Mission Accomplished

Distant photo from last summer

I surfed Mission Jetty for the first time today. There was a sweet overhead left peaking up fast off of the riprap wall. A pack of pretty good surfer dudes were all over it and fun to watch, but I wasn't about to get in that mix. At negative low tide, the leftovers off the main peak were mostly closed out. I took off on a head-high left that slammed shut before I reached the bottom and spun me ass-over-teakettle, with my leash pulled taut over my neck at one point. Whoa. Then I got caught in a rip current, sucked beyond the farthest guy before the choppy water registered the threat. It took what seemed like too much paddling (parallel to shore, of course) to get back to stiller waters. By then I'd had enough and dodged closeouts while looking in vain for a hint of a shoulder until I was far enough in to belly-ride the whitewater back to the wide beach. While the surf brought me little joy (although it certainly makes me feel alive to finally surface after a pummeling), the sun was shining and the air was warm, like July in January. I can't complain.