The Place Which Shall Remain Nameless

What's right with this picture? I'll give you a hint. Do you see any other surfers? No, you don't.

SCORE!!!!

I called it big time today. Every so often, if I let my brain think about nothing other than tides, swell direction and the like, I can figure out when a place will start breaking. Remember, we had yet another one of those god-awful high tides this morning. I knew this spot wasn't breaking with the tide. It was then a question of "when". When would it start to break? I went to my home break this morning, but I didn't take a board. I'd decided to bet on this spot (TPWSRN). I knew it would break eventually. I also knew I often have a knack for being at a spot just as the tide is beaten back by the waves. Today was one of those days.

I was watching as waves began to squeak through. I wasn't sure what I was seeing at first. The tide was preventing the waves from going far. In other words, they'd break for a split second before fading into nothingness. I nonetheless kept watching. What's that? Hey! That's a wave, a rideable wave!!! I couldn't get to the car fast enough. I couldn't get in my wetsuit fast enough. I couldn't get my board waxed fast enough. All I could think of was having this beautiful place to myself.

Of course, by the time I was ready to hit it, others arrived. For reasons I don't understand, they didn't immediately paddle out. So, yes, I did have this spot to myself for a time. I'd guess it was a good 20 to 30 minutes of me and those waves. They were small at first. Size (in waves!!!) means nothing to me as long as there is shape. And shape there was. As the tide receded, the waves got bigger. A few people came out to join me on the main peak. However, I still felt like I had the place to myself. They all wanted to go right. I sat where I could snag the lefts. So I still felt like I was out there by myself.

Hot damn!! That was the best session I've had in a long time. I went left to my heart's content. Yeah, I went right a few times too. The shape of that wave is, for me at least, heavenly. And to get it alone was unbelievable.