San Francisco is not a surf town. To confirm this, simply pick up the phone and call Wise Surfboards' surf report, updated every day at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. There you'll hear the bored, dejected voice of one of the shop's employees as he describes the surf at Ocean Beach, which is almost always "blown out," "unridable," "lumpy," or "messed up." Sometimes, on a better-than-average day, it may be "marginally surfable." But on about 60 days a year, a miracle occurs: Light offshore winds, a low tide, and the right swell combine to create conditions that said dejected employee may refer to as "epic": His summation, "It's a definite surf day out here at Ocean Beach." And what a small pleasure it is to be a part of those days, to hear the near-joy in the voice on the other end of the line. It's a cheap thrill, to be sure, but a thrill nonetheless.
*indicates required fields.
Please enable browser cookies before filling out this form.
All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use.
By clicking Add Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.
Comments may take a few minutes to process and appear on the site.
Please do not click the "Add Comment" button again while your comment is being added.