Category: Free Inquiry

After losing my surfing streak to being busy and poor conditions, I decided to check out the waves on Saturday, though the conditions weren’t super promising. I made the venture out as I knew it was my last opportunity to surf before my technology class ended. We decided to check out a new spot that I had never surfed at before, though the waves seemed to be too small, and since it was on the way to Jordan River anyways, we didn’t waste much time. We decided to keep driving as Jordan River seemed more promising. Unfortunately, that was a false evaluation. When we got to Jordan River, the waves were messy and the tide was very low, making it difficult for me to surf. I had to make a decision, was I going to try to surf bad waves at Jordan River or go back to the other spot and risk not being able to surf at all?

I ended up deciding to go BACK to the other spot, and walk further down the beach. We watched the waves for awhile, evaluating whether it was worth putting our suits on. Perfect little waves every 10 minutes rolled in, but it was still really shallow. With our time constraint, and the risk of not catching any waves, we decided against going into the water, though I decided that next time I surfed I would come back and try this new spot out. Although I didn’t get to surf, I experienced what many other surfers have to go through, by evaluating the wave situation and making the gamble of staying put or checking out a new location. Though it didn’t work in my favour, I’m excited to have found this new spot and be able to try it out the next time!

On Saturday morning at 6:00 am, my boyfriend Justin and I awoke to start our journey to Tofino. The purpose behind the trip was to apply for jobs for the summer, but we couldn’t go all the way to Tofino (5 hour drive) without getting a surf session in. 

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After dropping off our applications, we parked in our campsite for the night at SurfGrove, and got ready to surf on Cox Bay. 

The waves that were in the “back”, meaning where the wave was being formed out, further in the ocean, were HUGE. They were powerful and high, meaning sometimes I would be swept up by the tide suddenly rising for a big wave crashing much further behind me. These moments were a little scary for me as when it happened I could no longer touch the bottom. Surfing in Tofino is a much different experience than surfing the South Island waves, and this was the first time I had surfed in Tofino since all of my practice at Jordan River. Although I really enjoyed the soft sand at the bottom compared to the rocks and seaweed, to my surprise I missed the waves at home. One major difference between Tofino’s waves and Jordan River’s, is that when there are bigger waves in Tofino, there’s not much opportunity for me to catch non-crashers, making it less of a challenge and less fun. At Jordan River, there’s more opportunities for me to catch non-crashers. Part of this is due to the fact that Tofino and Jordan River have different “breaks”. Jordan River has a reef break, meaning there are only wave breaks in certain spots. Tofino has a beach break meaning the break happens across the whole beach. I caught crashers the entire session aside from one very small non-crasher. Since the conditions weren’t great for me, (strong tide, only crashing waves, messy) and since I broke my leash, I only stayed out an hour before my boyfriend and I headed to a different beach for him to surf better waves at. Overall, I had a good time since I could tell my confidence since the last time I had surfed in Tofino improved, but the waves weren’t the best for me to practice on. 

My goal for next week is to start trying to pop up without using my knee to help me up. This video, with the help and guidance of my boyfriend will be how I hope to achieve this goal. 

Overall Confidence : 7/10

Conditions: 6 foot swell ? (tofino)

Busy: No (not for tofino)

Best Wave of Session: Crasher 

Length of Best Wave: 10 seconds

Session Duration: 1 hour

It’s officially ‘reading break’, which I initially thought was going to be a great time to surf since the weekdays would be the best time, but sadly the waves didn’t get the message that I had the week off. Initially, me, Jordan and Katie had planned to spend the night at Jordan River so we could surf in the evening and then in the morning of the next day. The temperatures though kept dropping, and before we left in the morning, we decided it would be too cold to sleep the night in a tent when the temperature was estimated to drop to -4. 

