A Noseride

Well it happened.

I surfed yesterday in what mostly were just "OK" conditions. The waves had decent size but were inconsistent and a little choppy, but mostly they would have been characterized as mushy. Generally, I move myself along the length of the board trying to enhance or prolong my rides, so I spend plenty of quick moments in that space from maybe 12 inches back from the nose to the place that he fabric inlay ends which is maybe 30 inches back. I like to tell myself that time spent there was noseriding, but I knew it wasn't really a noseride. Its not that I haven't been trying. I know technically and logistically what is supposed to happen and I spend lots of time trying to make quick turns into the face of the wave and head down the line. I try to be graceful in my cross stepping, but I really have not mastered that at all. Its mostly a skip or hop forward and then some backpedal steps. Considering that most of the rides are short anyway, it seems like a pretty efficient, though unattractive, way of moving around the board. After about an hour in the water I seemed to have found my groove. The first few rides of the day were clumsy failures and I noted to myself that proper stretch and warm up were in order from now on. I also had been somewhat distracted by the large youth group that seemed to be engaged in some sort of organized exercise. It reminded me of those government sponsored morning exercises in Japan or China that I had seen photos of, except these teenagers were decidedly foreign as evidenced by there "speedos". Or at least I hope they were. Off on a run to the pier, I resumed focus, or rather lack of focus on anything again and was getting some fun rides.

I paddled, felt the speed pick up and the familiar sensation of catching the wave, and I popped up as I have a thousand times by now. I went right which is never as natural feeling to my goofy stance, but I am pretty comfortable with that now. I was prepared to move forward to find that "glide" by trimming the board with my weight forward or aft but I felt something odd, very odd indeed. Anticipating the rush of sliding down the face of the wave, I stepped (OK- hopped)forward and felt the sensation of my board being held down behind me. I could feel the weight of the wave securely holding my board level. I looked down and could see a large space beneath the nose and I was standing "out there" on said nose. I didn't hang ten or even cheat five, but holy soul arches! Batman I was in fact noseriding. Too shocked and surprised I didn't think to move forward and try a more impressive move, but I did have the composure to backpedal a little at just the right time.

The youth group was far down the beach, a few small groups of people on the shore were busy playing with children or reading. I looked around and gave myself a well deserved, though maybe not really earned, hoot. Among memorable surf days, this one is currently at the top.

State of Mind

My current state of mind is dulled by a persistent, yet mild head cold. This being the case I am eyeing the surf forecast for tomorrow morning like a kid watching a frosting beater being handed to them. I see it coming, I think its going to be pretty good, and nothing else is really on my mind. I surfed the other night after work. I can't recall through the congestion sitting behind my face now which day that was. I went to my secret spot which really is no secret and paddled out alone. I estimated I had an hour before sunset as I had hurriedly unbuckled the faded straps on my roof rack. I wasted five precious minutes setting everything down and scrambling back and forth to pay for the 30 or so minutes of parking for which I was still responsible. Soon I was joined by two other souls and felt the relief of another human nearby in the water, but not too close. The wind had picked up an things looked a little sloppy, but looks are deceiving and waves are best judged from paddling vantage point. The waves were fun. I think most surfers can interpret this descriptor "fun" easy enough. Fun is getting rides if you give a little effort, fun is not epic or threatening, fun is not likely to give you an individual wave or ride that will stick in your head forever. I look for fun waves tomorrow as a minimum, which is usually pretty easy for me to experience. Since I don't think of much else when I a surfing, the head cold will vanish for a while and my state of mind will be altered.

