The surf

Today marks the second time surfing here. It was disappointing. The waves were large; too big for my skill level and there were too many people in the water trying for the same space. I also chose the wrong board; too short and narrow for my skill level, not that having a longer and broader one would have helped much.

In the end the tally stood at one surfboard lost, one scraped and bloodied shin, two tumbles in the white wash without a board, one long swim back to the boat, one recovered board, six tumbles in the white wash with a board, and three attempted waves that I could do nothing but cling for dear life on. I suppose a shorter tally would look something along the lines of Ocean 15 Erik 2. A somewhat crushing defeat.

To sate your obvious curiosity I'll explain. The waves came in a broad horseshoe shape and I was attempting to stay on the edge of them where the crest was less powerful and it was less crowded. Unfortunately I was pushed closer to the center with each set of waves rolling in. Eventually I was in the thick of it. I took a wave because the only other option was to get crushed. Instead I was pushed towards another surfer who did the only to do when another surfer is hurtling towards you, dive. I caught the back end of his board on my shin and it also managed to hook the leash attached to the same leg. The leash popped off although I didn't feel anything other than the power of the ocean and remorse for deciding to surf that day. Once the wave had crested and its power had diminished I decided I had better try to stand up. I fell while attempting this and at this point, when I did not feel the usual pull of the surf board on the leash, I realized the leash was no longer attached to me. I found my buddy in the water and we shared his board while looking around for mine. It was no where to be seen. At this point two of the local instructors who came out with their trainees on our boat told me to get back to the boat and search for it from there. I have only ever swum that far in the open water one other time in my life and I have the same opinion of both events; unpleasant. I ended up finding my board, scooping it up and I headed out for another try only to be crushed by the powerful waves again but this time I had a board with me.

One good thing happened while I was out there. I learned how to duck a wave a little better. In fact, by the end of the session, I even ducked a wave successfully without getting caught up in it. I also learned when to paddle for your life and when is a good time to pack it in. Another good thing is that I still have my leg and no one has any stab wounds. So it wasn't all bad.

I will surf again and hopefully it will be a successful day.