Surf Like a Sumo

Yesterday was the first time in over a year that I surfed on a week day that wasn't a holiday. It was, in a word, confusing. I guess I'd grown accustomed to the crowds, regardless of the fact that I loathed every minute spent surfing practically shoulder-to-shoulder with other people. When I paddled out at RPB yesterday, there were about 10 people in the water. Two and half hours later, there were six.

The session started badly. The warm weather of last week was long gone—not that I'm complaining about that. However, the wind dictated the use of a long-sleeve springsuit. The shorty john is now but a memory. Anyway, the wind was up. The tide was coming up. The sun was nowhere to be found. Those factors right there are usually enough to give me a bad attitude. I knew things were going downhill quickly when I pearled on my first wave. After that horror, I sat there thinking it was pointless to have even paddled out. I thought perhaps I was wrong for wanting to surf alone. Instead of enjoying it, I was a bit freaked out by it. Where did everybody go? I was pitiful. I sat there thinking I'd stay in for about an hour just to make having gotten wet and cold worth my while.

Then a funny thing happened. The sun came out. Then another funny thing happened. The waves picked up. Then the best thing of all happened. I shucked off the negative thoughts and started surfing. I stayed in the water for two and a half hours! My Tyler and I thoroughly enjoyed one another's company. In fact, I got my longest noseride to date during yesterday's session. It was my wave of the day. It wasn't so much for the style points. It was for the giggle factor. When I paddled back out after that wave, I was cracking up. My walk to the nose was perfect. It was effortless. My right foot was planted at the nose for what seemed like an eternity. Then the problem arose. It was time to walk back and I didn't want to blow it. I still suck pretty badly at the walk back. So here I am, doing my nice little Cheater Five down the line, wondering what I'm to do about getting back to the tail. I know that walking back will end in disaster. What to do, what to do? Well, have you ever seen a sumo wrestling match? Before the actual fighting begins, the wrestlers go through this traditional warm-up that involves, among other things, kicking your leg out to the side and putting your foot back down with a loud stomp. The wrestler ends up in a wide-legged squat. I essentially did that move in order to get back to the tail. I didn't walk. I didn't shuffle. I did this:I know it was a full on donkey move. It made me laugh because it worked. I was able to kick out of the wave when the ride was over. The only other wave I remember was a left. The board locked in high and tight. I squatted, dragged my hand and imagined this must be the sensation one has when getting shacked. Had the wave been bigger, I would have been covered.

Today's session sucked. Too much wind and chop. I got two waves. After only an hour, I paddled in. I've learned to cut my losses on bad days. Why sit there waiting for it to improve when you know the wind is going to pick up even more as the day progresses? The ding magnet worked its magic again today. This time it gave the ding to someone else. The waves in the O.C. were nasty today. They'd wall up and pitch you right off before you could stand up. I paddled for a wave which walled up and caused me to pearl. As a result, I pulled back to keep from going over the falls. Somehow, my friend was behind me. (Why he was that close to me while I was paddling, I don't know.) When I pulled back from the wave, my tail hit the bottom of his board somehow. Ding!!! He ended up with some cracked glass from that one. My board, surprisingly enough, was unharmed.