Zen of Surfing Activities@ CSUCI

ZEN OF SURFING WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

Previous Semester- Record of Activities (fall 2004)

Friday, December 10, 2004. Last surf session of the Fall 2004 semester. Class met at Mondos. Conditions were really good with clean, glassy faces of 4-5 feet and a few bigger sets. Slight offshore wind and sunny, warm weather. This final class session was fun for all. Some of the advanced surfers in the class went up to Rincon where the size was well overhead with near perfect form. Ventura Point was breaking with powerful overhead surf as well.
Friday, December 3. Class meets at Mondos. It should be surfable and fun. Due to my being called to an administrative meeting this Friday, Professor Matt Furmanski will be there to guest host the Zen Surfing class in surfing activities. Of course lifeguard Daniel will also be present. Have a great session.
Friday, November 19. Location to be announced depending on local conditions. Your Midterm exam will be given online on CSUCI Blackboard this week. Mid-semester grades will be posted on Blackboard as well.
Friday, November 12. Flat Conditions - No Surf - Class Cancelled. Good possibility of big waves coming this Sunday 4-7ft predicted.
Friday, November 5. Class meets at Mondos. This morning the surf at Ventura County beaches is running about 5-6 ft faces. Mondos should be smaller on the inside break for the beginners and should be fun for all. The more advanced surfers may decide go up to Rincon, after checking in at Mondo.
Friday, October 29. Class meets at Mondos.There is about 2-3ft surf predicted for west facing beaches combined with an extremely high tide that could weaken Mondos' waves. However, we will meet there and assess the situation. If the surf is too small even for the beginners, we may relocate so don't unload the boards until we have checked it out. Let's hope for the best and get back in the water. Today (Thursday Oct 28.) I got some real fun chest to head high sets at Ventura Point. It really started getting better as the tide dropped. It had good shape, some quick and long rights were to be had - semi crowded.
Friday, October 22. As a result of the heavy rain this week, most of the beaches including Mondos Cove are currently contaminated. Therefore we will cancel class tomorrow Friday, October 22. Sorry about that, but I do not want to subject anyone to the possibility of contact with bacteria contaminated water. If it does not rain any more this week, hopefully the water will clear by the weekend and we can be on track again next week. Such is the life of a surfer, nature controls all.
BEACHES CURRENTLY POSTED: (Updated: Wednesday - October 20, 2004 at 2:30 p.m.)As a result of recent and predicted rainfall, the Environmental Health Division is advising the public to avoid body contact wilth ocean water at all Ventura County beaches. Contact with ocean water containing storm water runoff may result in an increased risk to human health. This advisory will remain in effect for 72 hours after all predicted rainfall has ended. See the actual beach postings at the following link.
Friday, October 15 @ 9am Class will meet on CSUCI campus in Art Complex Room AC-3. There is very small surf predicted combined with an extremely high tide at 10:30 that will likely render Mondos and most other breaks FLAT and probably unsurfable. In class we will watch a great Surf Movie “Condition Black” about what possibly was the largest surf ever ridden. We will also have discussion about prior sessions, surfing opportunities for the more experienced surfers in the class, and trouble-shoot any beginner surfing difficulties. We will also learn esoteric surf speak such as "What is a hair farmer, flying swan, cobble applause, eat up, etc?” among many other interesting terms from the surfing lexicon. See you there.
Friday, October 8 @ 9AM: Meet at Mondos (map) Friday we will have a combo of NW and SW ground swells. we are expecting to see some NW ground swell fill in with waist to rare chest high sets. We will hit it at middle tide going down, which should make Mondos break good for the beginning surfers and maybe the outside will be working for the more advanced surfers. It should be fun.
Friday, October 1 @ 9AM. This Friday meet at Oxnard Shores. It is a sandbar beach break.To get there from CSUCI campus you would take Hueneme road (Lewis Rd. turns to Hueneme Road just west of CSUCI).Go all the way 10 miles to Ventura Blvd. Go Right on Ventura Blvd 2 miles to Channel Islands Blvd then stay on Channel Islands Blvd.Go past the Harbor and over the bridge and veer right as it turns to Harbor Blvd. About 1/2 mile turn left at Oceanaire to its end which is Mandalay Beach Road, go right a few blocks to NEPTUNE, turn left, you will see a basketball court and some swings.That's where we will meet.If you want to take the freeway, From CSUCI go toward Ventura and take the Victoria exit. Go left under the freeway to 5th street.Take 5th street right to its end and Mandalay Beach Road. Go left for about 1 mile to NEPTUNE. Turn right to the beach, you will see abasketball court and some swings. That's where we will meet. 9 AM see you there. Will be fun. Go to MAPQUEST, look up Oxnard Shores.
Friday, September 24th @ 9AM, Meet @ "Mondos" our next south swell is due this Friday. It shouldn't be too big, maybe around the chest high zone at best. The beginning surfers in the class will practice paddling into and catching the waves before they break. It should be good conditions for this activity. After we assess the actual size and conditions, the more advanced surfers can decide if they want to surf at a different break. Beginners will definitely stay an Mondos this week. Everybody is required to check in prior to surfing.
Friday, September 17th @ 9AM, Meet @ "Mondos." Swim test, surf break orientation and beginning surfing. Friday is when our next SW swell is due, but the initial size will be small to moderate. This swell is from a moderately significant system that broke off the ice cap near Antarctica last week. Size is expected around the waist high zone for most south facing breaks.
Friday, September 10 @ 9AM, Meet at CSUCI Campus AC-3: Lecture and Film: Wave Dynamics, Beginning Surfing and Surf Safety, Activity: Land Surfing - Pop-Up practice. If you have a surfboard, please bring it to class.
Friday, September 3, 2004 @ 9AM, CSUCI Campus (Art Complex) AC-3: Introductions and Preparation.

