SURF OBSERVATIONSApologies -- 6/15/03 Date: June 15, 2003
Words: Full moon on the horizon provided a beautiful dreamscape in the morning. Unfortunately, the surf wasn't cooperating, with tiny conditions throughout Town. Ended up talking story in the parking lot with Greg about the surf and about some previous sessions. I brought up the subject of my altercation with a local guy--Greg knew the guy and told me his name. As we were getting ready to head out, a van chocked full of people drove up behind us. A photographer came out, followed by a bunch of model-type girls. The photog asked me some questions about the beach and the sunrise, and I gladly obliged with what little info I could dispense. As Greg and I walked down the path with the modeling crew, some idle chit-chat ensued. Come to find out that they were San Francisco 49'er cheerleaders. What a coincidence--this week, my daughter and her dance group were planning to have a clinic with some of these women. I wished them luck in their shoot while hoping for some luck of my own in the meager surf. When we got out, we found that it wasn't all bad. Waves were small, for sure, but we made the most of it. Didn't have much of a crowd--only some of the regulars--so we had a nice rotation going, taking turns on the rideable ones. I was on my tank, so I made sure I gave chance to everyone (although they all were very competent surfers who caught their share on their own). Soon, a familiar face joined us out in the lineup. It was the guy I had crossed paths with last time. He seemed friends with all the regulars, and he talked idly with them all. At first, I stubbornly held myself at bay, refusing to look his way. But after a while, I realized that it was silly and juvenile to hold a grudge over something stupid as a closeout wave. When an opportunity arose, I paddled over to him, called him by name, introduced myself, and apologized for my outburst. Turns out he was very remorseful about the incident, and also apologized. The burden of attitude was lifted from me as we talked story a little bit and acknowledged that we were just out there to catch a few good ones. Did I mention the surf? It was pretty dismal, with mostly windswell peaks coming in from the east. But it didn't really matter. Maybe it was because of the small surf, the session was more fun. Everybody was out there for all the right reasons. I caught some really fun ones with my longboard. Pulled into the hook of some cute ones. But one wave stood out above the rest. Took off outside on a shoulder-high peak, came off the bottom and into a soft cutback. As I realigned my trim down the line, a waist-high wall set up over the inside reef. I tried stalling, putting all my weight on my back (right) leg. Somehow, I ended up squatting on my right knee, with my left leg extended out towards the nose. My inside heel of my left foot was flush against the board, with my left knee also touching the board. What a poser! After a few hours, the crowd dispersed a bit as the second round of surfers came out. I had gotten my fill so I also headed in. On the beach, I found that the photog was still at it, taking glamour shots, along with some "lifestyle" photos. He even shot a few of me while I was showering off (no doubt, he was going to erase it soon after--I hope, anyway). I kind of apologized for the cloud cover and spotty lighting, but he acknowledged that we couldn't control these things. It was ironic that after my string of bad sessions my breakout to regain the stoke back came under the smallest conditions of the year. Or maybe it was more so because the apology had "freed my mind." Whatever the reason, it was a pleasant way to start Father's Day.
Aloha from Paradise, 
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