Just What I Needed

As is my habit of late, I got out early on Sunday, so early that when I arrived at the home break I was the only person there. Although I do want time alone in the water, I'm not willing to risk my safety to do so. There was no way I was going to suit up and paddle out alone. Besides, I wasn't sure what I was looking at. I think I was waiting for a second opinion. Eventually, two guys pulled up. Then there were three of us watching the waves. They looked long and hard, went back to their truck and sat, not quite knowing what to do. Finally, one of the guys in our crew showed up. He said it looked good enough. I trust his judgment since he's been surfing for about as long as I've been on this earth.

This was the perfect opportunity to take out the new board. There were only three of us in the water. The waves, although questionable in their quality, were breaking somewhat gently. These turned out to be the optimal conditions for what I thought would be a horrible kook fest. Much to my surprise, I got up on the board without much trouble. My primary problem is foot placement. I'm accustomed to landing, after popping up, at the back of my boards; when you surf single fins, you steer them from the back, right? My first few pop-ups on the new board were ones where my feet were once again at the back of the board. It took awhile for me to launch myself further forward. I'm not even close to being dialed in. But I'm happily surprised by how many rides I got during this, my second, session on the board.

This shorter board is forcing me to be more efficient with my pop-ups. Let's face it, longboards lull you into a false sense of pop-up security. You can pop-up whenever you damn well please on a longboard. Not so on something short, even if it's not a bona fide shortboard. I willed myself not to overthink it. As soon as the board was picked up by a wave, I was up . . . or at least trying to get up. I cannot say enough good things about this board or the shaper. The thing I find difficult with shortboards is how squirrely they are. I always thought my problem was their lack of length. My new board showed me that I can lose two feet from a surfboard and still surf it . . . as long as its relatively stable while I'm trying to pop-up. This board, while having the stability of a longboard, responds like a shortboard. That concave in the rear makes this thing a rocket. Once I got a good taste of it, I couldn't help but smile and hoot. Granted, there was only one ride that I considered decent. Still, it was enough to show me what I'm dealing with. In thinking about my discussions with the shaper before he made the board, I remember him asking if I wanted the wanted the board to be easy to ride or challenging (based on my skills). I opted for the latter. Later, after he'd shaped the board, he told me the board would raise my skills to another level. He was so right. I'm looking forward to the day when I surf this board comfortably. I don't know if I'll move on to shortboards from there. I don't know that I'll need to. Anyway, it was a good day in the water. I could surf on my own terms. There was no need to worry about others being in my way or vice versa. I had my section of the beach to myself. Of course, once the crowd descended on the place I got self-conscious and went home. This board earned itself a permanent spot in the quiver.