I've surfed every single day this week, and with a good swell this weekend, I might even get in the water seven days in a row. I'd been praying all January that the surf would pick up when school went back so we could have some waves before we left for Europe and due to travel plans, probably won't get in the ocean for six weeks, which totally freaks me out.

It's been an awful summer for waves but this week it's been three foot and clean at one of my locals, with waves breaking all the way from the point to the the boat ramp if you get a bigger one. Best of all, it's uncrowded, and my husband has been out with me since he quit work.

This is him below from a trip to NSW where we got some tiny waves. I include this picture as he's surfing my Dad's old Blue Planet board, which we are currently fighting over. That is, I beg to swap for a few waves and sometimes steal it and run to the water before he is even in his wetty.

I HATED this board when I first rode it. I learnt on an 8'1 and this is 8'8, so it felt cumbersome to me. But now, after riding for so many years, I've realized I can pretty much ride any board I jump on, and figure it out super fast. I can also spin it around fast as well just by standing well back on the tail - something which is hard to do when you're learning and now it's second nature. It's only 2 liters more volume and the same width as my SMIK, but it's easy to get waves in smaller surf, and to be honest, this baby is easy to turn - cutback, float etc - from either the rail or tail, when I expected it to be like a log. So I'm seriously loving this beat up old baby!

Made in Hawaii, Blue Planets boards are fairly well known. Sadly they've stopped making this one - the image below is as close as I can get. Currently in the bath easing my aching muscles, I'm hardly going out to the van to get a photo!

I've been thinking alot of how much boards cost both for the wallet and the environment, so we are stoked we are giving this one a bit more life. It does make me want to save up for an 8"8 like Dad suggested when I stubbornly wouldn't go above an 8"3 with the SMIK. Still, the SMIK is awesome for bigger and faster waves so I wouldn't get rid of it in a hurry!!

Plus, I need a new longboard as well. It's kinda been killing me not to switch to a longboard after a SUP as I've been really hankering to ride it. At 53, I feel like my wave fitness isn't going to get better than it is right now, so I feel a sense of urgency to suck the marrow, or the fibreglass and carbon fiber and epoxy, out of this sport whilst I still can.