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NEXT
ZEN OF SURFING CLASS WILL BE OFFERED FALL SEMESTER
2008
ZEN OF SURFING - ACTIVITIES LOG.
Friday,
December 7, 2007. As
you probably know, the past two days have produced
some of the
largest surf seen in California in the past few
years. Some reports said that Rincon had sets up
to 23 feet. Well, the surf is now declining but
still substantial. However, the storm that produced
the large swells is going to pass through our area
tonight (Thursday) and the National Weather Service
predicts heavy rain that could last into the morning.
In addition to the rain, there should be strong
onshore winds. All of this means the possibility
of unsafe bacteria levels in the water and windy,
poor surfing conditions. Therefore, due to the
weather conditions we will not be able to surf and
class will
be canceled.
It’s too bad that after a great semester
we will have to abruptly end the actual surfing
portion of the class.
Tomorrow, I will email you and post on blackboard
the study guide for the final written exam that
will be given online on “blackboard.” The
final exam will be posted early next week and you
will have until next Friday evening to complete
it. Conditions permitting, there will be the possibility
that we can have one last (not mandatory) surf
session next Friday during the scheduled exam period
for those who want to join in the activity.
Friday,
Nov. 30 @ 9AM. Class met at "C Street" Ventura
Point at
our usual spot in the cove down by the staircase, just
south of the rocks. The
surf was really fun waist to chest high or so with
some better sets. It was the
best place for everybody to gather. Kenji recovered
and was back on duty as well.
Friday,
November 23. Thanksgiving holiday weekend - no
class today.
Friday,
November 16 @ 9AM. Class met at “C Street” Ventura
Point and relocated to Mondos.
The Ventura surf
showed overhead sets at the point and a strong rip
current. So we moved the beginners back to Mondos where
there were waist to sholder high sets. When a set came
in and cleaned up the beginners, some paddled back
to the beach while most stayed out and worked to catch
the waves. It was fun for the intermediate surfers
while The more experienced surfers remained at Ventura
Point and surfed the larger waves.
Friday,
November 9 @ 9AM. Class will meet at Mondos. There
is an inconsistent south swell that will
be dropping through Friday. We will have
quite a high tide Friday morning, which
will affect most breaks. We may have onshore
winds with some light fog/drizzle. Meet
at Mondos and we’ll look over the
situation and take it from there. Please
be on time as we may need to relocate after
signing in.
Friday Nov 2, Zen of Surfing class is canceled.
Our devoted lifeguard Kenji injured his knee this week in a non surfing-related
accident. We have been pretty fortunate this semester with the surf and weather,
so take the day off and we will resume surfing activities again next week.
Get well soon Kenji.
Friday,
October 26 @ 9AM. Class will meet at Mondos.
Thursday afternoon (as tide lowered) it was really good (chest to head high)
at Ventura Point and I heard that Rincon was excellent too. Friday the new
NW wind swell should peak (chest high or so for west facing breaks). The tide
though will be extremely, I mean extremely high at 9:30, which will seriously
affect the morning surf conditions. We will meet at Mondos and see what the
deal is and decide if we need to go elsewhere nearby.
Be on time in case we need to relocate.
Friday, October 19 @ 9AM. Class will meet at “C Street” Ventura
Point.
Meet and check in at the same place as we did last week, at the staircase,
off the promanade by the end of the rocks. Friday we should see an increase
in WNW swell with surf up to the waist-chest high range. The tide will stay
in the medium range for the entire class period. The beginners will surf in
the cove area and the more experienced surfers can go up to their point of
choice. We should find waves for everybody to surf at this location.
Friday, October 12 @ 9AM. Class will meet
at “C Street” Ventura Point. The surf was dropping but it was
fun except for the exceptionally high tide we will have at around 10AM.
Friday, October 5th @ 9 AM. Class
will met again at Mondos. Mainly wind swell was expected and that's what
we got. With lot's of wind (25-30 MPH gusts from the NW, the sloppy surf
was about waist high and completely blown out beyond recognition. Nonetheless,
we gave it a shot as everybody was a good sport and surfed in the terrible
conditions. I guess you could
say it was a good workout if nothing else.
