December 24th, 2009 by admin
After some how surviving the night with 15 pounds of Christmas Dinner turkey in my belly, Steve and I left Nanaimo around 8:00 heading South towards Lil China.
We got to our destination and were greeted by the parking attendant who told us it was pretty flat down on the beach. We got a little nervous because up until that point we still hadn’t seen a single person in the water. It had been a long time since either of us had been in the water so we didn’t even take the recon mission to see if there were wave we just geared up and began our hike. There were a noticeable amount of big trees that had fallen since my last visit there must have been some pretty big wind storms in the area already this year.
We were pleasantly surprised by the sound of nice sized waves crashing as we approached the beach. We turned the last corner and within seconds saw some pretty descent waves coming in. They weren’t quite 13 feet as the forecast projected but the only thing that really matters is that they were rideable!
We went in just before Rock Piles and stayed there for the majority of the day. The day was absolutely perfect. It was around plus 8 or 9, the sky was blue and the sun beat down on us the entire day allowing us to go hoodless near the end of December. There wasn’t one other surfer out there the entire day. Our spectators consisted of a couple of eagles who stared at us from the top of a tree right off the point and a few different families of seals who got a little to close for Steve’s comfort at one time as he had to shout at it to get out of the way as he was riding out a wave.
August 23rd, 2009 by admin
It was the morning after my birthday and we all woke up way too early. (”Das Boot” made an appearance at my birthday party the night before, nuf said.)
Alex, Adam and I were in our truck and Kim, Shane and Steve jumped in the Bennet’s Jeep and we all headed for Chesterman Beach. We arrived to meet up with Rich and Breanne who just walked back up from the shore and informed us it was flat. We caught a glimpse of Long Beach on the way by and it looked descent enough to give a second look. When we arrived there was a pretty good swell and it wasn’t too terribly crowded so we suited up and hopped in. There was an extremely dense fog but the surf conditions were pretty sweet.
Rich, Adam and Breanne peeled off to the right of the big boulder and the rest of us headed to the left. To close to the big rock on either side and you will find yourself in a pretty strong side rip. The conditions were perfect everyone was having a great time except for me. :( The combination of nursing an injured front foot and in all honesty a bit of a hangover equalled a fairly lackluster day in the water. The waves got bigger and better as the day went on but so did my fatigue as well as the pain in the ball of my foot. There was no where else I would rather be than in the water, don’t get me wrong but it is a shame I was there under those conditions. That’s ok, I fully made up for it my next day out once my foot started to feel better.
August 22nd, 2009 by admin
I’ll start this post off by saying Best Birthday Ever! Steve offered to bring me along wakesurfing with him at a friends cabin on Sprout Lake. This was my first time visiting Sprout Lake and I can say it is gorgeous. Kim and Shane got up to the cabin just after we did and after a birthday BLL it was time to prep the boat and hit the water. Shane went first it was my first time ever seeing anyone wakesurf in person and Shane made it look easy.
Next up Steve-O, he was up and riding like a pro right away. I think he was cheating a bit because he was riding his own hand shaped surfboard. Steve is one of the most amazing custom surfboard shapers on Vancouver Island. I was getting fired up because I was up next and would get a chance to ride his most recent work of art. I got up and the combination of the Cadillac under my feet and the thrill of a never ending wave was one of the best experiences of my life! A huge thank you goes out to the most gracious hosts, thanks a million for inviting me in to your awesome cabin and taking me rippin on your stellar boat.
November 6th, 2008 by admin
Raeghzer, Steve, Alex, Steve’s buddy from Edmonton (we’ll call him Ed) and I. Got to the beach in fairly good time. We were greeted with some beautiful 6-7 foot swells coming in sets of 2 and 3 in about 1:30 intervals. Tide was about 3/4’s out. We veered of to the right hand side. About 2 minutes in Al decided to hit her board with her lips (not good).
With all her teeth in tact she was back out playin in no time. This was my second venture out with my new 7′2 M-13 board and after nose diving the first half a dozen waves it was apparent that I have yet to find the sweet spot.
Break time, so we went up and waited for Brooke and Dana to arrive before going back to the beach. When Kelly and I cleared the bush and got out past the tree line it took everything we had just to keep the wind from blowing the boards out of our hands. Craziness, easily 100+ km/h winds. The swells had now turned to pure chop and this was clearly the end of the road for Chesterman.
September 20th, 2008 by admin
Steve, Bob, Adam and myself headed up to Ucluelet to camp for the night. We got to bed pretty late no thanks to the relentless Wombat attacks.
Killer Wombat
Got at it bright and early because our campsite turned out to be a road, so we woke up to move our tents so a logger could get through.
Great day of surfing 4-5 footers in sets of 3-4 every couple of minutes.
Razor, Ali and Lanny met up with us for the second half and the waves maintained all day.
Very first time surfing on my brand new Al Merrick Designed Channel Islands 7′2, M-13. I LOVE IT.
Caught the first wave I attempted and never looked back. Thanks wifey 
