Going back and forth on the phone with Pacific Northwest locals Eric Akiskalian of Towsurfer.com and Keith Galbraith, we agreed that the forecasts could offer up the goods for ones so wave starved.

With the smell of fresh swell in the air (and thanks to Webair.com, we decided to just go. Surf photographer Matt Clark hopped on the overnight flight with us for this last second trip. He's really found himself in the limelight this past year which is well deserved for such a talent. He's so fun to travel with because he's always making light of the situations and can really lighten those tense moods often surrounding these types of waves.



Arriving, we met up with some of the local crew (Eric Akiskalian, Keith Galbraith, George DeSoto, Geth Noble, Shawn Thordanson, and Chef Jason) for a dawn patrol look at the surf. Everyone was just stoked to get some waves, and we were really impressed with everyone's hospitality and eagerness to paddle into some big surf. This spot was really shifty and smaller than we were hoping for, but it was a great day to knock the rust off and start the season. There were some fun drops, shifty clean up sets, and a lot of sea life in the water. There were whales everywhere, dolphins, fish and a couple sharks providing some creepy moments throughout the day.

© Will Skudin