The south-west swell sent super mas olas to the shores of DogLand over the weekend. Saturday started a bit slowly, but the action built as the day progressed. By dawn Sunday, the joint was jumping. Breaks across the entire county of Santa Cruz were pushing peelers across reefs, around points, and over bars. Most cars on the roads sported multiple surf boards lashed to roof racks.

So where was DogMan going to surf? With so many choices, it was both difficult to choose, and hard to go wrong. Didn't take too long to settle on Dave's Place, that reefy point with the broad sandy beach adjacent. By 5AM the session was underway, and the first wave was ridden. Soon a stand up paddler joined the lineup, as well as numerous adolescent seals, otters, penguins and sea gulls.

Truthfully, the SUP guy rode three or four waves for every single wave DogMan caught. But it was all good; one surfer on the inside picking multiple waist-high waves, and one surfer on the outside riding the occasional head high peeler. For close to two hours this ballet played as the tide slowly rose, the sun ambled over the horizon, and an intermittent parade of boats plowed the seas from town to County Line.

Soon enough the party gained momentum, the parking lot filled, longboarders, shortboarders, boogie boarders, and butt surfers all paddled to the lineup. DogMan retired with one more wave to shore. It's been quite a spell since photos of Dave's were featured in the Chronicles, so out came the camera for a few snaps.

The light was low, the sky overcast, so the pictures are less than crisp. An extreme ISO setting of many hundreds was required to support the fast shutter speed needed to freeze the action. But you can get a salty taste of what the ocean offered that morning. In fact you probably got some waves of your own. And then again, maybe you can even see yourself in these pix. All in a summer's morning at Dave's Place. Come again real soon, will ya?

CU Out There,

DogMan