trunkin’ it

Here in the good old Pacific Northwest, the water is cold. ALWAYS. To the surprise of many, the water is often colder in the summer time. The way our storm system/ocean current/land temp vs. water temp works means prevailing Northwest winds during the summer season. This causes the surface water to be pushed towards shore which in turn pulls up deep, nutrient rich waters in a process known as upwelling. The water, often in the mid to low 40s, then gets pushed towards shore promising ice cream headaches for a surfer paddling out. Though brutally cold, the upwellings are good for marine life as the nutrients form the basis of the aquatic food chain. Well, for some reason, the wind has been out of the South for weeks which means warm water. Last Monday, I surfed some small longboard waves with a few friends in 63 degree water without a wetsuit for the first time in three years. Pictured here is my pal Jamie, working his way to the nose on a little peeler. Notice the 70s-era Polyester shirt. Jamie is one of the most styly old school longboarders in all of the Northwest.