Labor Daze - Surf Photo Gallery - Surf & Adventure Co.

Words by John Streit. Photos by Shaun Devine & Streit.

It’s been said that expectation is the root of all heartache. In surfing, that’s most definitely the case. You check the forecast or a camera, and immediately the mind is flooded with visions of how you think it’s going to be. Inevitably, the actual conditions will differ — sometimes for the better, but many more times for the worse. That’s why days like Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1 are so special. I woke up that morning expecting that I wouldn’t catch a wave, a preconceived notion based on a forecast of ankle- to knee-high surf. But when Shaun gave me a call and said the camera was showing a clean, little, ridable wave; I figured going for a paddle would be a fun start to the day. Sure enough, the conditions again differed from my expectations. Fun waist- to stomach-high peelers, clean conditions and plenty of sunshine greeted our gaze. With the GoPro in hand, we took advantage of a very well-formed right with no one else around. Having been in a real labor daze from the long hours of work that come our way around Labor Day, scoring some unexpected waves was a real gift.

Here'a random grab from the GoPro that turned out great. This one captures the stoke of the unexpected, fun sessions of summer. Photo: Devine.

A view that never gets old, no matter how small the green room may be. This morning was tailor-made for bodysurfing fun. Photo: Devine.

We saw this mechanical little right lining up from outside to inside from down the beach. It was definitely worth the walk. Photo: Streit.

Shaun was right at home with his flying fish scale Party Missile Handplane. Photo: Devine.

Shaun stylin' on the Valaric Surfboards "Shadowfax." Photo: Streit.

We couldn't believe some of the bigger set waves coming through on this under-forecasted day. Sometimes, you just got to pull up and put your eyes on it. Photo: Streit.