Last Sunday Michael Morris and I made the trek up north to Crescent City to host a paddle for Humboldt County’s kayak club, Explore North Coast. Skies were blue, the sun was shining and the ocean provided several rows of clean and gentle waves. It was the ideal day for a mellow surf zone practice.

Paddling to the waves.

A gorgeous day on the ocean.

The best launch from Crescent City to the surf is from a small alcove behind the surf zone, and as we paddled closer to the breaking waves Michael and I gave some informal verbal instruction to those who had never been in the surf zone environment before.

A wave ready to ride.

The soup zone is a great place to build skills.

We spent the morning playing around in the clean, gentle waves (which I find is often way more fun than the violent stuff). Some surfed forward. Others surfed backward. Some bounced around in the soup, while others rode the long, clean set waves that appeared every few minutes. And the set waves were worth waiting for, as you’d get a very long ride.

More long, clean rides.

Dinner. Thanks Larry!

It was a wonderful day, which ended with tasty Mexican food with friends at the beach and fresh Dungeness Crab to take home.

While I was hosting this paddle, Mark was working hard on our 2013 schedule, which includes classes in lots of different places, a new DVD and the 2013 Storm Gathering. Stay tuned…

Photos by Michael Morris and Helen Wilson.