards are primarily for paddling - accessing the outer bar ain't easy - but they also make for graceful surfing.
Comments
...and one more from the same day, including great drone footage.
Opening frame of that clip is why that place looks so gnarly! Whole pack cleaned up by one wave - with two more to follow! Not a channel in sight. you can keep that.....
Some good surfing amongst that.
I was expecting mostly shoulder hopping cutbacks after reading your description.
Americans love their big boards, slightly over gunned maybe? I enjoyed the Clip.
If you ever read Barbarian Days by William Finnegan - he has some horror stories of surfing the place. Sounds like one of those beachies where the paddle out is so bad that half way out you just say "f@#$k it" and turn around. No rips, no channels, strong currents, deep trough then another sand bar - AND its freaking cold. So I think the excessive board length is just for paddling not wave size.
Sounds like one of those beachies where the paddle out is so bad that half way out you just say "f@#$k it" and turn around ... then find the tide has changed and you can't get back in!
Yep, great book. Love he's open about questioning whether he really wants to surf that place.
Thanks for that Bungan33, I think you are right..
Not to mention paddling into that strong offshore wind.
a trip to Bells will have you including Australia on that list.
Heavy Water...Some Big Lefts Suitable for Lewis Samuels ...
Beautiful waves. Great drone footage.
You can see there's that temptation to ride in further but the consequences of not kicking out cleaning and paddling your guts out for the horizon are real. Hence the big boards --> solid beach break surfing is some of the most challenging surfing there is - you have to be so fit!
Appreciated swellnet.....
The kind of place you need to experience when it’s pumping at least once I think.
After the Barbarian Days chapter on OB it’s almost become like a bucket list wave for me.
Some of the footage floating around YouTube of it is unreal.
That drone clip was very good.
Ha! After reading Barbarian Days, I had ZERO desire to surf the place!! Sounded like the paddle to wave ratio was a little off for me....
Some very good surfing there on those longer rails, and a couple of speed/positional legends on shortboard on that left bank.
Concur that the 2nd drone clip added an extra dimension and ended up being better, it's a bit like finding a better B side on a 12" single 45rpm vinyl record, like What The World Is Waiting For/Fools Gold 9:53
"and a couple of speed/positional legends on shortboard on that left bank."
Nat Young, I believe.
I recall some advice from MR in an old article on surfing bigger days... "NEVER get the first wave of the set..."
Sounds like good advice for that place!
Big beachies are just so incredible, thanks Stu.
I'd rather paddle out from the Golden Gate bridge than fight that off the beach.
My friend/mentor Tim used to drag me out here in the 70s. Just getting out the back was such a mission. Much preferred our surfs at Point Arenas further north where you just paddle out from the boat harbour. Much respect for the OB locals. Crazy.
Always thought that place looked interesting, in a sharky sort of way
The highlights hide so much.
But pretty rad if you can snag one.
Something swimming in the wave face 1.30 mark?.......or am I dreaming!
Looks like a dolphin. Well spotted.
Epic vid! And agree the Barbarian Days chapter really gives it some context.
One of those surfs where you'd feel like a millionaire on your last wave because you could just ride it without having to worry about how far you were going and what that might mean for your paddle back out