From - Tue Oct  8 17:29:01 1996
Path: nntp.earthlink.net!imci3!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.erols.net!agate!dog.ee.lbl.gov!overload.lbl.gov!cse.lbl.gov!njtravis
From: njtravis@cse.lbl.gov (Nancy Jean Travis)
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Rocktober Fest
Date: 8 Oct 1996 21:27:16 GMT
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
Lines: 36
Message-ID: <53egvl$kse@overload.lbl.gov>
Reply-To: njtravis@cse.lbl.gov (Nancy Jean Travis)
NNTP-Posting-Host: cse.lbl.gov

Alright! Rocktober is upon us and we had a cranking little swell
to start it off, the whole coast going to 6 foot at 20 seconds.
Sweet. And the Indian Summer heat wave to boot, it was a real
pain putting on the wetsuit in the hot sun but once in the water
you can feel the cool currents coming down with the north swell.

Its probably the best month to be alive in Northern Cali
except one little glitch. Its shark season. And the sharks
up here are really aggro. Friday a Great White pushed two
surfers out of the water, repeatedly nudging them like "Hey
my wave. Outta here!" They got out. Heh. Saturday morn I was
up in Sonoma and saw some pretty nervous abalone divers 
quizzing the rangers. One legenday point break was just
pumping overhead but I was surfed out from Friday at Bo's
and didn't feel lucky in the slightest although I had put about
a hundred miles between me and Noah's favorite sushi bar.

Would you paddle out to the same break where a Great White introduced 
himself to the crew the day before? Nobody seemed too surprised when a
surfer was bit the next day, the shark not being as polite the
second go round.

Call me a wuss, yesterday the Marin reefs were cranking and I ran 
down to surf the Lane instead. The "locals" aren't as heavy down south.
In fact Santa Cruz has gotten incredibly mellow this year.
After Beth Pitts death, there are often flowers at the top
of the stairs were someone carved We Love You Beth. The rules
of surfing have been posted above the arena and the last one
is the best, help each other. Somehow the vibe has gotten really
beautiful. I haven't seen anyone get punched out all year....
I hope its contageous. 


;-)
fang