The conditions were supposed to be pretty good, some of the best waves for us all week (4-5 foot swell, and glassy with little eastward wind) but unfortunately when we got out in the water it was a lot choppier than we had expected. The tide was mostly out when we got in the water, but as the ride came up the waves got a little bit better. The wind turned eastward though, therefore the waves became mushy and almost un-surfable. Some of the white wash was easy to catch, but the non-crashers were a challenge as the swell wasn’t too big, and the waves died quickly. We did, however, have a curious visitor who kept popping up. For about an hour, a seal would pop its head out of the water and look at us wading in the water. Sometimes, it would pop up closer to us than before, which freaked us out a little as we didn’t want to get in it’s way or have an accidental run in. A few times, when the tide was coming up, we would step on seaweed, and freak out as we thought that soft mushy thing could have been the seal. I didn’t catch many waves, and it became frustrating, not to mention freezing! It was -1 outside, so after two hours in the water our hands were frozen (even with gloves!). My best wave was a small non-crasher that lasted a very short amount of time. I do believe that if we had ventured further out, the waves would have been better, though I felt a little uncomfortable, especially being we were the only surfers in the water. This session we tried to stay on our boards as much as possible, paddling around and getting the feel of what it was like to not touch the ground, partly because it was a good time to practice as it was becoming a bit deeper, and partly because I didn’t want to step on the seal. It felt good to be able to mostly paddle, and it reminded me that I’m definitely improving! Although the waves weren’t great, it was still a great day as I paddled more than ever, and had fun with friends. 

Getting changed out of my wetsuit after was probably the hardest part of the whole day. All of our hands were frozen, which is the reason I don’t have photos of us getting ready to leave after the surf session. With numb hands, we got unchanged as quickly as possible. Then we turned on the heat for a while in the car before heading to a point on the beach where we could have a fire and some marshmallows. We warmed up by the fire, and watched an amazing sunset with our friend Carmel and her boyfriend, who just so happened to be up at Jordan River. Having the fire after was a wonderful way to end the day, and I think it’s something we will have to do again.  

Overall Confidence : 7/10

Conditions: 5 foot swell

Busy: No, no one else there! 

Best Wave of Session: small non-crasher 

Length of Best Wave: 5 seconds

Session Duration: 1.75 hours

I guess Wednesday’s are dedicated to surfing now. Though I’m proud I’ve kept my surfing streak up, I definitely want to use one of my free Wednesdays to do something else one of these days! Although I’ve still been loving surfing and the process of learning to surf better, it definitely is a bit defeating when you get all the way out there just for there to be sub par waves. That’s what happened this sunny Wednesday afternoon. 

At 1:30pm we (me and Katie) set out on the road after stopping at a gas station to fill up and grab some ice teas and cheezies as a post surf snack (good decision). We decided we needed to have a surfing tradition, and we may have decided an iced tea post surf was going to be it, but we’re still working on that idea.

Once we got to JR, we noticed it was a little choppy, though the forecast said it would get glassy later in the afternoon. We suited up and got into the water, which was deeper than I thought it would be. There were 4-5 other people in the water with us, so it was busier than we had seen in the last few weeks. The waves were a good size for us, but since it was pretty deep it was harder to catch the waves. We tried to paddle as much as possible so we could get used to it, as the better surfers never stand. This completely wore my arms out, which also gave me a better idea of how hard it would really be to not be able to touch the ground for 2+ hours. I could tell I was getting more used to paddling, even if I wasn’t great at it. We tried to venture a bit further out, but I found myself anxious with the thoughts of not being able to touch the bottom if I had to.

The waves were very difficult to catch as they weren’t the most powerful, but I managed to catch about four or five waves, not to mention the blaring sun that made it extremely difficult to see. Although it wasn’t the best conditions I felt I improved confidence wise, and felt more comfortable in the water. The sky treated us with a beautiful sunset, and although a bit frustrated and very tired, we were glad we went out.

