I took my in-laws to the airport this morning and after I was done, I was able to get some waves still untouched by the sun! I checked the waves and it looked promising, so I went for it. On the way down, I saw a dependable left, but on the other side, I saw very little. I was about to solidify the left as my spot for the day but I saw a guy get a SICK barrel way down the beach. This led me to literally sprint down towards him to see if I could steal some of his magic.
I paddled out and my arm was feeling good. As soon as I sat on my board, the guy whom I'd seen pitted out of his mind gives me his report, unprompted, "It's pretty inconsistent, set waves are where it's at".
Well, none came. The waves were being huge teases in that we'd see a bump and get in position, only to have the waves not break until close-out detonation on the inside.
I took a left late and took it all the way to the bottom, starting with the nose of my board. I had pearled.
I regrouped. I caught a right and tried to get in the barrel. My decision to take a high line on this small, barely barreling wave and the stiff offshore created disaster. I went over the falls and I BOUNCED OFF THE WATER at the bottom, like a skipping stone. The wave then lovingly pounce upon me. I felt like a mouse that the wave was toying with as I gently bounced off the bottom, chest first.
My arm started sending pain signals to my brain, but nothing too bad. It wasn't an impact pain, just a muscle stress pain.
I caught what seemed to be a nice left but got hung up on the lip for too long. I made it down and just in time (read: WAY late) to line up for the barrel as it pitched over me. The heaving lip was so far ahead of me that I instinctively shot my board out ahead and away from me. I did those so quickly that my knees painfully knocked together. OUCH.
Things turned a bit when I caught a right in a good spot, found my rhythm on the wave and pumped up and down. I had a lot of speed on a diminishing wave. I tested a little cut down but the now mini-wave was so steep I felt only a different angle of attack would save me from face-planting into the foot of water. I did a flying kickout (an air over the back of the wave; not nearly as cool as it seems) and paddled back out.
I paddled out and saw an amazing set wave left roll through, perfect for off-the-tops. I was left lusting, as no others came.
I was getting sick of these waves and my arm was beginning to scream for relief from paddling and duckdiving. I took what seemed like a left but turned into a closeout. I got hung up on the lip yet again, this time on takeoff. I popped up despite the wave not being worth the risk and air-dropped tail-first. I think it's the only air drop I've had all year. I landed and rode away clean, became prone and bailed.
*Happy Birthday to my goddaughter, Emma, who turned twelve today!*
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