I’m a little disappointed that during our recent stay in Mendocino County I didn’t capture more shots of the high, wild surf rolling in off the Pacific. We had some pretty blustery days, and I’m sure there were at least a few surfers out during the week, waiting in the water for the perfect wave to come along. I never realized how patient these folks are until we stood on the bluff overlooking the Point Arena Pier and watched them paddling methodically out past the breakers and then stoically riding the swell, alert for something that looked promising. We watched them for several minutes until we got too cold, and in that time we saw only one surfer manage to catch a decent wave.

View of Mendocino Headlands from Spring Ranch Nature Preserve

Tough to see, but there’s a surfer top center; upper left you can see a buoy (click twice to enlarge)