Sewage, seaweed and seals

I'm in California halfway through my skurfing (skiing and surfing) trip. So far the snow has been much more impressive than the waves. In Santa Cruz I was told this was the "worst winter for waves in years."

I spent yesterday trying to figure out the wave at Steamer Lane without any success. It was choppy and shifty. And how do you guys out here surf with all that vegetation (seaweed or sea grapes or whatever it is) in the water? Seems like your leash or board or arm would always be getting stuck on those vines.

Conversation in the water: "Why do you wear those glasses? Is it to keep water out of your eyes so you don't get an eye infection?"

Me: "No, it's so I can see. Are we going to die from surfing in this water?"

"It's probably not the healthiest water."

The best and only good thing about the session were the two cute baby seals floating not ten feet away, happily chomping on the sea vegetation and making baby seal noises halfway between a squeak and a bark.

Oh yeah, and Donavon is staying at my hotel. I saw his show in San Francisco and now he's in SC.

It's been raining here so much, it's been impossible to avoid going in the water after a rainfall, which I know you're not supposed to do. There are posted signs about deadly runoff and avoiding contact with skin. Now I suppose there's nothing to do but wait and see if my skin turns green or I mutate into some sort of sea monster, or just get hepatitis or the nasty sort of malady I contracted in Malibu...

It just started raining again but I am going back in today, my last day here. If I die I die.

The good thing about surfing in sewage, I suppose, is that it keeps the crowds down. Yesterday I was told Steamers was unusually uncrowded. It seemed pretty crowded to me with at least fifteen people out (one other was a woman). I was surprised that so few of us were getting rides. Only a couple really good guys were. There was a degree of ineptitude I didn't expect at such a renowned break, except from myself.

Well, at least the water temperature is balmy compared to New York.