The ocean has been chock full o' energy for several months now, ground swell, wind swell, currents, tides and more. It's been a great season for surf in Santa Cruz and the rest of California. There's more to come; it's not over just yet

But sometimes, at some breaks, the intense energy in and on the water doesn't actually create good conditions for wave riding. Too much energy, or competing forces can wreck the ocean and drive the watermen ashore. Such was the case in late February at a popular break in DogLand. You can see the pictures of the out of control situation; notice there is no one in the water

Even boats stayed away on this day; it wasn't meant to be. The ocean was quite dramatic and powerful, displaying its awesome might. Much sand has been stripped from this beach by earlier storms, so the ocean invaded further inland than usual. Even on a medium high tide, the incoming shore breakers raced up the sand and approached the cliffs. It wasn't safe to stroll the beach, much less wade in the shallows. And the tide was still moving higher.

After lapping at the cliff edges, the outgoing waves sucked more sand from the beach as the water flushed in a torrent into the ocean. Often, this outgoing rush of water was sufficient to pull your legs from underneath, and drag you bodily into the cold cold water offshore. Getting the pictures for this column was an adventure for sure!

Sometime later this summer, when the ocean is flat and the surf is nonexistent, we can all look back to memories and pictures such as these to remember the best yet winter surf season of the 21st century.

CU Out There,

DogMan