An empty right reels at the 91st Street Fishing Pier on Thursday, April 23, 2020.

If you love dawn patrols, you’re in luck.

The Galveston City Council voted on Thursday-in a split 4-3 decision-to reopen Galveston beaches to surfing from 6 to 9 a.m. daily starting April 27.

So, if you want to surf, set that alarm to get up at the crack of dawn and hit it.

Since the city closed beaches on the island on March 29, Galveston surfers have been heading south to catch waves. And, while Surfside is a great location that offers plenty of wide-open spaces in which to feel the glide, there’s still no place like home.

Over the past month, the waves along the Galveston beachfront have been exceptional, with likely several of the best days of the year rolling under piers and along the jetties unridden, empty waves beckoning like gleaming jewels just out of reach.

So, despite a pretty limited opening of the beach on Monday, surfers I know will be glad to again have access to the island’s waves, even for just three hours a day.

The forecast for the coming week looks promising as well. Magic Seaweed is calling for rideable surf on the island for much of the next week, with clean conditions possible on Wednesday.

Tropical water wax is the call, with temperatures now in the mid-70s in the Gulf. Happy surfing next week.

JOHN JOHN FLORENCE ON THE LINEUP PODCAST

Hawaiian phenom and two-time world champ John John Florence is the latest guest on the podcast, “The Lineup with Dave Prodan.”

Florence shares what it was like growing up on the North Shore, talks about his battles with Brazilian Gabriel Medina and his breakout performance at the 2017 Margaret River Pro in Western Australia.

In other John John news, the Hawaiian recently published a four-episode YouTube series chronicling a 2,500-nautical mile sailing and surfing voyage to explore the Northern Line Islands, a collection of coral atols that straddle the Equator south of Hawaii.

The brilliantly filmed and exquisitely produced documentary is breathtaking and captivating. If you love the ocean, either sailing or surfing, Florence’s new feature will be a hit.

Stephen Hadley is a longtime surfer who lives and works in Galveston. He can be reached by email at stephendhadley@gmail.com.