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The ability to make the waves is highly break dependent. With many spot, it isn't riding the waves, it is being able to paddle out to get to them in the first place. Reef point breaks are usually viable (like Malibu) but beach break - fuggedaboutit.
Back in the day we'd charge big waves. I gave up a hard board for a sponge in my teens, using an original Morey Boogie that was build from a kit that Tom started selling out of his garage in Carlsbad. The biggest I rode was Sunset Cliffs (Indicators) on about a 10-15' day. Reef break with plenty of channels to paddle out in, but about a 3/4 mile effort to get to the outer reef.
Some serious speed down the face but not the nastiest I rode. That would fall to either Marine Street (which is a reef with a shore break that is similar to The Wedge) or Horseshoes, which is a reef just north of Marine. I remember on day that was a solid 5-7'. Easy to paddle out to, but I dropped into a wave, lost my edge, and got drilled by the lip down to the shallow reef, then around and around. Finally popped up just in time for the next wave of the set to land on my head. Lather, rinse repeat, with the 3rd and last wave of the set. Dazed, my buddy paddled over to me and I swam into shore and spent the rest of the morning laying on the sand trying to figure out where I was with multiple gashes in my wetsuit and some lumps on my body.
Hardest place to surf was Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Very cold water, no paddle out channels, and often very heavy surf. I remember watching 25' waves from the parking lot on many a day. The paddle out was daunting whenever it got over about 4', and there was always a side current from the bay tidal flood so you had to paddle constantly in the lineup to keep your position. That said, probably the best wave of my life was had there in Oct '94. A late season santa ana came through and coincided with a clean 4-7' swell. I got a bunch of sick waves, but one in particular was a "my hair doesn't even get wet" tube that went on for what seemed like forever. But was probably about 3-5 seconds.
I don't charge big waves any more, but after 3+ months of daily swimming laps I'm back in shape to at least hit things up to about 5-6' I think. Have to go out this weekend...
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