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and SOMETIMES IT’S RIGHT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD.
Photo: Scott Shannon
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Breaks off Monarch Boil make for fun times. Photo: Scott Shannon
W
ell, it’s a long, long summer, from May to September, but the days grow fine when you reach October. Fall is a good time to paddle the southern California coast, and that is true from Santa Barbara to Malibu to La Jolla and right there in the middle, in Laguna Beach.
Indian Summer is California’s big secret, the best time of year for sun and surf, but without the crowds of summer. Along the coast, the summer fog is gone, the sun is out, the sky is blue, and it’s beautiful. The water is crystal clear; the kelp is in bloom. It’s like paddling over the kelp tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, except this is the real deal. The south swells that have riled the coast all summer are dissipating.
Shae Foudy and Rob Rojas at Monarch, double trouble. Photo: Mike Muir
Drew Brophy laying some style down.
Photo: Mike Muir
“We were looking for some place with a scenic backdrop... Laguna Beach is in our backyard, so we figured why not?”
The North Pacific isn’t quite ready to rumble, and the result is perfect conditions for doing close coastal runs on stand-up paddleboards. Whether it’s Point Dume to Latigo in Malibu, Big Rock to La Jolla Cove in La Jolla or in the case of the Riviera family, Dana Point to the 10th Street Pools; exploring waters closer to home. According to company president Mike Muir, “It’s difficult to get everyone together and sometimes when you mention getting together on the water, suddenly everyone can make time. It was a bonding mission. We were looking for some place with a scenic backdrop that would look good in pictures. Go straight up the coast and explore anything that looked interesting. Laguna Beach is in our backyard, so we figured why not?” Riviera Paddleboards is based in Orange County and some of their most talented team riders are in San Clemente, Dana Point, and Laguna. For this trip, the family and extended family consisted of Taylor Rambo, Rob Rojas, Drew Brophy, Sarah Messina, Shae Foudy, Brian Haag, Thomas Maximus, Jade Howson, Kathryn McCann, Alex Higginson, Tiffany Tudyk, Robert Howson, Rene Bruz, Daniel Russell, Nicholas
- M IK E M U IR Competitive wake surfing between Rob Rojas (front) and Taylor Rambo. Photo: Mike Muir
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It’s always good to see where you came from. Looking back at Dana Point. Photo: Scott Shannon
Nicky Scheel riding the wake.
Poncho gets a much needed drink.
photo: MIke Muir
Photo: Mike Muir
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Photo: Scott Shannon
Scheel, Mike Muir, Brandon Rambo, Mike Baker and Scott Shannon. Paddling 10 miles is not exactly a walk in the park for everyone but going down the coast and stopping at some outer reefs for a surf break is worth it. Adults and kids were on this day trip involving everyone - young and old. Meeting on the beach at Doheny State Beach Park gave an edge of anticipation and excitement as they waited for everyone. The ages of the paddlers ranged from 13 to 51, and they paddled a variety of boards from 10’ 6” to 14’: Race boards, touring boards, SUP surfboards, and inflatables. Because you just never know what the Pacific Ocean is going to do, a 26-foot Power Cat, Double Trouble, supported the paddle. While they waited some of the younger crowd hopped into Shae’s car, (Jade and Alex) blasting music (21 Pilots). In the parking lot, it was cold and foggy. By the time they pushed off for the paddle, it had cleared and was warming. Promises of a beautiful day.
