Today was my first time out by myself – Yep, my training wheels are no more! Ted wasn't able to go with me but the waves were too pretty to pass up, so I borrowed his SUV and took my board down to the beach.
It was just past 7 a.m. when I got there, and the waves were cleanly shaped 2-footers, perfect for honing my newly attained skill of catching my own waves. This was my fourth surf session in a row because we’ve had a great swell for the last few days that has brought in small but consistent waves. We even did a double session on Thursday, an hour or so in the water before work and then a few hours after. You’d think I’d be exhausted by now (which I am) and ready for a break (but I’m not).
Yep, it’s official; I’ve totally got surf stoke.
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| Swell Info's Surf Forcast |
Each morning, I check the local surf report and look up the charts on http://www.swellinfo.com/. The green, blue, and red graph that depicts both the wave height and the conditions (clean/fair/choppy) has become a daily fixture on my computer screen. I’ve even conjured my coworkers into driving by the surf each Wednesday morning. Ok, it’s not as bad as it sounds; it’s on our way back from a meeting we have at an office that’s just a block off the beach. It’s not like we have to go out of our way. Still, I think I’ve got it bad.
So back to this morning. Paddling out by myself felt so independent, so…true surfer. Up until now, I’ve probably looked like the girl whose learning to surf because her boyfriend does – but now, I feel more legitimate. Granted, I’ve got beginner slung across my board each time it launches into the air after being pearled into a wave, but it’s clear this is my hobby and not just something I’m doing so I can hang out with my guy.
I was out there for almost three hours and it was quite a surf session. After so much time in the water this week, I had full-on belly rash. Even though I was wearing a rash guard by this point, I hadn’t for the first three sessions and the skin on my stomach was rubbed raw by the combination of surfboard wax and salt water. So each time I had to lie down on my board, it was all I could do not to yelp.
There was one other surfer and though much more advanced than I, he was still figuring out the waves as well. We both had our share of waves that passed us by because we couldn’t get in front of them, and likewise with the waves that led to pearls – even when we made a conscious effort to pull the nose back out of the water once we saw it going in. It’s just that he, no more than 15 years old, had far more successes.
Still, when I got my last ride and headed in, I looked back to the kid and threw him a big wave. He immediately reciprocated and it was like there was an unspoken respect for each other. Even though we didn’t talk when we were in the lineup, we shared a passion that connected us.
This passion drives us surfers to jump out of bed early before work – or, even more notable, on a Saturday, our only day off – just so we can catch a few waves before we begin the day. It makes us willing to keep gutting it out after we’ve gotten tumbled around in the waves time and again, swallowed untold amounts of salt water, or become bleary eyed from the constant glare. This passion for surfing even enables us to ignore our belly rashes that remind us – each and every time we jump on the board – how stupid we were not to wear a rash guard during the previous three sessions.
So...when’s the surf gonna be up again?
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