In keeping with my 2025 Theme and Nuclear Surfing Plan, I spent the first week of February in Pacific Beach, California. I scored a deal on a hotel that was steps from the beach. After I logged off work each day at 3 pm PST, I donned my wetsuit, grabbed my board, and went surfing. I also squeezed in one “in lieu of lunch” surf session and one morning session.
My playground stretched from the iconic Crystal Pier to the equally iconic Tourmaline Surf Park. Conditions varied day to day. Some sessions were reminiscent of a summer day–the sun was shining, the air temperature was about 70 degrees, and thanks to my wetsuit, I could make no distinction between the winter water temperature of 56 degrees versus summer temperatures that would be about 10 degrees warmer. Other days were overcast. On some days the waves broke quickly and didn’t provide much a line, and on other days they were better. Typically waves ranged 2 – 3 feet, which is about the right size for me.
The stretch of beach was 2 miles long and Old Man Winter kept the crowds away along with the fact that I was mostly surfing weekdays. I had plenty of room to do whatever I wanted. I could focus on my surfing! I didn’t have to focus on trying to beat someone else to a wave (usually an exercise in futility) or on not getting hit by a somebody’s surfboard in a crowded line-up. Thank you, Lord.
Interestingly, my back, which has been in chronic pain since September 2024, didn’t bother me at all, surfing. Again, Thank You, Lord. My weak point turned out to be my forearms of all things. I quickly developed an annoying sensation in my forearms akin to shin splints. I guess those muscles and tendons were being used in ways to which they were not accustomed. I have thus made forearms the priority of my exercise rather than continuing to relegate them to an afterthought.
At any rate, I had more fun surfing this February than I did in July, October or November. I had the space I needed and decent waves. Also, I appreciated the beach break–no jagged rocks painfully to walk over or to land on. Furthermore, the depth of the drop-off from the shore to breaks was gradual. Thus, I could walk most of the way to many waves and thus preserve energy from not having to paddle so much. Again, Thank You Lord.
Oh, and I musn’t forget, after floundering on more advanced boards in July, October, and November, I went back to my 8 foot foamie, and it did me a solid.
For the next step in my 2025 Theme and Nuclear Surfing Plan, I have purchased an insurance policy that covers healthcare outside of the United States and specifically insures risks associated with surfing. I’ll have the downside covered as best I can so I can focus on the upside. In the meantime, I’m working on developing Popeye forearms!
With Love,
P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present