That Was a Close One

You know, I can't complain too much about the flatness out there. Such conditions allow me to stay relatively local and surf beach breaks (with ample parking and a playground for the little one). My home break, unfortunately, is now a zoo. I'm not sure what lead to this transformation. The fact that some triathlete group has designated it as their training ground doesn't help. Now I'm surfing a few towers north of my home. It's not so crowded down there. When I looked south at the home break, it looked packed. I don't find that enjoyable, even when surfing with people I love. Anonymous was right when he or she told me to disregard the impression the surf reports were giving about completely flat conditions. There was a little something out there today and it was worth paddling out for. I even managed a couple of long rides going frontside. I'm going to assume my peripheral vision is good. While going (slowly) down the line, I saw something coming toward my head. I managed to duck and turn at the same time. Let's just say a person whose initials shall remain nameless managed to launch her board at me. Granted, she didn't know I was there, but it still goes to show you how many people are guilty of doing it. When we both started paddling for the wave, I asked which was she was going. She said left and assumed I'd go right. Wrong. I'd planned on going left too. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't going right. Anyway, we took the wave together. She was at the top of it and I caught a section at the bottom. As I sped by, her ride came to an end and all I saw was that big board coming toward my head. Can you imagine sending one of your friends to the hospital because you beaned her with your board? I suppose such things happen.

Let me say something in praise of the old guys. They rock!!! These old guys, the ones who've been surfing for decades, are so stylish. They may have grey hair—or no hair, for that matter—but they know what to do on a surfboard. There was a guy out there today who paddled out a little after we got there. He kept telling his friend he needed to just get that first wave under his belt. Finally a wave came to him and he rode it. No big deal. Well, in retrospect, I realize that was his way of getting warmed up. When the next wave came, he cross-stepped straight to the nose and walked back. It's not that he did it. It's how he looked when he did it. The only people who surf like that are the old guys. His style was reminiscent of that of the surfers in the Sixties. I love seeing the older guys and women surf. They make it look so effortless. No one can duplicate that style, not even someone as perfect as Joel Tudor. Theirs is a style that comes from having surfed back in the day. Younger surfers can't replicate it; we don't know surfing pre-shortboards and tri-fins. These folks do. Next time you're in the water, pay attention when someone with grey hair paddles by. He or she might teach you a lesson . . . if you just shut up and watch.