Go to bed early. Rise before the sun. Sip of coffee, check the cams. Drive to your spot. Check waves. Drive to another spot. Check waves. Text your friends up north. Check waves. Drive around for another hour. End up back at the original spot you checked and shoot clean feather-tipped barrels with your friends if you could ever make up your mind…
Sept. 29, 2018
Rincón, Puerto Rico
6 – 9 ft @ 18 seconds
Just after passing the one year anniversary of a hurricane that devastated many parts of the island, we were gifted by mother nature a legendary swell early in the season. The whole coast from Stella to Arecibo was exposed to a buoy reading of 8 foot by 18 seconds, and trust us, it delivered. Rewinding to earlier in the week, we were coming into a full moon and expected full tides and some wonky head high waves.
In Rincón, we had consistent waist to shoulder waves for the entire week prior, but we couldn’t believe what the weekend forecast was calling for. Especially because of the full moon tides, the swell wrapping around the island, and multiple forecasts calling for different wind directions of wind patterns. What we knew for sure was the certain overhead to double over conditions and Saturday morning it was confirmed.
Deadman’s to Indies was barreling, Maria’s had glassy double overhead sets, Dogman’s was working, and the other side from Pools Beach throughout Aguada was holding sizable swell as well. I was talking to a few friends at the beach and they paddled out at Wilderness in the morning and said there were 15-20 foot sets, totally believable. It was a day for the books that is for sure.
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We have been waiting for head-high waves and ended up being blessed with over-head to double-over right down at Parking Lots. I chose to paddle out for the inside left at Antonio’s and there was nobody else out there as where Maria’s and Indicators had a lineup out of the door.
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About 10 o’clock rolled around and the wind started to turn cross to onshore for the north side of Rincón, so we took the next set in and proceeded to check the other side. Maria’s still had a great overhead to double overhead wave, but the wind was making it close out. Paddling out around midday, I sat out there for 45 minutes waiting on the right wave and ended up coming in after one drop. It nearly took me 20 minutes to get out past the break.
It just wasn’t connecting the way it was so perfectly in the morning and closing out heavily, but still, if you were patient you could pick out a gem. I’m a little bit on the other side of the spectrum, I see a shiny wave glistening out the back, take the first one and severely pay the consequences after. I learned my lesson real quick after I got taken over the falls, held under for two waves and barely made it back to the surface. Safe to say I took the next one in.
The waves would stack perfectly, but right when you thought you were in position it would just stand up on you and the floor would just be taken out from underneath you, like if somebody had ripped a carpet from right under your feet. I made it in but the current was so strong on the inside, in a matter of minutes you could have been dragged to inside Dogman’s which is not where you want to be caught on an overhead day.
Overall it was a fantastic weekend. A lot of waves, a lot of fun, I met some new friends, found some new pains, but most importantly we charged a swell that even locals said isn’t normal even during the peak season. I even scored a few photos from unsuspecting photographers. My co-worker Lucas (@lucasmoorephoto) and a new friend Brian (@brian_tobin_photography) from just south of town. Even Tres Palmas was breaking the best many locals have seen in years, I guess it was Mother Nature’s way of giving back after Hurricane Maria had taken so much for so many. I can hear her saying “I apologize, will you forgive me?”.
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Gracias!
Jay Deschene
SASS Global Travel