A Magical Late Afternoon at Montara

We have been monitoring all day about the wave reports from various sources to see where it is going to break. Many of us have concluded that Montara was the best bet, and I am glad I did go there.

 

I headed out to the breaks in Montara at 6:30 this afternoon. Unlike the usually gnarly and unforgiving Montara, the water was warm (for our area that is), and the waves were gentle up to chest high levels.

 

There were probably a couple of dozen surfers in the entire beach, but we were all spread out and respected each others to have lots of fun. And that’s exactly what happened this late afternoon.

 

Montara is a pristine and beautiful place and when I get out and look at the beach, the green hills in the back and the cliffs with all different colors, I feel so lucky that I am here and be able to enjoy the blend of all what the nature has to offer. I am just as happy as I can be when I just sit in the water quietly and look around me. Then to top that off, I get to surf over nice gentle waves, and I just let others catch a few more than I do, but when I say, “I am going to catch that one!” then, a gentle paddle in and a few strong strokes will let me into the wave every time.

 

On one run, I trimmed to the right and as I ran, I saw a seal just duck in front of me. I also tried to steer away, but it must be just like a routine “driving on a street” for this seal, it is teasing me and so I did… a sort of communicating with the life around me. And of course, this can only be possible because I paddle around on an equal ground with them, and not buzzing around and out powering anything with an engine on my board.

 

Today is the day that I really felt that finally the ocean is starting to accept me being there, and not trying to convolve me into the rolling soup then burping me out of the bottom, instead throwing me high up in the wave and then gently catching me and let me glide on the waves.

 

This is the reason why I look forward to get into the water. During the dinner I saw an ad about Jack Welch’s book in a newspaper, but I do not know if he’d be able to experience what I have this afternoon, and more to come.  

 

It is so magical to be out there and I just wish that there are many more people who can share this pristine experience with me.