Saltwater for Breakfast

December in SoCal seems to be the perfect time for some big waves. Over the past three years, the day after Christmas -- literally the same day -- has been a big day. This year, not as big as predicted, but in 2023? It was huge . It was the 10-12 foot waves at Blackies that year that blew my mind! I wrote about how we got wiped out in a surf lesson the day before the big surf arrived, because we got caught in the leading edge of the swell. These December big surf events are

When I paddled in the other morning to say goodbye to Surf Sister Ashley, I stepped off my board and into a pile of seaweed hiding underwater. After a short scream and awkward squiggle out of the gross, scratchy pile of slimy stuff, I hugged her and paddled back out. I was on my own in the water for the first time in a long time. It was a Wednesday morning with Very Small Waves with a Long Wait in between them, so not many people were out. It was incredibly peaceful. I looked

Blackies parking lot on a Saturday morning is hopping from 5 am onward into the night. When I arrive in the summertime for dawn patrol at 5:30 am, it is difficult to find a parking spot. The fish market is open and there is already a line halfway down the lot. People leave with bags of fish, sea urchin, octopus, and shrimp freshly caught by the latest people in a long line of fisherfolk who have been working near this pier since at least 1888. The Dory Fish Market is notabl