2009-05-06

Light Wind, Waves and Rays at the Washout!

This afternoon the IWS meters from Salvo north were firing with readings hovering in the mid to upper 20s from the SSW. South or SSW wind is perfect for the Washout, and with a swell hitting Nags Head, as witnessed though the real time web cam, I had to head down to catch a few waves! I arrived at the Washout of find perfect long line peeling waves firing on both the northern and southern sandbars! Size ranged solid chest + in the sets. The outer bar wave was quite soft with crumbly sections though the shorepound was barreling! However, shorepound size was not too bad, and a quick throw of the rig over the barrel got you in the clear.

Wind was light as it backed down while I was out. Slogging 5.3m with the 76 Quatro. If I had a 90-something ltr board, it would have been awesome. Main issue was loss of time spent slogging out to set up for the return trip towards shore to catch the takeoff point. Unfortunately, I spent most of the session slogging into position, though the few choice waves I had were quite fun! If I would have been powered, there would have been many more waves caught! Dano joined me, to catch a few as well.

One other element of today's sesh was the abundance of "sea life" in the surf zone. There were hundreds of rays swimming around in the zone. The water was quite warm within the wave zone, but further out it was cold. Perhaps the rays enjoyed spending time in the warmer water. Fins were everywhere, and Dan and I both kicked around a few soft bodies while waterstarting on the inside. I even hit a few while heading out!

All in all, a fun mellow wave sesh with waves and rays! Hopefully tomorrow the surf sticks around as the wind forecast looks great for perhaps more wavesailing action?!

Here is the GoPro Wide video report:

If you have trouble viewing the video, see direct link.