Storm Surfing

...GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING...

TODAY...S WIND RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 5 TO 7 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN DEVELOPING. .TONIGHT...S WIND 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 7 TO 9 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN. NOAA WEATHER SERVICE.

So what where we doing out in the surf on a day like this? Hard to say, other then it’s been too long since I’d felt waves in my face, and although the winds where forecast to build during the day the surf was just overhead that morning.

What a transformation Westport goes through once the summer season is over. The campgrounds are virtually empty, and the town itself takes on a ‘ghost town’ feel to it. Most of the shops are closed with just the occasional dinner feeding the fisherman from the docks. The only noise to be heard is the sporadic bang from the boat yard, but even that seems somehow ‘hollow’ as the winds quickly cover the sounds.

When we arrived Friday afternoon the weather was looking stunning, with the sun peeking out from the scattered clouds; but we knew it was to be fleeting as the forecast told it all. Although the winds had yet to arrive, all the seabirds where already huddling together on shore as I’m sure they knew what was in store. We saw large flocks of Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis) and Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) milling about near the high tide mark.

The next morning the weather was ominous to the west, but with luck, we’d have a couple of hours of surfing and filming before having to flee the beach. We spent the morning taking turns filming both the building storm and each other, but it was obvious as the wind strengthened to BFT 7, that we’d have to call it a day. Huddle in the tent during one of our breaks, we had to shout over the noise of the wind buffeting the fabric so we took that as our clue to head back to the hotel and hot-tub. It certainly was a nice treat to soak in the hot waters after such a fun and exciting morning.

When time allows I’ll edit a short video and post it here.