Yokes is no Joke

Went with my classmate Adam to Yokohama Beach for my first time. He's always going on and on about that spot so I figured it was time for me to check it out. Nowhere else looked that great and the new NNW wasn't supposed to build until tonight-tomorrow so we thought we might get lucky out there. It's pretty much the end of the road so even if it sucks you feel like you gotta get some in exchange for the hike.

It was pretty good. Inconsistent but super fun when the sets came. Tide was going down, which Adam says is when it's at its best. I don't know, the reef out there is as gnarly as it gets, considering the punch that wave packs. Looks so calm and inviting from the shore, but when you're out there, the wave sucks back hard at the last second and runs down the line really fast. The water is so clear and you see all of these massive coral heads just staring back at you. Just gotta be good with wave judgement at that size, I guess. Maybe breaks a little further out, in deeper water when bigger?

Definitely a unique set-up out there. Nice expansive beach, very sunny, not crowded (although I heard it can be), very localized, winds shifting all the time. Went from glassy to onshore briefly to side-offshore from one direction then finally the other direction as the trades kicked in hard toward the end. Fun wave, though. I'm thinking punishing during big swells, though. Will have to see how much I can handle this winter.

Had a couple bodyboarders and a couple surfers. This one guy, the kind who you know is running things at the spot, gave me a couple of really good ones that he was too lazy to paddle for. Those were probably my two best waves. I really have an advantage and get a lot of waves that other spongers (probably surfers, too) don't get - I kick hard, have big feet/fins, I know how to use the tail boost really well, and my board is freakin' fast. All that gets me into a lot of waves that a lot of people kick for but can't seem to make.

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