Orange County

I had 2 sessions in Huntington Beach today; both fairly unpleasant for the usual aggro-vibe this place is famous for. The first paddle out happened at 6:30 am in ideal conditions: light off-shores and perfect lefts breaking off the pier. The place was packed and intense. It was pretty much impossible to enjoy a single ride. I even had a guy in the line-up purposely bumping into my board with his right elbow in a futile attempt to intimidate; it was frankly outrageous! In the evening I tried to paddle out just before dark. The vibe mellowed out a bit and the crowd was spread a bit more. I enjoyed a couple of radical drops in hollow surf, but still...too many aggro-maniacs in this stretch of coast called OC...