Monthly Archives: January 2020

January 19, 2020 Glory Day

Normally by the time the weekend comes, I’m exhausted from work and just looking forward to being able to sleep in. There’s no time for rest in the winter though, with mostly cloudy skies and ENE wind on the forecast, the day started early for me. Right at the crack of dawn, I stared out my window and saw a familiar faint pink glow on the horizon. I call this the pre-burn, where the sunrise colors would appear, fade, and suddenly become intense. About 12 minutes before sunrise, I paced back and forth in my room debating whether I should run out with the camera or just launch the drone from my back porch. I decided to fly so I could get a good angle in case there were only partial colors. As I got to the outside bar, I noticed groomed peaks and said “god damn, it’s good”. The entire sky lit up, the sea turned pink and purple. The color only lasted for less than a minute and a half before it started to fade. Not too long after, the sky and water was completely drab.

The day had just begun. As the tide dropped throughout the morning, clean, lined up A frames were making it’s way from the depths. A good size crowd developed at Moraga, where it was less walled out. I headed up to the top of the hill as bigger sets hitting double overhead+ appeared. I almost exhausted my memory card within an hour. I was worried about the overcast lighting, but at times the sun almost pierced through the thick layer of clouds, giving my photos a gloomy tone. Today was one for the books.

January 11, 2020 The Intertidal

Low tide was a -1.4ft right at sunset and the swell was mellow so I decided spend the afternoon at Maverick’s Beach in Half Moon Bay with some friends. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot despite the large crowds. We started the walk out the point and the tide was already dropping fast, exposing much of the reef. About halfway to the point, anemones and mussels were visible. I tried to find the sea urchins and perhaps do a little taste test of some fresh uni. Right at the edge of the reef was where it was dense packed with starfish, urchins, rock crabs, you name it. Even though we had waders on, it’s important to be mindful of the ocean; a rogue wave landed us in over knee deep water. We couldn’t stay long, as the temperature dropped fast and the howling wind was causing watery eyes.

It was great to see the Ochre star making a comeback. It’s amazing to see the amount of living organisms in an area where it’s know to be chaotic and tumultuous. I wish I had a bit more time and calmer wind to do some macro work, more reason to go back.

January 3, 2020 Looking Forward

Risso’s Dolphins. January 2020

What did I learn from all these past years? Nothing really matters. 

I used to care about the littlest of things, like what brand of shoes I wore, spend vast amounts of money on material items or spend all my mental energy trying to prove to people what’s right or wrong. I look back at the countless hours spent texting on my phone, or watching random videos on my computer, and getting nothing from it (other than worse eyesight). There is no better time to take back control of our lives. For me it’s simple: spend more, if not all, my time doing what I love, seeing the world around me, meeting new people, and learning. If I’m not learning, then it’s not worth my time.

I started to live by a quote said by one of my favorite authors:
“9 out of 10 concerns are unnecessary” – Martin Lindstrøm

Happy New Year.