Friday,
September 28th @ 9 AM. Class met at Mondos
once again. It was pretty small as recent
swells continued to fade. There was a very
high tide in the morning and It was pretty
foggy, but the water was a comfortable
64. After checking the conditions we relocated
a bit south at "Summer Beach" and
rode waist-high beachbreak surf just north
of Emma Wood beach.
Friday,
Sept 21 @ 9AM. Since
the surf is really small today and rain
is forecast, we will meet on campus in
Bell Tower room 2704. We will go over “surf
speak” vocabulary and learn about
the origin and physical characteristics
of swells and waves. We will also will
watch an awesome surf documentary “Condition
Black."
Friday September
14 @ 9AM, Class
meets at Mondos again (see
map) This
Friday should be a pretty small day for
surf with just knee to waist high surf
most everywhere. The tide will be coming
in with a high tide at 11:16 at 5.13ft
which will really soften Mondos as it rises.
Winds should be light and hopefully it
will be sunny. We will meet at Mondos and
assess the surf conditions. It is possible
that we may relocate slightly south to
a different break after you check in, so
be there on time.
Friday,
September 7, 2007 @ 9AM, Class
meets at Mondos. The first order of business
is the pre-surfing exercise workout and
stretching session, which will be followed
by the swimming test. There will be a few
minute break and then we will begin doing "pop
up" practice on the beach followed
by the first full-water-emersion Zensurfing
session. A new swell is due tomorrow (Friday)
from a storm that formed last week south
of the Cook Islands. We should see waist-high
or below waves at Mondos with light winds
early. So come with your gear, ready to
get wet and have some fun.
Friday, August 31, 2007 @ 9AM, meet on CSUCI campus for pre-surfing orientation
and equipment check. We will watch surf movies and mentally prepare to surf
PREVIOUS SEMESTER, ZEN OF SURFING WEEKLY ACTIVITIES LOG
Friday, December 16, was the final exam (based on things learned in the class and in surfing sessions). It was offered online and available all weekend.
Friday, December 9, 2005. Surf at Mondos @ 9AM. This was the last day of class that took place in the water. The surf was pretty good, about chest high with low tide finally occurring during the class period, so everywhere was breaking.
Friday, December 2. Ventura Point. Thursday the surf was around shoulder high with bigger sets at Ventura Point but it was decreasing in size all day. We are expecting a new NW wind swell about chest high but it could be messy due to wind and rain. The weather forecast says rain late tonight and Friday morning but we will plan to meet at Ventura Point (north parking lot-usual place) unless it rains pretty hard tonight or is raining in the morning (a little drizzle does not count). We will just have to deal with what Mother Nature has in store for us.
Friday, November 25. Thanksgiving holiday, no Zen of Surfing class today. The surf at Ventura Point was 4-5 ft from a new NW swell with glassy conditions that lasted nearly all day.
Friday, November 18 some forerunners from a new incoming WNW swell are expected, bringing occassional waist to chest high + sets to west facing breaks. Class met at Mondos and relocated to Oxnard Shores. There was a strong offshore wind with hollow waves running around shoulder high. It wasa beautiful day.
Friday, November 11. Since it rained pretty hard on Tuesday night and most of the day Wednesday, there is an increased risk of contamination from runoff and increased bacteria levels in the local ocean through a period of at least 72-hours following the end of any measurable rain event. Water contact should be avoided during this period, especially within 100 yards of drainpipes, creek outlets, river mouths, etc. In the interest of student safety, we will cancel the surfing portion of the class this Friday. If it is any consolation, the prediction for Friday's surf is bleak - quite small and it is also a holiday, Veteran's Day, so there could be crowds in spite of the polluted water. However, this is an excellent opportunity for you to use the open time period to study up on your ZEN. So go to the following web page: ZEN and study the information and then follow the link on that page to: www.do-not-zzz.com and go through the online Zen exercises. You will be tested on this information as part of your final exam.
