Linda Mar, 21 February 2009

Surfpulse described this morning at Ocean Beach like this:

Today is one of those days where I sat and stared at the surf for 20 minutes or so trying to find an inspirational wave and I'm happy to report I did, they're just really hard to find and track down unfortunately....On occasion, a nice inspirational wave moves through, but the odds of tracking one down sort of look like the odds of winning the lottery, possible but not really. Overall, the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse this weekend, so if you're like me and about to go crazy from not being able to paddle in awhile, this may be the last shot you'll have to save your sanity.

And so, after far too many dry days, today I was getting in the water no matter what. Linda Mar already had a growing crowd when I arrived at 7 a.m. and was mushy on the high tide, more of a longboard day when I'd brought my fish - but no matter.

I saw M and R in the parking lot and then caught up with them in the water, and introduced myself to cyber-friend E on the middle peak. Since I was on Nemo, she advised me to stay where the waves looked like they would break right on me, since they were so moundy and powerless. Notwithstanding that "about to break on me" is a scary place for me to sit generally, with a south drift, a crowd, and inconsistent surf, it was a hard spot to find. I caught one wave, but backed off when it closed out, and in hindsight I wish I'd pushed my weight forward instead and tried to make it, since that was the best of the session.

As I walked to the showers on numb feet, C called my name, recognizing Nemo. It was nice to meet some of my e-friends in the real world, and enjoy another second of my fifteen minutes of fame.

Having watched the sunrise over the hills, bobbing gently in the swell, laughing at the micro-fright of a bird suddenly surfacing two feet from my board, smelling sugary churros baking at the Taco Bell, and feeling the exhilaration of paddling toward open ocean and cresting a wave just before it broke - it felt so good to just be in the sea. I could never leave the coast.

Now it seems like a heavy blanket has fallen over the Penisula, a close overcast of gray clouds, waiting for the storm. Unless a window opens in the weather, my next session will be the second half of next week in SoCal with old surf buddy D. Perhaps a night surf, if we can brave Santa Monica Bay in the dark. But if Keanu can do it, why not?