Half Moon Bay, Pacifica and Santa Cruz? Brrrr! You guys are nuts.
But then again, I did grow up in NorCal. I lived in Marin and surfed mostly between Bolinas and Rockaway beach as I grew up. By the time I was in high school I was riding Mavericks (before I even knew it was called Mavericks - I called it "The outside left at Ross's Cove"). I was also making trips down to Santa Cruz seemingly almost every month to compete on the NSSA circuit. I nearly went pro, but burned out trying to meet all of my sponsors' obligations and decided to leave surfing and moved down to LA.
7 years later, I met a girl (now wife) who dared me to enter the first World Deaf Surfing Championships in Baja when I told her I used to be a half-way decent surfer in northern California. I wanted to impress, so I borrowed her beater longboard, did a 2 hour free-surf session the day before to see if I even remembered how to swim. Turns out it was like riding a bicycle and won the championships the next day. Shortly afterward, I moved back north to SF to get my masters and lived at Taraval and the Great Highway next to "Doc". Then moved down to Pacifica, 1 block away from the Sharp Park Pier (one of the greatest secrets around when it's firing).
So many great memories - those are my old stomping grounds.
Maybe I'll make it back over there one day and join you guys for a surf.
-Paul