I paddled out with newly crowned ISA World Longboard Champion and Oxbow teamrider Matthew Moir from South Africa and greeted a host of international competitors and friends outback. Longboarders from France, Brazil, California and Hawaii brought some flavour to the day, and the likes of Duane Desoto, Noah Shimabukuro and Taylor Jenson lit up the place with a content smile and some silky surfing. As the weather cleared and the infamous west coast sun poked through, the action came alive in the water. The poor 2-3 feet swell had not attracted many locals, but keen to gel with the wave before the WLT event begins tomorrow, Harley Ingelby (current ASP WLT leader) and Kai Sallas painted the crumbly faces with fast carving roundhouse cutbacks. Then a few pelicans taught us all a lesson in grace and style as they glided across the back draft of a small set. The surf was poor, but San O has a habit of maintaining a mellow, positive atmosphere in the lineup. 

 

San O is a special place in my personal surf history because I scored one of the most memorable waves of my early surfing days here when I was aged 9. I paddled in, locked in trim, the face mirrored back a searing sun, and the wave unrivalled further than I could imagine. Ever since, San O has been a powerful place for me (and many thousands of other surfers) to visit. The wave quality is not the highest in Southern California, but it’s ideal for longboards and the atmosphere is unrivalled. This is one of the main reasons Oxbow has chosen to host the final event of the WLT right here. I have been looking forward to competing at San O for months, so my first session was a pleasure. After the surf I talked with Nat Young in the carpark and local super stars Colin McPhillips, Taylor Jenson and Josh Baxter. Then I returned back to our apartment in San Clemente with Oxbow team manager Lucas Levazac and British competitor Ben Skinner. We caught up with Kai Lenny and his father Martin from Maui. 16 year old Kai has just joined the Oxbow team and has the talent to become an iconic waterman in the Dave Kalama/Laird Hamilton mould. Kai already excels in all the water, wave and wind disciplines and will no doubt be excited to put his stamp on international longboarding.

 

I paddled out for an evening session as the tide was low and the waves glassed off, surfing until the sun tipped whole into the Pacific. It has been a beautiful first day in California. Roll on the WLT tomorrow morning. 

 

Sam