Back when I first started surfing, I found myself at Tourmaline Canyon in San Diego. One of the first people to actually talk to me was Black Mac. Those who knew Mac would not find this surprising, but that’s another story. Well, I became friends with Mac and shared many great surf sessions with him over the years before his passing. One of the things I remember, and use every time I surf, was Mac’s knowledge of the ocean, swells in particular. Sitting in the line up, Mac would often expound on the mix of swells on any given day and impart the ability to differentiate one form another within the mix. More than once, when a big south was called, but wasn’t really showing at the beach, Mac would point to the horizon and sure enough, you could see the waves marching past on their trip to more northern landfalls.

Today as I sat in the lineup, I noticed a pattern amid the windswell slop and decided to paddle a bit farther out, over a bit of structure, and wait for an occasional set that seemed to be a little taste of the south that is filling in tomorrow. Within a few minutes, I was on a nice left, larger than average for today, rollercoastering around a few sections, and thinking of my old friend Mac. Miss you buddy.