Here's another true surfing story from my "recollection collection."
Memories can be great, as long as they don't crowd out the present.
I still surf, and still love surfing.
The water is still warm, so I'll be taking my granddaughter surfing tomorrow after school.
Surfing is the greatest sport in the world... But you know that already, right?
Just in case you don't please read on...
"The only way to define your limits is by going beyond them."
- Arthur C. Clarke -
The year is 2001.
Geeks everywhere are deeply disappointed that Arthur C. Clarke's "Space Odyssey" hasn't been realized as envisioned in the 1968 movie.
A few weeks ago, I went out on Christmas morning and got three head-and-a-half high waves. The last of the three was a classic, long right!
Tune in and imagine you're there in Carlsbad, California with me... I want to tell you about a world-class wave ride I got...
Just so you know what you're missing out on, if you don't surf!
I'm hanging out at "Warm Water Jetty." I've caught a few so-so rides thus far, but nothing to write home about.
To my north is a pack of young turks who are getting most of the nice peaks...
I stay out of their way, hovering to the south, waiting to pick up the occasional, stray, "off-point" wave.
Mostly it's a day for glassy, slamming, killer shorebreak. I catch a few two-second rides, but they are pretty much fast drops followed by closeouts.
Looking up, I see a big wave forming outside. An oversize set wave, it's too large and begins to break too far out, catching the gang inside...
I, however, am in the sweet spot. I line up on it and get ready to go for it. Looking left one last time, I can see the large wall of water begin to break. No one else is on it, so I have a clear shot.
The shoulder reaches me, and looking right I can see that I have a good chance to make it. It isn't already too steep.
Getting my balance, I feel a surge of power under my feet. I am suddenly standing on the face of an overhead slope of water.
I have to shift my weight back on the board because the water is rushing up the face, driving me rapidly upward. I manage to balance the upward rush, converting it into forward motion. I draw a line that takes me further and further toward the crest of the wave. I can tell that it's preparing to close out.
When the wave finally does close ( Ten seconds? Fifteen seconds?) I am near the top. I simply bail out over the back.
I shout "Hallelujah!" a few times, and then paddle back out. This has been a wave I won't soon forget.
If you don't surf, you really can't. There are some things in life that simply must be experienced to be understood.
If you have the chance to learn to surf, grab it!
Thanks for your time and attention.
You are why I'm here on Steemit!
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about them all.
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