Colin Schildhauer cutting glass on a beautiful morning at Steamer Lane. T.Fox - Photo www.santacruzwaves.com

A surfer catches a ride at Cowell's as the early morning sun glistens off the water. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

The free flowing forms of afternoon clouds juxtaposed with the linear geometry of power poles and wires create a graphic tapestry along Trafton Road in Pajaro on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

A large cloud bank forms a dramatic backdrop looking north of the Pajaro River Bridge on Sunday. After Monday's respite from rain, showers are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. (Shmuel Thaler/Santa Cruz Sentinel)

A pleasure boat heads out to sea as a slight haze has yet to lift off the Monterey Bay on Sunday morning. (Shmuel Thaler/Santa Cruz Sentinel)

A surfer carves out a massive cutback on a wave he rides next to the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor jetty on Thursday. (Dan Coyro/Sentinel)

A surfer kicks out off the back of a crashing overhead wave at Natural Bridges Thursday. (Dan Coyro/Sentinel)

A surfer ducks under the falling lip of an overhead wave off Natural Bridges Thursday morning. (Dan Coyro/Sentinel)

Sentinel reporter Stephen Baxter got out in the water with the GoPro camera to get this shot from a big surf weekend in Santa Cruz, Jan. 7, 2011.

A surfer has a close encounter with a trio of dolphins at Manresa Beach on Monday morning. With the hoopla surrounding the recent local stay of a pod of Humpback Whales it is easy to forget that the Santa Cruz County coastline of the Monterey Bay is filled with a number of other small, yet no less majestic marine mammals. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

A small, but clean swell allows a family at Manresa State beach front row seats to watch surfers try their luck at the break in La Selva Beach on Monday. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

A surfer paddles out to the small, yet consistent and clean swell coming in to Manresa State Beach on Monday morning. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

Humpback whales draw a crowd of whale watchers in the Monterey Bay as seen from the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf on Monday morning October 31, 2011. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

A pair of sea otters enjoys a morning repast off of West Cliff including a sampling of the local shellfish. Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel

Jimmy Herrick surfs in the finals of the locals trials at the O'Neill Coldwater Classic at Steamer Lane on Wednesday. Locals Randy Bonds and Matt Myers advanced from the trials to gain spots in the main event. Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel

Local photographer Paul Schraub, while on assignment for the Santa Cruz County Convention and Visitors Council, captured this photo of spy hopping whales in the Monterey Bay on Tuesday.