Overall Confidence : 7/10

Conditions: 5 foot swell

Busy: Somewhat

Best Wave of Session: Crasher wave

Length of Best Wave: 12 seconds

Session Duration: 2 hours

Thankfully, my term this semester allows for Wednesdays to be a free day from classes. Since it’s my brother’s birthday this weekend, as well as one of my first shifts at my new job, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to surf this weekend. Since I knew this, and the conditions looked good for Wednesday, I decided to use my day off to surf! There was a 6 foot swell in the forecast, which turned to 7 the day of. Me and my friend Meagan set out at 2 pm, and arrived at Jordan River at 3:30. Once we were changed and our boards had been waxed, we were able to get in the water at 3:45, meaning we had an hour and a half of daylight. From afar the waves were looking small, but as soon as a set rolled in, I was excited to see they were looking to be the perfect size for us. 

When we got out to the spot I usually surf at (“River Mouth”) the two other people out in the water who were surfing at “The Point”, decided to make their way closer to us, but at least they were far enough out that we weren’t having to avoid them the whole session. As soon as we started surfing, I became increasingly excited about the conditions. Right away, I caught a non-crasher! I was having such a blast, until a set rolled in. We were creeping further and further out as our confidence grew (mine at about an 8/10 at this point), until I realized we were over estimating our strength. I could barely touch the rocks underneath me, which had me struggling to get on and off my board, which meant I was also unable to jump over waves. Being able to surf without touching the bottom is a milestone I’m striving to achieve, but this day was not the day for that milestone to be reached. Just as my confidence had peaked, I was humbled by a wave that crashed on my head and sent me spinning underwater. Unfortunately, I haven’t learned how to hold onto my board and “turtle spin” when a wave hits me, so instead I panicked and threw my board to the side, sending it up and almost landing on my head. Just as I tried to go further into shore to get away from the set, another wave came down on my head as my heart beat faster. These were some of the biggest waves to crash on me, and it made me realize I may need to work on my swimming skills at the pool, since it’s been awhile since I was actually good at swimming. My confidence went way down after being hit by the waves, since I was spooked as well as frustrated. I decided to head a bit further in and catch smaller non-crashers the rest of the day, while still testing my confidence with a few bigger waves throughout the session. After a little while I was having lots of fun again, and caught my best wave (maybe ever?) near the end. I rode the wave to the right, and went almost completely back to shore since the ride lasted a good amount of time. 

Aside from a jet skier ripping it towards my head, and being hit by those two waves, it was a very successful session, as I faced some fears and caught the most non-crashers I have ever caught in one session. Even though it wasn’t perfect, the day ended well with Cheezies and overall good vibes. I’m more excited than ever to get back in the water and improve!

Overall Confidence : 7/10 (majority)

Conditions: 6.5 foot swell

Busy: No 

Best Wave of Session: small non-crasher 

Length of Best Wave: 15 seconds

Session Duration: 1.5 hours

A large swell is forecasted for this coming weekend, meaning not ideal conditions for a beginner or someone of my skill level. Thanks to the handy dandy surf forecast online, I can avoid getting demolished in waves I’m not prepared or equipped for. Since the conditions were looking perfect for us, we decided to cancel plans we had for Wednesday and make the journey to JR (Jordan River). The forecast showed glass and low winds, as well as wave heights at 3.5 feet. Perfect for beginners or intermediate surfers.

 We left later in the day, due to work, and arrived at JR around 2:30. This gave us two and a half hours of daylight, the perfect amount of time to get ready, surf, and unchange before losing all light. There was one other surfer in the water, paired with clean, perfect waves, making for great conditions. We were ready to redeem ourselves from our disappointing Sunday surf! We changed into our wetsuits in record time, just as the only other surfer made his way back into shore! It was just me and Katie and the waves, that is for a little while. We were both able to catch a few waves before another man showed up, which included Katie catching her first non-crasher. Before anyone else had taken our waves, I was feeling quite confident, probably 7.5/10. The waves were a fun size, with the perfect amount of thrill and security. Unfortunately our perfect conditions were jeopardized when a much more skilled surfer took the spot behind us, meaning we had to get out of his way for the most part, giving us both major anxiety, as the surfing community doesn’t tend to be the most patient towards beginners, and ‘kooks’. 

