This is part 2 of Mike's surf adventure. Click here to see part 1. To recap, Mike was lost in the fog on a rocky ledge with no escape. The ocean was pounding him with macking waves, and the tide was high and going higher. He had visions of his own demise. Now, on with the tale!

"Even though I knew I was going to die, I did not panic. I figured I would at least give it my best shot at surviving. I grabbed my board and put it in front of me to use as a shield. I put my feet out first to brace the impact too. The wave slammed into my back, picked me up and hammered me feet and board first into the rocks again. This time the water on the ledge actually washed me off further to the north. As I was being dragged back off the ledge I noticed a small sandy cove to the north that I had not seen before. Once I was back in the impact zone in front of the rocks, I paddled like crazy to make it to that cove. The next wave slammed me from behind and I got washed up on the sand in the little cove.

"I quickly ran north and south on the beach in the cove looking for some goat trail or something up the cliff. There was nothing but 30 feet of vertical cliff. I checked my watch and it was about 8 am and there was at least 90 minutes until high tide. The cove still was not safe but at least it was much safer than the rocks to the south where I just came from. Waves were hammering the shorepound, rushing up the beach and slamming into the cliff face. I found a small carve out in the cliff that offered me some protection from being dragged back out to sea, but even that was dangerous in the incoming tide. The white water would get behind me and take my feet out from underneath me and drag me back out on the sand. At least it was sand and each time I was able to run back up the beach and into my little cave. That cave would be my home for the next 4 hours.

"I contemplated my options. Climbing the cliff was impossible. The rocks to the south were worse now that the tide had come up. The north rocks were even uglier than the south rocks. Paddling back out and trying to make it back to the surf break was totally out of the question. The fog was still super thick and there was no way to time the sets. All I could see was rows and rows of 10' high white water. I knew staying put and waiting for help was the best choice. If worst came to worst, I could wait until low tide around 2:30 pm and try walking back out on the rocks to the south.

"There was definitely a price to be paid for fighting the ocean on its own terms with my back to the cliff and no way out. I remember standing in a small tide pool and noticing the water was completely red with the blood from my battered feet. My board did its job of protecting me from the slamming of the incoming waves, but all the fins were broken and lost; my gun was a total waste.

"Around 11 am there was a quick, magical break in the fog. I saw a boat circling back and forth out about 200 yards from my cove. I started waving what was left of my surfboard hoping they would see me. A set came and they had to race back outside to avoid being cleaned up. Then as soon as it had cleared, the fog closed back in and it was pea soup again. About 10 minutes later I heard a voice up on the cliff yelling "Hey! Hey are you down there?" I looked up and saw a lifeguard in a wetsuit and yellow rash guard looking down at me. I told him I was good and just needed some help getting up the cliff.

"As it turned out, two friends, Pete and Stass had tried to paddle out at around 7:30 am. They saw my truck and my stuff on the beach and figured I was somewhere out there. They both suffered their own mini drama. Pete got washed down to the next surf break toward town, barely making it around the jagged point between the two spots. Stass snapped his board paddling out. Both made it back to the beach and could not believe they did not see me out there. They walked the cliffs to the north and south and about 9:00 am called the seach and rescue.

"At first, Seach and Rescue wanted to use a Coast Guard helicopter to lift me out of there. They hovered over the cliff for a while but decided it was just too foggy to try. Next they lowered down a Santa Cruz Fireman named Ben on a rope and harness. Ben hooked me up with my own harness and they pulled both of us up the 30 foot cliff face and to safety. It was about 12:30 pm, a full 6 hours after I had first paddled out.

"I was cut and brused from head to toe but nothing seemed broken. I thanked everyone over and over again and really commended them on a great job well done. I drove home in silence. The fog had finally lifted and I was in awe of how big the ocean was. I thought for sure I would sleep like a baby that night but had trouble falling asleep. I woke up early in the morning gasping for air. I had just had a nightmare about being sucked down in front of the rocks again.

"I think it is time to find my statue of St. Michael and put him on my nightstand again."

Our thanks to Mike for sharing his surf adventure. Of course we all know the ocean can be an unpredictable and dangerous place for recreation. Even though Mike is intimately familiar with this stretch of coast and the surf break, the conditions of February 13, 2010 almost got the best of him. This is also a lesson in how we all must look out for each other. It's a blessing to have friends who care and take an active role in your welfare when you need it most. So have fun, but be careful out there!

Saint Michael is one of seven Biblical archangels; also one of three angels mentioned by name. The Old Testament book of Daniel contains the first reference; Michael provides comfort to Daniel after Daniel's vision. In the vision Michael is identified as the protector for Israel.

The New Testament book of Jude describes a conflict between Michael and Satan over the body of Moses. But the Apocalypse is the heaviest mention of Michael, in which a great war in Heaven is recounted. Lucifer leads bad angels in a rebellion. Michael leads the charge of good angels and vanquishes the traitors. In Catholic heritage, Saint Michael is honored as the great protector of the church, as he protected the Israelites. He is a patron of mariners, among other people. Adapted and excerpted from Wikipedia.

CU Out There,

DogMan