Flat

Flat. One little word that relays so much. Yesterday afterwork I surfed in nearly flat conditions and the forecasts only looked flatter, so it was a chance to maybe catch a ride or two. I did catch lots of quick, jump off into shallow water before you break your fin, rides. I adjusted my position to follow the sunlight peaking through and around the two highrise buildings. The water was nearly perfect for me at 80 or so degrees. The cool breeze across my bareback and still tanned skin drove me into the water between rides. Glassy conditions are beautiful and inviting, but often are accompanied by smaller surf. I tend to embrace small days and in my own mind have become the king of shorebreak longboarding. I know there is risk to myself and board but I think I mitigate that fairly well. Floating in nearly the same spot that less than a week before I had felt the thrill of my biggest drop down a wave, the slow moving bumps in the water hardly seemed like they could come from the same ocean. But then the ocean does that and maybe its what keeps surfing so alive and challenging to me. Tomorrow promises to be smaller if that is possible. I suppose the waiting pile of lumber and fencing will have to be addressed, the grass mowed and other projects attended to for a change.

To give credit where it is due...I found this picture at my favorite local surfing forum and website.. www.wblivesurf.com . I love this site.

Today is Tuesday and the past two days I missed a little work trying to cover child care needs and what I call the "day care shuffle", it happens sometimes and I'd do anything for my little groms, so its no big deal, except...

...did you look at the picture? This is such a pretty wave to me. Smallish, clean, nicely shaped. The winds were almost offshore, the weather is an uncommonly warm 90 degrees and the water is still pretty nice at about 76 degrees. Add to this view that its October and the weekday crowds just don't exist really. Luckily I had two really good surfing days (see previous post) recently, so I can get myself over this angst. I can imagine myself as this unnamed surfer above. I can feel the satisfaction of having successfully timed the wave, popped up and made a turn. The primary difference would have been my turn would have been left as I am goofy; goofy footed that is. Though I really can't "noseride" per se, I do spend a lot of time at the front third or so of the board. Also, I am not so good at cross stepping, so in some viewpoints my almost noserides don't really count anyway.

days to remember

The past few days surfing are going to be memorable. The waves were pretty big for Wrightsville Beach, and better yet they arrived, or were sustained is perhaps more correct, for the Cape Fear Clean Water Classic surf contest. I am glad they had some waves, and I had good intentions of going to watch for a while, but the waves were too good and my time too limited to go watch someone else surf. Saturday I paddled out at dawn with a friend from work. D. has a great attitude about everything and being a better surfer than I helps push me a little. I apparently help in pushing him to get out on the waves more often. Our third "regular" for the Saturday AM surf was out of town. Probably a good thing as it was bigger than he would be up for, at least I am guessing this would have been the case.

Waves always look and seem a lot smaller from the shore, maybe the perspective or distance does it, but arriving Sunday there was no one out on the waves to give anything scale. The ocean peaks and troughs were substantial and the waves thick. I paddled for a few and missed, then paddled for more and got worked over a few times. There was one wave that I will remember for some time. The thick wave rose up, it looked a little taller and steeper so I knew it was going to break in a good place for me. I had already experienced its peers in failing to get a good solid ride, so I had a sense of what I had to do to stick this ride. Mostly, I just really needed to commit and just ride the thing. The longboard, my favorite board, seemed to pause at the apex of the wave as if both I and the board were taking a deep breath, then, the drop. The wave had pitched up and the face was steep but still nicely A-framed. I raced down and left, the little bump and chop of the day's water translated to little slaps of the wave against board as it chattered down toward the bottom. Things were happening pretty fast though I still managed a little bit of a bottom turn and kept left down the line. In review, D. didn't seem to think I had made the wave but as I made that turn, my head appeared above the wave as seen from behind and he seemed impressed that I stuck this ride. I was exhilarated. The bicep burn I had already been feeling was gone, I back out through the impact zone like I was paddling across mill pond. Its been almost 2 days since and this ride is still fresh on my mind. Today, Sunday, I had more of the same, maybe not so big and not as choppy. Also , I didn't score a ride quite like yesterday. D. and I talked about assumptions in life, assumptions in surfing on Saturday and I reflected on this today. I realize I have a lot to learn and experience yet on my board.

