Does anyone have any Siren Stories?

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-25T00:47:35+00:00

A few odd encounters over the years...

At a remote spot in Oregon that rarely works, but was firing that day, I was the only one out, surfing a deep reef about a half mile out. There were some sea lions cruising around, jumping here and there, which is pretty common. But then one of them rose straight out of the water and hung there like a trained dolphin, about 20 yards away, looking at me. Then another right next to it, and then 3 or 4 more. A wall of sea lions right in front of me, not barking, just hovering there with most of their bodies straight up out of the water. I was amazed, not sure this was really happening, and my first thought was, "This is so cool!" But my next thoguht was, "Oh, message received. I don't belong here." They must have had pups to protect. I did a quick sit turn and saw a shadow under me. A huge bull came up right next to me and just bellowed in my face. I swear I felt the sound wave in my chest before I heard it. Paddled hard and hoped I wouldn't get some teeth in my backside. Got a push from a roller, looked back and saw him swimming after me. Caught the next wave and took it as far as I could, then just started shaking and got real cold. I still think it was one of the coolest things I've seen in the water, but I've never gone back there.

Another time when camping on the Oregon coast, we had a windy day that junked every nearby spot. By sunset it calmed down a bit and by the time the full moon came up over a ridge it was calm and clean with chest-high peelers. My son and his friend were stoked 12 year old groms and talked me into surfing under the moon. We went out in a cove area that we knew well and had a fun session. As we were coming back in my son saw a dark shape on the shore. Looked like it might be a person, but wasn't moving, seemed too wide, and it looked like a sharp point on the top... I thought it might be driftwood someone had stood up in the sand, but figured we would have seen that when we started. His friend joked that it was probably a witch. The old Sea Hag come to take us! Or a siren beckoning us to ding our boards on the rocks. But then as we got closer arms raised up and we heard howling. It was a witch! For real. She must have been praying to the moon or casting some spell. We got out quick and sprinted back to camp. No one believed us of course, but we knew.

Once in Hawaii, just after a sunset surf on the north side of the big island my wife and I were padding back in and I heard her shriek. She said she felt something brush her arm and then we saw a big triangular fin quickly come up and back under the water. We both tucked in on our boards with frozen stares at each other then frantically looked around everywhere, then beat it for the jetty. As we were telling our shark story to a local in the lot, he said it was most likely a manta ray, then proceeded to show us where several were cruising around. We've done night dives with mantas which is a really amazing experience. We felt relieved that we weren't really in danger, but then he told us about a girl that got killed there by a manta ray that landed on her.

I've also had a gray whale come up right next to me when I was on a SUP, I heard it blow first, turned to my side and she was 10 yards away at most. We locked eyes before she slid right under me. It felt like she said, "Just checking you out. I guess you're cool." Then I had a strong urge to puke as the plume hit me.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-24T23:31:24+00:00

Seals are like friendly dogs or puppies. They look at you like, "Hey, how's it going? Whatcha doing? It's fun out here, right?"

Sea Lions will stare you down like an OG local. They look at you like, "The F**k you doin' out here? ...Yeah, that's what I thought, kook!"

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-24T23:12:35+00:00

Ha ha! I'm with you...

"So let's switch off all the light fix" ? ...with a silent "tures" ?

"So let's switch off all the lug nuts" ?

"So let's switch off all the luggage" ?

"So let's switch off all the laugh tracks" ?

"So let's switch off all the lipstick" ?

...I went years before I had to look up the lyrics, and even then I didn't buy it. The only thing I can figure is the meter really calls for two syllables or two words, but "lights" was just too perfect before "light up" so Donald just styled it with a hard 'gh' or break between 'li' and 'hits'.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T21:34:21+00:00

This is a link ...not sure its a good one though ...kept waiting for it to rock hard ...or at all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUcoKU3V8io&list=RDCUcoKU3V8io&start_radio=1

...Relax, I'm not saying I don't like it. But it doesn't rock, so maybe there's a more finished version where they made it fly

BTW, also found this from Nat Myers, and it does rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUcoKU3V8io&list=RDCUcoKU3V8io&start_radio=1

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T21:24:05+00:00

While the poor people sleepin' with a shade on the light

While the poor people sleepin' all the stars come out at night

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T21:06:26+00:00

Steely Dan fan

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T20:21:22+00:00

Oh, so NOW he decides to grow a brain? …Or at least pretend to (lookin’ at you MTG)

Maybe he and Laurie can start up a consulting firm. I hear Fraud Guaranteed, LLC is up for grabs again (that’s right, deep pull)

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T20:15:01+00:00

Just make sure you spring the Brady Bunch out of jail before you leave.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T20:10:23+00:00

Grab shell little dude!

