View source for Surf Journal - 2017.01.15 - Swift to Mitchells

Twas a magical evening with nearly perfect surfing conditions. I drove West Cliff with the fam just before Hazel's Capoeira class. The swell size was reading around 9ft, 15sec, @ 283 degrees. I rang up my new surfing pal Nick and told him I'd be heading towards Mitchells. For some stupid reason I texted him that I'd meet him there before I turned the bend to see Swift firing. I suited up and hopped off the rocks and swift and swiftly paddled out. I waited at the edge of the line up to gauge the swell. After 10 minutes or so a few waves came in and then a wave broke on the 2nd reef. After seeing that I decided to be the lone dude to sit up about 50 meters in front of the normal line up. It paid off big time, within a few minutes a super nugget came my way. Peeling from the 2nd reef all the way into the jump in spot near swift street. The wave was a few feet over head, very possibly DOH. Super stoked I got into the line up at Getchells thinking I could work my way down to Mitchells and it would be decent all the way there. Unfortunately it got progressively worse and by the time I got to Mitchells the swell had been so shadowed that the waves were no bigger then chest high. Two lessons here, don't tell anyone where you're going until you're certain you've made the right choice and Mitchells is actually a nearly South Easterly facing setup. When modest swells at 283 (Nearly straight west) come its best to hit Natural Bridges or Swift. When looking at a map of Santa Cruz I have begun to become quite shocked at how much swell can wrap around town.

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