The winter hustle in these parts is nothing to do with crowded line-ups. It's fighting the elements and winning the debate over whether you should or shouldn't peel on a slightly damp wetsuit and paddle out into an icy ocean with only the bracing certainty of a southerly wind chill to greet you. Yep, that's a tough ask sometimes. It comes down to two things: are you hungry enough for a surf? Are the waves good enough to warrant the paddle out? Tick both those boxes and you'll have one of those surfs that you'll remember for a very long time.
The grey area here comes down to your scale. Is 5 out of 10 worthy of paddling out when it's 5°C with a -2°C wind chill? Or does that kind of demand something more in the 8 range? Or a 7 if your wetsuit is actually dry. Everyone's scale is different.
This past week I saw a lot of 5-6 out of 10 line-ups with hardly a soul around. Surfers would often turn up, get excited by the first set, feel the cold wind whip straight through their jackets, jump back in their car and bail for a coffee instead. Fair call, but that's what makes these winter sessions so memorable.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Emerson's are throwing a party to celebrate the launch of their latest brew: Into The Valley. Come and show your support for Glenn Sutton before he embarks on his journey through Death Valley. There will be free samples of Into the Valley matched with a lovely Whitestone Blue Cheese Ravioli. We've heard the Whitestone Windsor Blue Ravioli is something special and the perfect match for the Into The Valley raspberry sour. See you there: Emerson’s Brewery 5pm, Friday, June 28.
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