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Real talk from the man behind the camera.

Top image: Michael Kew, All other Images: Branden Aroyan

Branden Aroyan testing his new twin fin. Normally he’s behind the lens but here Michael Kew catches Branden enjoying the long Rincon rights. The first NW of the season also saw Antoine Allain and Johnny McCann sneak out for a few. Above Antoine smiles because he’s comfy in his Tumo 432mm and Johnny tests his orange machine with a nice cutty. Check the video of this session below created by Michael Kew.

Real talk.

images: ZP & AK.

Based on my experiences, hitting the same Baja point two swells in a row rarely yields the same perfection scored the first time around. But I thought we’d try anyway. The result of the experiment supports this hypothesis. But it’s hard to let down a generally “stoked” crew on an empty point break in Baja – even if the waves are a far toss from perfect.

We decided to pitch camp at a point neighboring the one I scored a few weeks prior after we were greeted by cheez whiz south wind and a too-steeply angled swell. Our temporary abode for the few days had all of the ingredients for a wilderness Baja experience – a local crew of ospreys, peregrine falcons, pelicans and seals, beach break, a right point and not a soul in sight.

It was a point I had visited several times in the past but I was yet to see it with swell. And with the better south of the summer hitting the West Coast, we thought we’d give it a try since what we came for was not there (at least not in any condition we wanted to see it in). What we got were plenty of fun waves and a few nights in the dirt…which is surprisingly better than it sounds. Comets, satellites, a billion stars and random conversation can fill a few hours before bed pretty well. And several days of exploration and an empty line-up of point break peelers is a nice break from the saturated, urbanized surf zone of San Diego. Although my pterygiums weren’t bleeding from endless hours of surf indulgence, and I couldn’t say I had one of the best waves of my life, one can never go wrong spending a few days in a tent on a Baja point.