Dolphins, Dolphins, Dolphins!!!

At one point, they were everywhere: under my board, next to me, in front of me, out by the buoy, in by the sand. After you see that, the waves you're out there to surf become unimportant. Everyone in the water got his or her own chance to get up close and personal with the dolphins. Initially, the dolphins were near the buoy jumping and splashing. Then, they got increasingly closer to the line-up. Before we all knew it, we were the lucky witnesses to dolphins at play in the waves. I think everyone literally stopped surfing to watch the dolphins have a go. I was at a loss for words when the dolphins finally swam away. I think I used the same two words ("amazing" and "unbelievable") over and over again.

When it was time to get back to surfing, I was no longer in the mood. The sun was out. We'd been visited by dolphins. The waves sucked. I was more than happy to just sit for awhile. The best part of the session was surfing with my girls. There were four of us out there from the home break crew. Let the board swapping begin! R assumed that my seeming apathy about the waves was because my board was too small. She then offered to swap. I got the longboard. She got the 7'0". Of course, the longboard seemed much too big and I was immediately uncomfortable on it. I caught waves, but there was nothing with a shoulder. I managed one short Cheater Five. (You know my rule about walking if I'm on a longboard.) I also managed to get my ass kicked in a closeout. The board and I went over the falls. As I tumbled, I wondered where the board would hit me. It wasn't as bad as I'd envisioned. It hit me in the butt. And while my butt cheeks are certainly padded enough to withstand such a blow, my upper glute (you know, where the bone is and the fat isn't) is not. Yes, it hurt quite a bit. Anyway, R and L both tried out the 7'0". Both were impressed. What a perfect stick for someone who wants to go shorter without going to a shortboard or fish or funboard. It's more egg-like than anything else. It still hasn't seen a wave with a shoulder. That's my fault, I know. The board deserves better than what I've shown it. Immediate (i.e., within the next seven days) goal: Find a wave with a shoulder.