Hang Ten

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Woohoo! So today, finally, after years of sitting on the beach and watching waves, or wandering out into them and seeing if maybe they would choose to drown me, I have tried surfing. And surfing the Mexican Pipeline no less. Check out that monster!
Ok, so perhaps I should mention that the only reason our teacher (Steve, who talks very slowly and with even longer pauses than me. Either stoned or simply Californian) took us to Zicatela was because it wasn´t exactly "going off" (the waves this morning were so small that no other beach was going to be surfable). And that we didn´t venture out past the breakers. And that the water was never over our heads. But hey! Surfing!
Actually, perhaps surfing is not quite the word. See, because we were inside the break, there was no real need to "catch" any waves. Basically, you could just lie on your stomach on your board and the one or two foot high wall of foam would simply pick you up and carry you away. Then, as well, there was the fact that nine times out of ten, by the time I got to my feet the wave had pretty much run out of power and my surfboard just kind of sank slowly beneath my feet into the sand perhaps a foot or two below. Either that or I would get to my feet a few seconds faster and with a corresponding lack of grace resulting in me going one way and the board shooting off in the other direction. But there were those few glorious times when I hopped up, still going at speed, and the board opted to humour me by staying underneath my feet, and then, well! Like floating on a cloud. Great enough to ensure that for two straight hours I was hauling myself back out again, relishing the battering of the great walls of foam, and occasionally fearing for my life if I wandered out a little to far and it appeared the wave might break on me.
See, the real kicker, though, is that its free. Sure, you´ve got to buy a board, and maybe shorts and a shirt, but after that - no lift tickets, no boots, no jackets, gloves, hats, pants. Just live on the beach and get up at the crack of dawn every day. Why aren´t we all doing this?

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Comments

[anonymous]

Fun Eh?
You remind me of my first (and only successful time) surfing at Waikiki. Tiny waves but a great feeling! Since you were only six months old we had left you at home with Grandma Daniels, so you had no opportunity to surf that time. Glad you finally caught a wave. - Dad