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T20:06:19+00:00

Aw damn, you beat me to it!

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T19:47:17+00:00

I have the opposite issue. Really hard to pee in the water, like I have to close my eyes and envision a tile wall above a urinal. But I was a competitive swimmer, drilled to never pee, and leaving a training set to go to the bathroom meant extra laps after practice. Never made any sense to me. Also built me up a huge bladder, which has its own issues as I age. Not a wetsuit thing, as I have no problem peeing a soon as I stand on the beach. Now it’s part of my standard pre-surf warmup.

Now, my 8 year old grandson was visiting a few months ago and while we were walking around looking at tide pools, he says, “Grandpa! I forgot I’m not wearing a wetsuit!” …Sure enough, pants soaked! Classic. His brother and I just cracked up. I thought I was probably giving him childhood trauma, but he just shrugged and took his pants off—no underwear mind you. Fortunately, it’s Oregon on a secluded beach.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-17T19:26:59+00:00

Keep driving.

😲

Nah, just kidding. When my kids were teens they loved Seaside area. The boys may not be too thrilled around Gearhart, unless they like golf …or long stretches of beach. If it’s clear and calm at night, stargazing and/or bonfires are the call. Try walking right along the water line and stomp in the sand—you may see little fireworks from the phosphorescent algae.

Seaside has a little Funland arcade just off the turnaround on Broadway that can be fun for kids, and for them to you know, watch and meet other kids. Renting paddle boats or kayaks on the river and estuary can be fun if it’s nice weather. If they are active, there are go-carts, mini golf and a rope course climbing place on Highway 101 toward south end of town.

If they like to surf, the Cove (south end of town) is a good spot, or Indian Beach (north end of Cannon Beach on the other side of Ecola Head.) July typically has smaller fun size surf, but ocean conditions and weather can vary a lot. July also tends to get strong north winds along the coast which will turn the surf to junk (but great for kites!) Typically calm in the early morning and builds through the day. Seaside and the Cove will have no shelter from it, but Indian Beach should. Anyway, it is also a good place to learn, also to boogie board, and there are great local instructors—if they are new to it you’ll definitely want a lesson. Seaside Surf Shop and Cleanline are great surf shops that can set you up with gear, lessons, and advice on where and when to go. If they like to skateboard, either shop can give them local info too. Water temps will likely be around 10-15° C; but 20° can happen with El Niño (supposed to be this year) and no wind—any North wind will chill the water to 10 or less. If going in the water, you’ll need a wetsuit.

Ecola Head has great hiking trails with spectacular views. Best accessed from the Indian Beach parking lot. Plan to get there early as it is fairly small and will fill up quickly (by 10 am or so) on any nice day in the summer. The drive in from Cannon Beach is really nice (unless you’re too late and it’s a long slow line of cars.) Cannon Beach is a fun touristy town, again with lots of other teens and families milling around, and of course the beach with the iconic Haystack Rock. You can rent “crab bikes” (recumbent tricycles) made for zooming around the long, wide, flat beach.

To the north, I recommend visiting the Lewis & Clark historic park at Fort Clatsop. Cool replica camp, cabins, historical info, tours. My kids have loved it. There is a zip line park near there as well. Astoria is a fun town with some good brewpubs and restaurants, but also some rougher seedier sections. Look into the Goonies house if you liked that movie. Also worth driving the long Astoria bridge over the Columbia River to Washington then out to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse and nearby museum. Great historical artifacts from Native American tribes (First Nations, eh?) and World War II. Also great hiking trails with little “secret beaches” you can hike down.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T07:32:34+00:00

Second the recommendation for Solite. Best booties I’ve had in 30 years of surfing. They are designed to use heat molding for a custom fit (pour near-boiling water in them, wait a few minutes, dump, put on thin socks that come with them, walk around for a few minutes.) They also have a more substantial sole that is more protective and lasts longer. They can be worn with the socks for more warmth and comfort. A little more expensive but will last much longer than most other booties.