Friday, November 4 @ 9AM. At this point it's a toss-up. There is a moderate NW swell and today and it is supposed to build slightly tomorrow. I surfed Ventura Point this morning and it was about shoulder high on sets. Fun, but the high tide had a softening effect on it. So, tomorrow the class will meet at Mondos and check in. There will be a very high tide during the class that could negatively affect the surf (depending on size). We also need to regroup the beginners and get them back into the action. After checking the Mondos scene we will decide what the plan will be. Who knows, maybe Mondos, Rincon, Ventura or whatever! It's basically up to Mo Nature. See you there. Be on time in case we need to relocate.
Friday October 28 Meet at Ventura Point (same spot as last time see map).You never know until the morning. Yesterday's prediction was a goof and it looks real nice this Friday morning. So if you are available, meet us at Ventura Point. There may be no lifeguard and in that case it won't be an official class meeting but should be real fun.Your midterm exam will go online Friday afternoon and you will have until next Thursday to finish it. The long range weather forecast also looks good for next week.
Friday October 21 @ 9AM. Class will meet on campus in Art Complex studio 3. The prediction for surf this Friday is looking pretty small and since we had the first heavy rain of the season ending Tuesday, it's a good time to let the water clear itself of pollution while we take care of some business on land this week. During the first hour of the period we will review surfing and safety information as well as learn to speak surf lingo.This information will be included in the midterm exam that will be given online via "blackboard" later in the week. The second hour we will see the documentary film " Condition Black" that features important information about the origin of waves and ocean dynamics as well as amazing film footage documenting the biggest waves ever ridden! See you there.
Friday, October 14 @ 9AM.The class met at Mondos and relocated at Ventura Point. The surf was pretty small 1-3 ft with very clean conditions and good form when a set came in. Everybody surfed together and had a good time There was definite improvement noticed in most of the beginners as they are becoming more competent at paddling into waves and standing up.
Friday, October 7 @ 9AM The class met at Mondos and relocated at Ventura Point. There was a new southern hemisphere swell that arrived on Friday mixed with some NW ground swell. Ventura Point was breaking with chest to head high waves with ocassionally bigger sets. The more experienced surfers surfed the top of the point and the beginners paddled out to experience some Ventura juice and rode the current down towards the cove.
Friday, September 30 @ 9AM Class at Oxnard Shores- Neptune Square beach Park see map). From the 101 freeway take the Victoria exit west to 5th Street. Right on 5th Street to the ocean and left on Mandalay Beach Blvd. Go about 3/4 mile to Neptune turn toward the beach. You will see a basketball court right there. Park on the street and meet on the beach just in front of the basketball court. The surf is predicted to be pretty small this Friday. If there is a chance to pick up a swell from the north or south this is our best bet. There should be some mini-waves to ride. If it is too small to surf we will conduct the "academic" portion of the class and learn and discuss"surf terminology."
Friday September23 @ 9 AM. Class at Mondos ). ThisThursday another Southern- Hemi swell arrived mixed with additional southern swells from tropical storms off Baja and near Hawaii. Surf this Friday will probably not be quite as big as it was last week but there will be plenty of waves to ride at numerous local spots. Tide will be rising from a morning low so the conditions at Mondos for the beginners should be ideal. After checking in, the more advanced surfers will probably relocate to Emma Wood or Ventura Point.
Friday, Sptember 16 @ 9AM-sharp. Class meets at Mondos ( see map). There is a new southern hemisphere swell that is scheduled to arrive on Friday and has begun to show at the local beaches. The surf atMondos should be running about 3-5ft (wave face size). The beginners will definitely surf here and the more advanced students can opt to go to another break to find larger surf if they choose to do so after checking in at Mondos. Regardless, it should be fun for everybody.
Friday, September 9. The class meets at Mondo. We will have the swim test and do some pre-surfing exercises and then begin the surfing activities.The prediction is for a new SW swell to begin on Thursday and continue through Friday. Size at south facing beaches will be about waist to chest high. Mondos should be a bit smaller. We will asses the situation and decide where the more advanced surfers will surf as well. Meanwhile everybody will meet at Mondos for roll call and to sign the release forms before surfing. If you have any questions Email.
Friday, September 2, 2005. First Zen of Surfing class of the fall semester. Class meeting was held on campus in Art Complex Studio 3.
We presented an overview of the semester activities and discussed equipment needed and described the breaks at which we anticipate the surfing activities will generally take place. We watched a surf video highlighting the history of surfing.
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