Is there ever such a thing as too offshore (for surfers)? The weather forecast predicted wind gusts up to 40+ mph which was bad news for the wildfires but exciting news for surfers and surf photographers. I heard the wind howling in the early hours of the morning. At the crack of dawn, I put on my wind breaker and headed out to see how the ocean looked. Most of the smoke had blown south, allowing the morning light to shine through. The wind gusts were so strong it felt like a sandstorm at the beach, causing difficulty standing up straight at times. The swell came up and I could see the inside current ripping south. A few dawn patrollers attempted to paddle out. The wind was substantial enough to create offshore white caps, and caused the lips of the waves to be very crumbly. Once in a while admits the chaotic looking sea, a gem peak or left would appear. It didn’t take long for sand to get into my eyes and all over my camera; I quickly took some shots and returned to shelter.