We managed to catch more waves, but also managed to get in his way, dropping my confidence level down to 6/10. I caught a few pretty good non-crashers, one of which I rode while I stood up, and the others on my knees. After Katie hit her hand on a rock in the shallow, she headed in while I surfed a little while longer. A milestone I had never achieved before; surfing alone at Jordan River! Once we were out of the water, the man surfing behind us mentioned we should watch some videos from “barefoot surfing”, a youtube channel helpful for beginners. I decided to not read too far into this, as he was either being kind or telling us we sucked and needed to move out of his way the next time, though he seemed pretty nice. Overall, we had a great surf session. We came to the conclusion though, that next time we would try to go out a bit further into the surf, catching the waves in the back. We’ll have to see if we brave it out the next time!    

Overall Confidence : 7/10

Conditions: 6 foot swell

Busy: No 

Best Wave of Session: small non-crasher 

Length of Best Wave: 5-6 seconds 

Session Duration: 2 hours

https://www.sportsdefinitions.com/surfing/glassy/

https://www.gq.com/story/kook-surf-etiquette-guide-2013

https://www.surf-forecast.com/

Early mornings aren’t my favorite time of day, but if it means I’ll have a long fun filled day, you may find me setting my alarm before 8 am. This wasn’t the case for this morning though. Since I was up at Sombrio yesterday, I had to wake up at 6 am the morning prior to today, which meant I wasn’t going to set my alarm once again (especially on a weekend) before 8, even if that meant missing out on better conditions for surfing at Jordan River. 

It was a struggle to even get out of bed at 8:15, but I managed. Jordan picked me up at 9:15, and after picking Katie up, we were off to our third consecutive Sunday surf session. It started to rain on the way up, but that didn’t stop us from wanting to surf. Once we showed up, we noticed the tide was extremely high, with large logs floating about, stealing our waves. We saw a few people surfing in spots we had never surfed at before. We discussed whether or not to get changed into our wetsuits, but after seeing a couple of people catch some great waves we thought we would give it a go. 

As soon as we got into the water we all looked at each other since we had never surfed in such deep water before. We had to paddle out, for real this time since we didn’t have the option to walk with our boards. We felt like ‘real surfers’ which was a total blast until a wave actually approached me. I screamed, saying they were big and scary. I had no idea what to do with myself as usually I would push off with my feet and hop over waves, but with no ground to be felt, I felt trapped and nervous. I thought I’d give a few waves a go, but didn’t catch one. As we were paddling around, I noticed something catch my eye about 25 feet away. It was a seal saying hello! I waved, it didn’t wave back. It then stared at us for a good 20 seconds before it dipped back under the surface, where I feared it would swim under me, or as Jordan said “nibble [my] toes”. New fear unlocked! As more sets came rolling in, my fear of getting smashed by one grew. “We’re out of our league right now!”, I yelled. Katie and Jordan agreed, but we were all ambitious to catch a wave. This ambition quickly diminished after seeing skilled surfers catch the waves coming our way. 

1. We didn’t want to be in the surfers way 
2. We were pretty sure we weren’t going to catch any waves
3. They were larger waves than we were used to, backed up by a strong current and high tide

After contemplating, we decided it was best to abort and have a little swim in the ocean, body surfing the waves instead. Once we got out and changed back into our clothes, the logs had moved from our usual surfing location, but it was too late. 

There is always the chance of the waves not turning out the way they are ‘supposed to’, and that’s a risk we have to take every time we drive an hour and a half to get up there. Unfortunately, the conditions weren’t perfect for us, but we knew there was a chance of this when we left in the morning. Although none of us caught anything, we came a step closer to becoming ‘real surfers’ by taking that risk, and trying. 

Overall Confidence : 2/10

Conditions: 6 foot swell

Busy: No

Best Wave of Session: n/a

Length of Best Wave: n/a

Session Duration: 45 minutes

Another Sunday dedicated to surfing. At 10:15 am, I headed out towards town with the SUV loaded with my gear to pick up Katie. Once again it was a foggy morning, and the forecast showed a promising mid-day surf session. We got onto the highway and headed toward Sooke at 11:00 am, making one wrong turn. Good music was playing, I had a bag loaded with snacks, a car filled with good vibes (and expensive gear), the sun was shining and therefore I was feeling good. After about 40 minutes of driving, we came to a halt. Over the course of the next 40 minutes, we would move inch by inch, being inconvenienced by road work up ahead. After over two hours, we reached Jordan River! The sun went behind some clouds, and the beach was infested with families camping. 

