I was up since 5:10 this morning but I played with the computer for the work
stuff too much that I did not get out until much later. In fact, when I got
in the water it was already 9:40. And then I had to be in the office to
check out a customer situation that has been brewing hot for this past week.
As for the condition, it was just a lot of agitating sea without much in
terms of surfable waves, even compared to yesterday it gotten really worse.
Nothing was breaking that much so even duck diving was not necessary to get
outside, so that's about it. It was so bad that I hardly saw anyone doing
anything significant.
I know, my log has been becoming somewhat tiresome and so I need to start to
think about the new direction in writing, so I will be throwing in more
surfing perspectives I have from time to time.
Recently we have been talking about the "fear" of surfing in general, and I
have started to create a compilation web page of that information based on
the info people contributed. Most people responded with respect to how they
are afraid of permanent injury or death. I am going to touch deeper on the
issue in my logs. But one of the big fears that I have is actually not
catching enough waves and as a result I am not making good progress.
So, that brings up to the thought that I have been seriously considering
getting a foamy mini long 8'x board. The reason? Not catching enough waves
is extremely bad for me. And actually the root of this fear is not simply
about not catching enough waves, but that the fear is based on the fact that
I might hit someone with my board, or I might be hit by someone, or board
might hit me if I tried for bigger situations etc, and they all have
happened with fairly noticeable consequences.
So what if I had a foam board, then a lot of these worries will disappear
and I will go into the most crowded and rocky places and start "stealing
waves" lefts and rights, and if someone's fin would slash the board, I don't
really care (the board will probably just bounce other board off breaking
other person's fins etc, but nothing will happen for me, probably), I just
don't even fix it, and just keep on surfing improving the most important -
the time standing on the waves. Even if the board is to break in half, there
I have a boogie board to get back in! Beach assaults - no problem. Board
hitting the Jetty, no problem, I will go right ahead. It a bumper-car on the
wave (of course, I would be really careful about my body, I now know my way
around much better.)
Which actually brings back to the fear the most people have, though if I ask
they will *all* deny having; the fear of not surfing well on a "low
performance" board. But I now know that 90% of surfing is how good the
surfer is and it got nothing much to do with the board. If I cannot ride the
foamy board like a pro, then all the good features on a high end board will
go wasted. I really believe that, in fact I have gone through 6 boards
already, yeah I can tell the difference allright, but I don't think I am
hardly doing any justice to the creations of Bob Pearson, Randall French,
Dale Velzy or Donald Takayama, and I have to make myself do that now.
"Manabu Tokunaga rides Pearson Arrow exclusively." if Bob hears about this
today I will probably hear "Yeah, right."
No, I am not saying that I am going to get rid of all my boards. I will
certainly ride all of them. I am saying that I do need more opportunities to
perfect every basic turn and the body movement, the strength, and the rhythm
of connecting through the turns that are badly needed for me to move up to
the next level. Without them, there will be no floaters, roller-coasters and
snap backs., and that's where I am aiming, and I have the road-map to get
there, though I cannot run, only walk slow to get there. As an adult surfer,
I must carefully build those skills up perfecting one by one.
So later on this season you just might be seeing me ripping like a pro on
the 2 x OVH on a stupid yellow foam board. Wish me luck, would you?
But! Having said that tomorrow is probably going to be same story all over
so I ought to bring the 9'0 to see if it makes any difference.