a little homecoming

I surfed this morning before work. The conditions did not look so great when I arrived at the beach, but the waves had some size and though it was choppy and a little windy, there was no drift to speak of as it had been earlier in the week. I was in a rush to get into the water, so I skipped the coffee (bad mistake), forgot my rashquard (not so bad really) and then slammed the little fastex buckle on my surf racks in my car door. The slow motion view of this pained me until the sound of plastic hitting pavement shocked me back into regular speed viewing. I took a buckle from by backpack and fixed that first. I knew that I would want to surf until the last possible minute before a quick rinse off, dressing in the parking lot and getting to work for a meeting..just in time. I started to wonder if some message was being sent to just go home. Then I looked at the tattered board bag at my feet and I smiled. Inside was my favorite board, but one I had let lay fallow in a sense for several sessions. I bought this board used but it feels like it was made for me custom. There beside me, begging to be ridden, lay my 9'6" Allison Classic Longboard. I don't know enough about why its so good, but Will Allison shaped some magic into this board and the thousands of waves and and boards behind him all culminated into what is easily the best board I've ridden. So, it was a homecoming of sorts for me and my board. Paddling out always feels good on this stick. The white foam and froth of the ocean accentuated the little bit of yellowing this board has now. I have dinged and repaired the board more times than I recall of hand. The Rainbow Fin Company 9.5 Noserider fin, perfectly matched for this board, now has a flat spot where I've done too much "king of the shore break" riding.
I can tell I am a little out of shape by how quickly I felt the "bicep burn" kick in paddling out after each ride today. The board seemed to fall back into rhythm quicker than I and I worked passed the lack of caffeine until I fell back into mine. The rides were mostly short (what else is new), but I had fun. I pushed myself and made deep, rail burying turns just to feel the familiar, but sorely missed feel of that particular shaped board under my feet. We had our reunion, we surfed a little, that board and I. I really like trying any surfboard that I can manage to stand on and I have a few others that are really fun, but lately the best part of riding them has been that I really appreciate the one I surfed today.

My To Do List

My To Do List

About a year ago, Surfer Magazine published a list of 67 things all surfers should do in their lifetimes. I still have this issue and mentally checked off a few of these must do items. For example, “Surf in the rain” (#26), Done!; I have been riding a super fun 9’1” Power Tools longboard from the mid 80’s, does that count for “Go Retro”,(#22)? There is no rush to complete all 67, and I’m not sure I can or would want to actually. My next significant “To Do” item is #12, “Shape your own board”, and I will let you know how that turns out. Currently the plan is for something about 8 feet long and thick. One of the items, #25, suggests teaching someone to surf. I am doing this a little with my son, but he is young and I let him move at his own pace. Still, I have never been more stoked than seeing him stand and ride for the first time. I am far from being a seasoned surfer, but still I enjoy helping a co-worker by sharing what I know about surfing and be there to patch him up when he loses a round of fin vs. man. I know how much of an impact surfing has on me, so I am cautious about teaching others and won’t push it on anyone. For those that struggled for some time before it finally “clicked”, you can appreciate every small step forward your wave riding skills can move, and being on the teaching end can be pretty rewarding too. Teaching is a good way to learn and refine your own skills; after all, you don’t want to pass on something flawed or unsafe. It is more than that, because you have to communicate something that ultimately just has to be felt or experienced. Things like balance, just as you learned when you first rode a bike without training wheels, are hard to describe or teach. Of course those of you riding boards shorter than you are tall might think my thick, 9’6” longboard is just a surfboard version of training wheels. The whole surfing and equilibrium thing makes me think about how keeping in balance isn't about making all things equal but rather a continuous search or dance. If you keep everything equal all of the time then nothing ever changes. Maybe the lessons learned or taught through surfing go beyond the act of riding a wave. I enjoy the “dance” that takes place as I try to squeeze a few more moments from a ride, edging forward, then back, looking for that glide. I don’t know what I look like as I do this dance, and maybe I don’t want to know. I have a few boards now that I can actually ride, and switching from one to the other has taught me much about balance, and how keeping everything too familiar does not let you evolve as a surfer. So I will use the list of 67 things, ride as many different boards as I can, and keep honing my surfers dance to keep a little balance. I’m going to need this if #13, (Get shacked) is ever going to get checked off.