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Inaccessible from the beach but from the water, pools in Paradise Bay where the Riviera Crew had fun. Photos: Taylor Rambo
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OFF THE BEACH AT DANA POINT As we left the beach, the whole crew of paddlers was giddy with excitement. This wasn’t a race, it wasn’t a training paddle, it was simply a fun day on the water. Double Trouble, piloted by Brandon Rambo and Mike Muir aka ‘Muir Man’ and Scott Shannon, Riviera Team Manager on board. Thirteen-year-old Jade Howson was one of the Riviera crew on the beach that morning: “My experience with the Riviera crew on that day we paddled up the coast was unforgettable. I had done this paddle before and thought that it would be a long, hard paddle up the coast, but it turned out I was just paddling with some of my best friends. The conditions were perfect. I live in Laguna so I know when it is a good day, and this was one of the best days yet. When we started paddling in Dana Point, the air was super clear, and you could tell that it was going
to be warm that day.” At roughly 7:30 a.m. eighteen of them, launched out into the deep and dark blue ocean. The first leg was San Juan Rocks, which are about 600 feet southwest of Dana Point. “We set our course and rounded the jetty as a giant flotilla of multi-colored boards,” said Rob Rojas, who has been racing for Riviera since January of 2014. San Juan Rock was the first stop. With a little bit of swell that day, it made “shooting the rock” a little hairy. The rock is split down the middle, which allows for a daring paddler to paddle right between the two halves but beware: there are razor sharp barnacles and mussels on either side. First one up on the rock was Riviera’s own man of steel and brawn, big bad Mike Baker. If anyone knows Mike Baker, he is one of a very
Rob Rojas catching a bump at San Juan Rock. Photos: Mike Muir
Rounding the point towards Strands
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Photos: MIke Muir
Paddling 10 miles is not
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Alex and Jade headed back to Dana Point
select few people who SUP surfs the peak at Salt Creek on a regular basis. If you’ve ever seen him, you’ll know why people don’t mess with him. Baker was the only one who was able to muscle his way up to the very top of San Juan Rock, where he joined a small colony of harbor seals and cormorants who have established residence there. Taking his 12’6” Coastal Cruiser to the top made for a killer photo op. Meanwhile, the rest had some fun paddling around the rock and trying to catch that little mysto wave that breaks around the rock. It’s a crappy wave full of boilers, but it’s fun, especially on an inflatable. Moving from San Juan Rock, the Riviera team doubled the Dana Point Headland, weaving through boiler rocks and reefs that speckle the close waters off the Dana Headland. This is a Limited-Take Marine Protected Area so it’s alive with fish, abalone, lobster and urchins, all hiding and swaying in the kelp and sea grass. There was also a bit of surf in the rocks and over the reefs heading into the Dana Strand area making for some fun, riding the little runners that run North, giving a little energy pulse that makes paddling there fun.
Avoiding the Salt Creek break and confrontations with the local surfers, Double Trouble stayed well beyond the surf line and started doing circles around the group of paddlers making waves. Thinking outside of the box is one of the things this Riviera Family loves to do. It was a highlight of the trip. The best part - if a paddler fell off the wake wave they just had to paddle back into the circle and catch another wave. Following the wake-surfing session off Salt Creek, the Riviera flotilla continued north toward Monarch Point, passing the infamous cliffs that divide Monarch Point from Three Arch Bay and located on one of the most coveted properties in Southern California. If you know the area, La Senda Drive should ring a bell. These cliffs are prime cliff-jumping spots, and Rob Rojas can remember getting chased out of there by Mrs. Robb, the property owner, back in the 80’s and 90’s. They found the water here calm and glassy making for a more relaxing part of the trip. Higginson and Howson took advantage of this jumping in the water to unintentionally swim with sea lions. “It was very clear and three large sea lions were swimming and spinning under us. It was special, fun and
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exciting,” Alex says. Passing Mrs. Robb’s cliff into Three Arch Bay, everyone took to surfing race boards and various SUPs along the shore break on the south end of the bay. It’s kind of an iffy spot as it’s considered a private beach and they don’t want people accessing it even from the water. The wave there is a fun little drainy wave that is a board breaker if there is any size. This is where the Riviera Inflatable came in handy, as it is virtually indestructible, not so good for the surfing race boards. It was only a matter of time before the so-called security guard presence decided to pay a visit but we were conscious of staying below the low tide mark, and the most he could do was watch their antics in disdain. When you look at all of this on Google Earth, after Three Arch you will see what appears to be artificial pools cut from the rock off
10th Street. These pools are natural, making another opportunity for the crew to check them out. Only the locals know where they are so many miss the chance to discover them. But that was as far as this expedition went. By the time they got to 10th Street, they still had to head back to the Harbor. Tired from surfing, paddling, swimming and rock jumping the last leg of the trip was the hardest. Back on land at Doho and adjusting from sea legs the group ventured to Beach Harbor Pizza. Pizza and a cold beer never tasted better or if you were the younger of the mix, a cold soda. It was one for the books well remembered by all. Exploring along the Laguna coast past the 10th Street Pools and up to Main Beach, there are a thousand wonders waiting for exploration. Remember sometimes the best discoveries are right in your own backyard.
...there are a thousand wonders waiting for exploration.
Photo: Scott Shannon
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