Previous Semester- Record of Activities (fall 2003)

Friday, December 5, 2003 @ 9am, Final semester surf session - Class met at Mondos. The prediction was for a strong NW swell to build through the morning. When class arrived at Mondos, the surf was actually very small, so the class caravaned 12 miles south to Oxnard Shores. Upon arriving, Oxnard provided chest high swells with bigger and more powerful sets that were increasing in consistentcy. These waves were coming from a storm system that was forming under the Aleutian's with 35-foot seas. Swells were coming in at 16-18 second periods and were much bigger (over head) by nightfall. Saturday the 6th the NW increased at west facing breaks into the Double Over Head size (10-12ft faces). Both the Strand & Oxnard Shores saw a more direct and consistent impact from 280-290 degrees. Ventura point maxed out at about 2 ft. overhead.
Friday, Nov, 21 @ 9am, Class met at CSUCI Campus, Art Complex AC-3. Friday was a day of poor surf conditions due to predicted small choppy surf and early onshore wind conditions. Subsequently class met on campus and watced the fantastic PBS documentary movie "Condition Black." This film documents the largest sewlls ever recorded in Hawaii during the 1998 "El Nino" year and the attempts of a few big-wave riders to get outside past the huge break and conquer the surf via tow-in surfing. The film also has some excellent scientific information regarding nature's creation of huge waves that travel the planet until releasing their energy on distant shores. Information in this film was included as part of the final exam on December 12.
Friday, Nov, 14 @ 9am, Class met at "C Street", Ventura Point down at the pay parking lot across from the fairgrounds. The waves were not looking too good with a small SW & NW swell mix. The tide was too high again resulting in waves breaking too close to shore to surf. We went to local surf shops to look at equipment then caravan to survey the various breaks between Ventura and Oxnard.
Friday, Nov, 7 @ 9am Class met at MONDOs for waist to chest high sets. The WNW ground swell increased on Friday, but some localized wind swell and some wet weather could be expected. Hopefully we will beat the rain to the waves. We will have another high tide situation as well but I anticipate that the swell will be large enough to break on the outside sandbars. See you there.
Friday, October 31 @ 9am class met at Campus, Art Complex AC-3. Review and preparation for your online Midterm Exam (see syllabus handout). This Friday is not looking good for a surf session. As with last Friday, the swell conditions (that were excellent from last Sunday to Wednesday) are now deteriorating in addition to oncoming poor weather conditions that do not favor surfing. Today (Thursday) the winds are howling ONSHORE, causing extremely choppy, blown-out conditions as a low pressure weather system moves south. This system is expected to arrive here tomorrow with rain predicted to begin around noon. So, for the past two weeks, we are being reminded that surfing is something that can not be accurately scheduled. Nature sets the schedule for surfing.
Midterm Exam will be administered online at CSUCI.blackboard.com.
Friday, October24 @ 9am Class met at MANDOS. Due to extremely high tides the surf was breaking right up on the rocks at Mandos as well as at "C" street Ventura. The class was cancelled for safety reasons.
Friday, Oct. 17 @ 9am Surfing at Ventura Point also known as "C" Street in the "Pay" parking lot near the north end. The experienced surfers surfed at the point near "Pipes" while the beginning surfers surfed further south towards the cove. The surf ranged from 2-4 feet.
Friday, October 10 @ 9am Class meets on CSUCI campus in Art Complex Room AC-3. Class will meet this Friday on campus. We will watch Surf Movies, have discussion about prior sessions, surfing oportunities for the more experienced surfers in the class, and trouble-shoot any beginner surfing difficulties. We will also learn esoteric surfspeak such as" "What is a hair farmer?, flying swan?, cobble applause? or eat up?, among many other terms from the surfing lexicon.
Friday, October 3 @ 9am Surfing at "MANDOS." Class met Friday at MANDOS (SEE MAP). The forecast was for slightly larger surf (possibly waist to chest high) coming from a building NW swell. For the fourth week in a row, the weather forecast is for cool foggy-overcast conditions with a slight onshore wind.
Friday, Sept. 26 @ 9am Surfing at "C" STREET. Class met Ventura Point also known as "C" Street in small choppy surf. The tide was extremely high with waves breaking very cose to the shore. The focus for beginners was on paddling into waves, diving out through breakers, and beginning angle turns. Some of the more advanced surfers in the class went up to Malibu to try to salvage some of the small south swell.
Friday Sept. 19 @ 9am Surfing at "C" STREET. Class met at Ventura Point also known as "C" Street. in fairly small surf. The class had a 100% stand-up rate as all of the beginning zen surfers got to their feet and rode the waves to shore. The learning session eventually became a general surf session with beginners learning to paddle into the waves along side the more advanced surfers.
Friday, Sept 12, 2003 Meet @ "Mandos"- Swim test, surf break orientation and beginning surfing.
>Homework: Attend the new surf film: "Step Into Liquid" Now Showng in Ventura, CA
Friday, Sept 5, 2003, CSUCI Campus AC-3: Lecture: Wave Dynamics and Surf Safety, Activity: Land Surfing - Pop-Up practice.
Friday, August 29, 2003, CSUCI Campus AC-3: Introductions and Preparations