See you in the water.

surf writing submissions

a few of my "written in wax" submissions to the local surfers magazine.....

Secret Spot

I realize its taboo to discuss secret spots but I will try not to reveal yours, though I might just. Secret spots are by their nature a little mystical and hold some magic for their owners. You read about them on your local online surfing forums especially when they had just been firing off with chest high barrels just minutes away from the sloppy, pond like conditions that I was enjoying at the same time. Apparently there must be some secret time element to this thing too as it never fails that those most desirable of waves occurred in the past and less so in the present. Some spots have names which I don’t dare reveal in ink, but even not so secret places are treated as such. Perhaps if they remain secret to even just one person maybe they retain their magic.

I have a secret spot. The lay of the land there is such that the ocean isn’t revealed so easily, and the walk down to the wet sand where I pause to attach my leash is farther than some spots I visit. I have never gotten barreled in my spot (ok, this is misleading since I have never been barreled anywhere yet), nor is it always chest high, glassy, A-frame lefts nicely lined up. Really, its not even secret, actually it’s right at a public beach access. You can go there right now and if you can find a free spot, it’s all yours. If I see you at my secret spot, then you will be my secret surf soul sister or brother for that little bit of time though I will not likely know or ask your name. I will give you wide berth not because I am unfriendly, but more likely I need it to keep my fin safely out of your tail.

This secret spot I speak of is really more than the “place”. Truth is, my secret spot lies deeper within and exists wherever it is I happen to paddle out. No, that isn’t really true either because I don’t even need my board or be within sight of the ocean to go to my secret spot. I carry this feeling around with me always and it’s easily accessible. Surfing has graced me with a secret spot that not everyone gets to have. I worked hard for this spot over the last few years. I wake early when others are still sleeping so that I can weave surfing with the rest of my life. I paddle out in the cold of February and I paddle out even when it’s flat sometimes. I fix my own dings and bring life back to old boards. I kindle the stoke I find in others, and I try to leave the beach and ocean better than I find it each time.

Sometimes I glide across waves as I sit in traffic, take a moment to stretch at my desk, or when I doze off to sleep at night. Of course I have visited my secret spot in my dreams on those nights I am lucky enough to remember… but I still haven’t gotten barreled there either.

See you in the water.

Surf Karma and Surfers Healing

Good waves and great rides are not just handed out every day around here. Learning to read and understand weather patterns and tracking down all the surf cams is a good start, but what you really need is some positive surf karma. If you have any good karma at all there are some really good ways to lose your surf karma. There has been an epidemic of stolen boards around here. If you steal another surfer’s board, you are doomed to a life of bad surf karma and you should probably take up croquet or something. Of course dropping in on someone, snaking a wave or endangering swimmers because you are showing off will cost you a few karma points, but don’t despair, you can earn them back. Sharing your wax, teaching someone to surf, helping a stranger with their stuck wetsuit zipper, helping someone in distress, picking up trash on the beach, all of this will help earn your way toward good surf karma and I promise, better surfing.

