The Surf Diaries

#18, 19, 20 Go with the flow

I have a lot on my mind.  A lot of shit to be quite honest.  Editors who either owe me money or are quibbling about cash, and a lot of that sort of negative noise, that has spiraled down into my subconscious, and hopes to reach some cauldron where it can turn endorphins into cancer.  Of course, the elixir for these sort of poisonous circumstances and poisonous personalities is to get away, all by yourself, and get some sun on skin, and breathe.

Today when I go out the waves have substance.  I mean they don’t just rise and tumble.  I mean they rise far out, walls, and then move in and gradually crumble.  It’s warm and windless, perfect conditions for longboarders, and it’s a useful waterworld for grommets like me.

So today I do something new.  I surf on the right side of Pipe, which is to say, the rocky side.  Because the tide is high your chances of dinging your skull on a piece of dolerite is not quite non-existent, it’s just a little bit less.

Watching the other surfers adds tremendously to one’s learning curve.  I’ve come so close that I’ve managed to get my leash tangled in a bodyboarders leash.  I’ve had a pretty girl on a board give me a nod with a fiendishly mischievous smile.  I watch some of them catch a wave as easy as eating your momma’s meat and potatoes.

I find that one of the biggest secrets to surfing is in positioning.  Putting yourself in the right place in terms of a wave, and then also being very selective in terms of the waves you commit to…  Catching the wave is another story, but if you don’t anticipate correctly you’re going to be paddling out there for a long time. 

And I do catch a few beautiful floaters…no I’m not floating on foam…but the waves are breaking so gradually it feels like floating.  I still don’t have the sheer strength in my torso to stand in a quick movement but I am getting very close in terms of technique.

What remains is to lose weight, and then work a little on core exercises, perhaps by doing pushups and situps.

After 2 hours I’m done.  There’s still half an hour of sunlight and the waves are still moving in beautifully.  But I’m wasted.   It’s a question of fitness rather than feel, and that’s quite a good feeling.  For the first time in weeks I feel like it’s not a question of being theoretically possible, but something more compelling.  If I remain consistent and increase my strength, surfing will be the inevitable result. That’s very motivating.