Trip Report: Surf Zone Launching and Landing, Pacific City, OR

--When, Where, Conditions--
When: August 10th, 2014
Location: Pacific City
Conditions: 3 ft Swell with a 13 second interval 4 to 5 mph winds. The water was cold but it was sunny and 75 degrees.
Duration: We paddled out about a mile to teacup rock and we covered a lot of miles surfing but we stayed in on location.

--Helpful Info--
Difficulty: It wasn't too difficult if you had a drysuit and had taken some basic kayaking classes. Knowing how to roll isn't necessary but it is a nice skill to have.
Kid Friendly? 14 and over.
Pet Friendly? The beach is pet friendly.
Useful Link: Cape Kiwanda Surf Report and Forecast

The Report: I had a Surf Zone Launching and Landing class on August 10th, 2014 at Pacific City. The conditions were great!! It was sunny outside and the waves were the perfect size; big enough to have a good surf but small enough that you wouldn't get clobbered if you messed up. We started at 10 am and at that point the wind was pretty calm. We went over some basics before getting on the water and then we launched. Once we launched, we paddled out towards teacup rock to get a closer view. Once we got out to the rock we noticed some water shooting up. It ended up being the blow hole of a gray whale or what appeared to be a gray whale. The class watched in awe as the majestic mammal popped up 20 ft from us and shot air out of its blow hole. I tried to get a picture but I wasn't fast enough, by the time I got my camera out the whale dove down to where we couldn't see it and swam away.

We started talking to a gentleman who was stand up paddleboard fishing near the rock, and he explained to us that there was a rock at the end of Cape Kiwanda where the whales liked to rub against to get the barnacles off. When we paddled over to the rock I briefly saw another whale surface but again I was too slow with my camera. At this point the wind and the waves had started to pick up and the swell felt more like 5ft and one of the students had started to feel a little woozy, so we paddled in.

After landing we ate lunch and took a little break before going out surfing. The class did great. Everyone was able to catch multiple waves and improve on surfing as well as being more comfortable in the impact zone where the waves were breaking. After the class was over we all went to the Pelican Brewery and rinsed our salty gear off in the shower and enjoyed some amazing beer. All in all it was a great day at the beach.

If you are interested in registering for this class or want more information, follow the link below.