I’ve been surfing my Infinity New Deal for a couple of months now and continue to be amazed by the response the board generates from other surfers. Perhaps I shouldn’t be. It is a damn fine-looking board and if there was a space on a wall in my home for it, that’s where it would rest when not on the water. I had been keeping an eye on the conditions via Surfline throughout the week for the right combination of wind and waves before I ventured over to my favorite local surf spot with the New Deal on a recent Saturday morning – Bluff Cove on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Known locally as simply “The Cove”, the sheltered area is a favored location for longboarders. Steve Boehne, Infinity’s founder, even surfed the PV cove in his youth while growing up in the South Bay’s surf scene decades ago. I thought of Steve and what it must have been like back then as I walked down the trail to The Cove with one of Infinity’s latest creations tucked under my arm.
Palos Verdes
The entire Palos Verdes Peninsula is riddled with small coves, some of which have been highly publicized in recent years for their rampant localism. Not being from the coast I’ve always viewed the notion that one group of individuals would deter/prevent others from surfing a particular area as a bit odd.
Surfers at The Cove generally seem to be accepting of standup paddlers and newcomers. The rocky beach is accessible via an approximately ¼ mile dirt trail which runs from the cliff top down to the water’s edge. There is a steep section at the beginning, but other than that it is easily traversed with a lightweight Infinity New Deal.
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I scored a prime parking spot right at the trailhead and laid my New Deal out in some brown vegetation which definitely did not appear to be drought tolerant. As I was gathering a few items for my backpack the first Looky Lou of the day ambled by. “Wow! What kind of board is that?”, asked a guy who was headed back to his car. We had a brief chat and then he popped the question, “How much does it weigh?” Around 12 lbs I replied. I told him he could pick it up, which he did, and then promptly called another guy over. “Look how light this is!” he said. Next came a flurry of questions about the board’s construction, followed by, “Where did you get it?” I referred them to NiKau Kai, the local Infinity retailer in Manhattan Beach where I picked up my New Deal.
I’ve made the trek down the trail to Bluff Cove many times in the past. I even lugged a heavy 10’6” all-around SUP up and down a few times back in my early days of surfing. By comparison, walking down the trail with my Infinity New Deal under my arm was like going out for a stroll around the block.
The New Deal’s light weight quickly translates into a distinct performance advantage over other boards once on the water. There were around ½ dozen SUP surfers and two longboarders on the water when I arrived that morning. The conditions were glassy and the waves were mainly in the 2-3 ft range with an occasional larger set rolling through. The two longboarders looked a bit out-of-place and their eyes were wide as the flotilla of SUPs kept zipping by. This was further highlighted by the simple fact that the SUP surfers were more open to sharing waves. The courtesy was extended to the longboarders, but they continued to look on with confusion at the inclusive behavior of the SUP surfers.
Waves at The Cove are known for generating long rides and are generally a bit softer than the somewhat violent beach break found in the nearby beach communities lining the Santa Monica Bay from Redondo Beach to Santa Monica. Low to medium tide typically provides the best conditions depending on the size of the swell. After catching a few fun waves and chatting with the folks in the lineup I started to practice moving up towards the nose of the board on a few runs with varying degrees of success. Not quite ready for a prime time glory shot on Instagram, but still a lot of fun.
I’ll be back!
View from the trailhead.
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