SURFING LAGUNA: Groms go out of town for big Trestles waves

With a solid swell on the way, the Laguna High School surf crew and I loaded the old surf jalopy and headed south to Trestles State Beach.

Big, clean waves were visible as we got off the freeway exit, sending the crew into a surf-induced frenzy. Thoughts of long, rippable waves pulsed through their (energy-drink-fueled) minds. Some groms made only grunting-like sounds at the sight of the clean conditions, which many scientists believe shows a direct link to our surfing ancestors who lived peacefully in tribal communities along much of the California coast.

Paddling out into the break was breathtaking as clean waves were wrapping in from a northwest angle, producing excellent right-handers. Wasting no time grabbing a set wave among the considerable crowd of surfers was 10th-grader Andrew Congletron. Once Andy got to his feet he swooped to the bottom of the wave and leaned into a series of huge backside carves, throwing buckets of water out the back. The sounds of his friends’ hoots ricocheted throughout the lineup and seemingly powered Andy to one of his best waves in recent memory.

“That wave was sick!” yelped Andy as he huffed and puffed his way back to the lineup, equal parts excited and exhausted after a mile-long ride.

Never to be outdone is the ferociously competitive Hunter Smith, who spotted a set wave looming on the horizon. As Hunter stroked into the bomb you could see the look of anticipation in his eyes as he sized up the glassy face of the approaching wave, much like an artist looking upon a new canvas. Hunter’s first order of business was unleashing a powerful front-side vertical snap, complete with his “fins out” much to the delight of the frothing crowd.

“That kid rips,” exclaimed one older gent, adding, “Does he need an agent?” Hunter proceeded to blast his way down the point, punctuating his epic ride with a nice double grab air near the shore. His toothy grin was visible as he paddled back out to the crew, his spot in the pecking order firmly intact, for now.

After many more great waves by the entire crew and the considerable hike back to the car, it was time for dinner. The tribe had voted for Pedro’s Tacos in San Clemente where the food is cheap, tasty and comfortable.

The kids inhaled their food between texts, stories of each other’s best maneuvers, worst wipeouts and the girls they think are super cute. They had just one more thing on their collective minds and in concert shouted to me: “Hey Chris, where are we surfing tomorrow?”

CHRIS WILLIAMS is the father of four surf-crazy sons, a surfing coach and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at chris@soulsurfingschool.com or (949) 497-5918.