The waves were looking a little small, but we got out there anyway. Neither of us had much luck within the first little while, and we weren’t entirely sure where to position ourselves in the ocean as the waves were choppy and irregular. A wave would come and knock me off my board from time to time, shrinking my confidence. After not being able to catch a wave for a while I was feeling a bit defeated and my confidence in the water was standing at 4/10. After about an hour, and catching a few small waves later, we moved closer to the river mouth. From there, the waves started to get bigger, crashing down on our heads and pushing us forward. We were determined to catch one good wave before leaving though, so there was no backing out yet. When a big set would come in we would look at each other screaming “look at THIS one!”.

 We knew we had to go back to shore soon, as the more advanced surfers made their way towards us, catching those big waves. Katie caught a good one and headed back into shore, keeping her promise to go in after a decent wave. I struggled to continue surfing as I was now alone in the water. A small non-crasher approached and I knew I had to get it so I too could get out and return to warmth. I paddled hard, then caught it and stood up long enough to feel ok with my decision to go into shore. It may have not been the best session ever, but we caught the sunset on the way home and felt accomplished knowing we had gone out on our own, and had spent the day in the water. 

Overall Confidence : 5/10

Conditions: 6 foot swell

Busy: Yes

Best Wave of Session: Very small non-crasher

Length of Best Wave: approx. 5 seconds

Session Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

I decided to start my surfing journey on this foggy, lazy Sunday. A perfect Sunday. I woke up feeling like I may be wasting away this Sunday, by going for a surf that I had planned earlier in the week. Luckily I was proven wrong.

After much effort to get the boards into a car not designed for three 8 foot boards, Katie, Jordan, and I embarked on our hour and then some drive to Jordan River. The conditions were looking pretty good, and I started to feel more of the surfing excitement as we approached. As usual, there was a good struggle getting the wetsuits on, (did it without assistance though! That’s a start) but we persevered. The struggle continued as we loaded boards into our arms and carried them to the beach. Unfortunately my arms were not designed to carry the width of a board, so I had some assistance (thanks Katie). By the time we were in the water, I was excited to have crossed the many obstacles leading up to the actual surfing process, and begin to catch some waves.

There were only two other women out there, who turned out to be very supportive! At the beginning of the session my confidence level was standing at a solid 5/10. Kind of unsure, but kind of excited. I caught a few non-crashers, but not many, perhaps 3. Jordan crept out into the ocean’s intimating vast body inch by inch, pulling me and Katie along until I realized I had never been so far out at Jordan River before. The bravery that she had began to rub off, and having the, both close by, gave me the courage I needed to begin trying to catch some non-crashers. I tried, and failed. I almost got one, and then got scared. But finally, after hearing a voice, a rather familiar one, telling me to “keep paddling!” I let the wave push me hard, while I kept paddling, shouting “WOOOO”. Alright, I thought, now I gotta stand. I managed to get up, maybe not gracefully, but stable enough to stay on the wave. I was able to steer myself into the wave, riding it until it died out. This, I thought, is how I want to feel all the time. After catching that wave, my confidence had a major boost, landing at about 7.5/10.

I caught one more very similar, as the sun set, giving us a reminder as to why we live on Vancouver Island. Drained, hungry, and feeling a sort of calm you can only achieve when exasperating your body in the elements of nature, we all high fived and struggled immensely to get our wetsuits off (I did need help).

In conclusion, it was a good day. The question is, will my confidence remain the same in my next session, or will I lose my courage and have to regain it?

Overall Confidence : 6 /10

Conditions: 7 foot swell

Busy: No

Best Wave of Session: Small non-crasher

Length of Best Wave: approx. 10 seconds

Session Duration: 2 hours