The other day Surfer’s Healing (www.surfershealing.org) was back in town and I spent the day doing my little part to help. This organization was founded by a surfer after discovering how the ocean and surfing seemed to have a therapeutic effect on his young, autistic son. That day they shared, at no cost to the participants, the amazing feeling of surfing with over a hundred autistic children of all ages. Positive Surf Karma was thick in the air as children were transformed, if only for that moment, by surfing. The sounds of crying replaced by laughter as these kids glided on 12 foot tandem boards with what can be best described as true watermen and treated to some surprisingly fun looking waves. There were many people volunteering and much praise should go to the organizers of this event, both local and with the Surfers Healing organization, but it’s the surfers that flew in for this event that impacted me the most. I have watched lots of surfing on the beach, or on videos and yes many gifted, hard working surfers can do amazing things and tricks on a wide range of boards. That being said, I have never been more impressed by any surfer more than these incredibly friendly 7 or 8 guys surf for over 6 hours with little you could call a break, on huge tandem boards entrusted with the lives of these very special kids and do it all with style and incredible stamina. As the event neared the end, I recall one of the darkly tanned surfers who was among those who came from Hawaii, when most of us would have been exhausted and lifeless, lift a kid up on his shoulders as he glided down the line. I think a few of the surfers were some of our own local guys, and the others came in from California and Hawaii, but what they did that day was perhaps the most impressive surfing I have seen and I don’t think they can ever run dry of good surf karma. If you missed this event, there are plenty of other opportunities to make a positive contribution to surfing inspired charities and benefit events. If surfing has been good to you, then take this challenge and find a way to build your surf karma.

See you in the water.


Venturing Out

When I finally achieved some success surfing, and by that I mean standing more than a millisecond and actually choosing when to “dismount” the board, I found myself very reluctant to venture beyond one spot. The parking was easy, the waves never crowded (nor ever that great) and there is a shower and public restroom available for at least part of the year. I had enough to contend with trying to become proficient and in my mind I decided to take whatever this spot would give which was mostly some sense of familiarity and comfort. As confidence and skills began shaping up, I ventured outward to discover other places that suited my surfing needs and wants. In fact for some time, if you ignore the “tourist” lesson in Hawaii on a 12 foot soft top, my surfing experiences were confined to about 100 miles of coast between Topsail Island and Myrtle Beach.

I suspect many of our local surfers reach some point where the depth of your skills needed some balancing with the breadth of surfing experiences. Experiences that come with some exploration whether that is driving a few hours north, or traveling to the opposite side of the globe, or maybe just trying someone else’s board on a fun Saturday morning. Now, I can’t imagine taking a vacation without the chance to surf something. I recently had the opportunity to be in central California and found myself picking my way via subway and public bus to a spot that rented boards and a wetsuits before the long plane ride back home. I will tell you, you can never appreciate the beaches we have until you have surfed with a hundred other people in the water around you. The terrain and views around me, even the rocky makeup of the beach under my feet felt very surreal to this southeastern North Carolina surfer. Described as a beginner or novice beach break, I was faced with large, thick surf and an unforgiving impact zone to cross before any waves were to be caught. Quickly reminded of the love / hate relationship I have with wetsuits, I paddled into my first west coast wave. I caught several good waves and the length and speed of the rides is what stands out about that day…well, that and breaking a leash for the first time and having to swim back in. Did I mention the unforgiving impact zone and the wetsuit? I wouldn’t trade this adventure, but I was glad to get back in our warm waters while I can still surf bareback for a while this season.

All of this reminds me that there are so many places I have never been let alone surfed. I will keep venturing out, and looking for chances to ride the various waves around the world if I am so fortunate, but I am going to start here in my back yard and venture out and see what new spots I can ride nearby.

See you in the water.

The Food Chain

Some may know George at OnShore Surf Shop in Surf City, and as this is a local magazine, I won’t spend much more time on him other than a few words of advice he gave to me freely. They were really just truths that were shared and that I have always kept as part of my surfing knowledge. A 7’9” BIC was my first board from George and though he may not remember me well, it’s hard to forget him or these “truths”. The first was that I should take the bar of wax he had given me and rub it all over the board nice and thick. I did this like I was the karate kid in the famous “wax on, wax off” scene, and I still do use lots of wax as is evident on nearly every inch of 9’6” longboard. Maybe its wishful thinking on my part that I will use those 18 or so inches of the nose for much more than holding wax, but one of these days I will elegantly cross step to that place and hang at least a few toes over while riding a wave.

