Fort Cronkite?

Ive done a lot of restoration work at the Marine Mammal Center at Ft Cronkite, I used to live across the street from the ops director, and would do lunch watching the surf there before my yak days and am wondering if anyone has gone for 'buts there? I know the  party boats

hit the reefs outside there for them, the surf doesnt look too bad but...still kind of a newbie when it comes to the big blue. Ben

ben,
thats one of the most unpredictable surf launches I have ever seen.   best spot to launch it seems is right where the surfers hang.  other than that, the sets seem to just come from nowhere, last year I launched there by myself and timed the sets perfectly, once i got outside the surf I rigged up a fresh dead chovie and dropped it, whammo, as i went to set the hook a wave washed over me, confused, I looked towards shore to see if I had let myself drift in to the surf.  nope!  I was nailed by a rogue wave and realized i was about to get another.  I peddaled myself into the waves and looked around some more just to notice that the ocean had all of a sudden become a tempest. 

the fish got off and being by myself i started to worry a little and decided to head back in.  the surf was loud.  I started taking deep breaths and started slowly packing my hatches full of my gear.  this was probabley the first time in 10 trips to the ocean i even used my hatches.  more deep breaths.  now i could see a crowd of spectators merrily observing me , ha!  i had to decide, peddals or paddle...... peddals! 

I looked at the sets coming in and positioned myself, after 10 minutes people started forgettin about me on the beach, I had my timing down and was all calmed down even though i was getting tossed around pretty good.  I couldn't gauge the size of the waves and I pretty much didn't care, I just knew that I was gonna get pummeled by the closeout sets that had started.  only a couple surfers now and they were just sittin there watchin me.  time to go, i peddaled like a madman, the second big wave of the set passed by me, then the third picked me up, i let off and it passed me by but still broke right in front of me, looking back, oh no, a fourth, i was already peddaling and it shot me down its face and then crashed on me! 

i ended up laying face down on the nose of my kayak with my legs split by the foot peddals, turning sideways a smaller closeout free'd me of my grip from the kayak, I tried to put my feet down and there was no sand beneath me.  I swam to my yak and grabbed the rudder control and lifted it, quickly bungied my peddals and then pushed it infront of me only to catch another whitewater, this time i held on and was able to put my feet down.  I had to lodge myself in the sand because of the amount of water washing past me, the next white water was big enough to put me into kneedeep water and help me with my escape. 

the people on the beach? yeah, they got a nice show.

quite the humbling experience as I found a kayak a little more difficult to handle in the surf than a surfboard.  first time  i ever landed in waves with 5 to 6 ft. faces, so, if i ever do go back to ft. cronkite, it will either be for a rematch with the surf or maybe just layout on the beach with my surf rod in its holder.

Well, I guess that answers that! Damn. Maybe on a super calm day with some company and being prepared for a dunk. BTW, what do you think you hooked? Also , have you been hitting the B. pier? Ive got a 12 foot rig that casts halfway to Honalulu, maybe that would be the set-up at Cronchite. That and a 12-pack. I could give you the ultimate tour of the Mammal Center too. Place is badass.