Buddy, late takeoff

Finally a south swell! The worst summer in memory was finally going to get a bit of relief as a small south was expected to hit. Buoys were erratic, but I knew that it was coming.

We decided to hit our favorite South Shore spot... again! Sigh. Decided to use my longboard this time just in case.

Talked story with Cameron and Greg and (another) Neal in the parking lot before dawn. These guys are regulars like us with real positive attitudes and stoke. We all headed down the hill together and hit the water.

Although the waves didn't look all that appealing from land, we were pleasantly surprised to find the surf better than adequate in the lineup. Surf was overhead on the sets, many times lining up all the way through to the inside closeout.

Decent conditions

I was having one of those sessions where I always snagged the biggest sets. Over and over again, I set myself up deep and outside, and after patiently waiting, was rewarded with solid rides across the chunky peaks.

I was catching so many good waves that I actually started feeling really guilty. Ended up cruising on the inside, taking pictures just so that others could bring up their wave count.

Rich, shying from the camera

Buddy and Rich eventually joined in and started doing their shortboard magic. Buddy tagged some especially late takeoffs.

Buddy sprayed higher than the camera frame

Towards the end of the sesh, he was in position for a set. I scrambled to a sitting position on my board and got the photo just as the wave nailed me. It ended up slapping my board square on the underside and put me through the rinse cycle. Hope I got the shot.

The shot, at a price

After a few more, I decided to head in, for once very satisfied with my wave count and wave quality. We scored some fun ones, but I know that I got some of the best waves (though I may not have ridden them all that great).

When Buddy and I were showering off, we talked about the durability of his latest board. I told him that I was stoked with how long my latest longboard had lasted me. Kiss of death.

When I got home, I was horrified to find a bump on the top of my deck. Apparently, the wave that had slapped the bottom of my board while I was shooting Buddy had buckled the board about 1/3 from the tail. The area near the stringer was raised about 1/4 inch, and tapers down towards each rail. The underside had a hairline crack from stringer to one rail, with no apparent outer glass damage. Damn!

Decision time. Should I fix the damage (professional fixed estimated at $90) or just live with it and plan to buy a new board soon? Or should I ride it until the inevitable snap?

Guess good things and bad things happen and in the end balance out.

To be continued...

Aloha from Paradise,