Enough of that…truth number two from this embodiment of surfing was simply that once you got past your ankles in the ocean, that you were part of the food chain. This was said like only a long haired (at the time), mustached, flip flop wearing, and blank foam dust covered guy could say. I repeat this today whenever others ask me about jellyfish and sharks, with not nearly quite the same effect. Yesterday I thought about this truth a little more intently. Surfing gives a unique perspective on the ocean not just as a scenic backdrop or watery playing field, but as a living thing. From the earliest days of surfing, I have marveled at the life that the big blue sea holds within that relatively small space where waves heave up after traveling from places far beyond. I have seen countless pelicans; a session without seeing my friends the pelicans seems incomplete. I have “experienced” jellyfish and still find them to be the most mysterious of creatures. The first sting felt like a right of passage and its itchy scar a badge of honor. Subsequent stings quickly have quickly lost this charm. I’ve seen fish up close that ranged from the tiny unidentified bait that puddle up on the nose of my deck as I paddled through a wave, to the foot long silvery specimen that hopped out of the water in front of me just feet away, to the barracuda that jumped out right behind in hot pursuit. I was so close, and it came as such a surprise that I didn’t have time to be afraid, just utterly amazed. Dolphins seen from the shore are a treat and almost always create a stir of cameras and pointing fingers but from atop a surfboard at 10 feet away they are majestic and awe inspiring. The wet, grey muscular bodies arc up in that familiar fashion and then disappear leaving most surfers feeling pretty inadequate in the water. The lucky surfer might catch them at play riding a wave or thrusting their sleek bodies completely out of the water (you try that next time you are out swimming). All these wonders plus the crabs and little clams make for an interesting view of this food chain with you more or less on top. Its not until you see the shark do you feel yourself as part of the food chain. So when I saw that dark dorsal fin, I started to smile anticipating that familiar arc of the dolphin, an arc that never came. This fin moved slower and stayed level and was heading my way. Instincts are a great thing so I paddled to shore for a few minutes and I finally appreciated what the waterman from Surf City meant.

an older surfer

In about 3 months I will turn 4o. This does not bother me, and I don't think about it much. Most birthdays of my 20's and 30's are pretty uneventful actually. I feel younger these past few years than the years before, so I think I am pretty fortunate. Last year I surfed on my birthday. Being two days before christmas can be tricky time to go surfing. I certainly don't want the visiting inlaws to think I would rather surf than spend quality time with my extended family...



Anyway, last year the water was cold on December 23rd and choppy, and windy, and had a north to south drift that felt like a whitewater canoe ride more than a surf session. I paddled out anyway because it was my birthday and I could not imagine anything else I'd rather be doing. This December will only be significant because the wife tells me I should get something really special for my fortieth birthday..a surfboard she suggests...



Buying a new longboard of the quality that I would want is no minor expense, at least in terms of my relative wealth, but then again I rarely spend a lot of money on my self and I like to think that surfing is a lot cheaper than say..golfing, or boating. Its also something that I would have thought to be really easy to do. Afterall I "window shop" boards all the time. The buyers guide in every issue of Longboard Magazine is like the Dupont Registry of surf. One of the boards caught my eye in the issue I just recieved..the Infinity Secret Weapon. I was and mostly still are leaning toward a locally shaped and glassed just for me longboard, but the Secret Weapon was intriguing. I made the mistake of going by Sweetwater Surf Shop near my favorite break, where they by chance had not one, but two Secret Weapons. I think any surfer would be impressed by the obvious volume of space this board occupies. It was easily 4 inches thick...I am not so sure I could hold this board under my arm and I really would not care either!



So, you might see me on a new board..or maybe I will just keep riding what I have and love...