Learning The Hard Way

I have spent a lot of my time this week surfing, and have been making real progress with it. I decided to go right back to basics and spend a few sessions in nothing more than the white water, so I could get used to the feel of my board. This method worked a treat and before I knew it I was standing up in the mush, more times than not. Then on Wednesday (14th), when the waves were really small and clean, and the beach was quiet, I caught my first proper waves. I was surfing!! It was a great feeling.

When I got up today I had thought about taking a day off from it. I was really sore from all the exercise and thought that maybe I should spend some time shopping for some clothes to wear to my future job, whenever, and whatever, that may be, But when I looked outside I saw the surf was looking pretty tasty. Nice big clean waves. It was too big for my surfboard but I fancied a go bodyboarding, so off I went.

My first mistake was going shortly after I'd eaten breakfast. My second mistake was going in the water when I'd already seen two surfers standing on the beach holding broken boards.

So off I went into the surf. After no more than five minutes I was back in. I'd been battered by some massive white water. I hadn't even got out to the clean waves. Feeling pretty sick, and tired, I sat on the beach, half-tempted to call it day already. But undeterred I carried on. I walked to the southern end of the beach, where the waves are typically smaller, and made my way out again. This time I got out the back (or so I thought). A couple of big swells passed underneath me but then I saw this monster coming in (well, it was a monster to me, as I lay there with only my head above water). It was bigger than the ones that had passed by so it was going to break in front of me. To be honest, it was the first time I have felt pretty uncomfortable in the water, and dare I say it, slighty frightened. I knew there was no-way out. This thing broke on me and without doubt it was my biggest hit so far. The thing you shouldn't do in those situations is panic, so as I was tumbling around I made a conscious effort to relax and let the wave disperse. After what seemed like ages under the water, and a couple of kicks of my fins, I came to the surface, pretty much gasping for air. Thankfully another didn't crash on my head.

I knew that I made a bad choice coming into the ocean, and that I needed to get in to the beach, and out of the water. The fastest way to do this is catch a wave back in. I just about managed to do this, on a wave that was smaller than the one that got me, although I made no effort at all to ride it. I wsas exhausted.

Anyway, when I got home I noticed by board had taken a bit of a pasting and a scar tells the story. Now these things are pretty tough, and given the small surface area of them, you can imagine the amount of force needed to bend the plastic deck.




















I went back to the beach afterwards to watch the surfers. It was then that I saw this guy get his board snapped as he went over the falls.















It's all part of the learning curve and a valuable lesson learnt. I should've gone shopping.