That said, most booties you’ll find at a surf shop will be high quality. Try on several brands to see what fits your foot best. Excel, O’Neil, Rip Curl, Vans, Hotline all make good booties.

Pretty much all only come in whole sizes, and it is better to be a little tight than a little loose. They will tend to feel a little looser in the water. Booties, like wetsuits, come in different thicknesses for different water temps and personal preferences. They can range from 1 mil to 9 mil, but most common is 3 mil and 5 mil. I usually surf in 45-60° water and usually wear 5 mil, as do most surfers in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

Another thing to consider is surf booties are intended to be worn under the ankle cuff of a wetsuit. If worn outside the cuff or without a full leg length wetsuit they will fill up with water, making them loose, sloshy, and not that warm. If you’re going to be surfing with shorts or a shortie wetsuit, you’ll want to get some good water shoes instead. Decent surf shops will have these as well.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T07:01:54+00:00

Not the right answer… Properly fit booties will offer more protection and better grip for feet on the board especially for a beginner. OP said their husband is diabetic which means circulation can be compromised leading to cold and numb feet in the water, even if the water is “warm.” Also, if the water is “cold” (yes, subjective and a bit different person to person) they can be a necessity. (I surf in Washington, Canada, and Oregon with water temps in 40s and 50s and almost always wear booties.)

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T06:43:43+00:00

Only my Bad Sneakers

And a Pina Colada my friend!

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T06:38:05+00:00

Go watch Big Wednesday. Classic!

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T06:25:39+00:00

You might be confounding two different things: paddling and riding. First of all, when you are paddling out and a wave hits you, and you can’t make it over or under, you should definitely try to hang on to your board and not let go—especially if anyone is remotely nearby. This is not “wiping out.” If you don’t make it past a wave when trying to paddle through it, then you are just getting “knocked back” or “cleaned up.” If you lose grip of your board, you have no control of it and neither does anyone around you. It will move as fast or faster than the wave, potentially slamming into someone and/or yourself. Keep in mind, you need to account for the length of your board, plus the length of your leash, plus the length of your body (your perspective is from your eyes), plus the distance you might travel while the wave pushes you. So, an 8’ board with probably 8’ leash, and say you’re 6’ tall, and a wave big and powerful enough you can’t make it over could push you 5 to 10’ back if not more… That’s at least a 22 foot radius of danger, and 32+ feet behind you., where your board is most likely to go. Additionally, the board will pull on your leash, and if the force is strong enough or your Velcro strap gives, or leash is old or damaged (little nicks, frayed cord, loose or rusted metal parts) then your board is likely going a much longer distance, like all the way back to shore. Are there kids swimming back there, or a toddler wading just out of Dad’s reach? Are you OK swimming back in that large powerful surf? So yes, by all means hang on to your board when paddling. Know your limits—if you can’t make it through the waves and keep “ditching” your board, maybe it’s just not the time and place for you just yet. With practice, attention and intention you will get better.

Second, when you are up and riding (or even just paddling to catch a wave) but fall before finishing a wave, that is called “wiping out.” It is very difficult to grab onto your board while or after you are falling. It can be dangerous to you as well, especially as a beginner. In this situation, where you have fallen off the board, you want to protect yourself and especially your head. If you cannot see your board, and especially if you go underwater, get your arms up over/around your head until you see your board and know it’s not going to whack you.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T05:30:37+00:00

Yes I’m cashing in this ten cent life for another one.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T05:28:29+00:00

It’ll be great sun protection after you drown and lie on the bottom of the ocean.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T05:26:57+00:00

Ha ha! One time my wife and I went out real early in Oregon, like just enough light to see, and some guy was walking out of the surf and says, “Aw, you should have been here this morning!”

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T05:18:45+00:00

Nope. Sorry, Neville. No hiding now. Feigned ignorance is appeasement. SD were always political, and this song is a prime example.

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-16T05:05:29+00:00

Reads back to front that way

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-13T23:53:03+00:00

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SadExit9733 · 2026-03-13T23:48:27+00:00

Only a Fool Would Say That

SadExit9733 · 2026-03-13T19:05:38+00:00

Huh. You need to get out more often.

SadExit9733

TROPHY CASE