Local surfing kind of a day.
Back in 2002, when I started to surf, I did not know anyone to surf with, or even talk to someone. The only thing that came close are local surf shop guys. The first year, I was very intimidated of surfing. I have heard about bad things like people getting in fights about waves, and people dying of surfing. But I was a bit determined to know about this sport. I even thought that the sport was kind of stupid stuff that only some people stupid enough would do it.
Now that I am deeply in the sport, and met those who have been at it for 30 or even 40 years, I am starting to realize and appreciate the depth of this magnificent sport. I also know clearly what has gone wrong for me to get such a bad perception of the sport. It is the media and the Hollywood, and for then a person totally outside of the sport, I must admit that I was totally influenced by it. And of course, that kind of spread of misinformation is still abundant. A half an hour of interaction with my mom or my in-law will just show how people are continued to be influenced by the media. My standard line is "? but Mom, just because you saw it on the TV does not mean it is true, is it?" Of course the standard response to that is, "But, I saw it on the TV, everyone is talking about it!" Obviously, I am not the part of this everyone she talks about.
And that brings back me to the topic of surfing. Most surfers I met are not one of those "everyone" type. The kind of surfers I met is usually some independent thinker who would not be bound by some artificially set rules. Many of them are great creative thinker working in music, art, literature, environmentalism, technology to name a few, and of course there are people who are not working directly in these categories, but still are very creative and motivated in the ways that I can totally agree, and I am talking about local surfers that I met in this area.
Now, finally, I feel that I am surrounded by the people I really can share my attitude about the life in general. And the best thing about this is that we don't get into each others noses, and when only needed, we band together and do some things, like going surfing, or figuring out how best to protect our precious environment where we live.
So today is a one of the days that I got a call from one such local person who is relaying me with surf report from another, and then I hit the spot with a great condition, and so I really felt that I am now integrated in the local network of surfers.
As for today's surfing experience. The waves were just perfect condition for me. Just about above my head gently rolling in. There was just sufficient time to duck under when getting out, and when catching them, they were the kind that I can stop for a moment and look at how the slope is starting to form just in front, and decide which direction I should be taking off. I had some good practice on bottom turns and some very satisfactory cutback turns to the rides.
After about 2 hours of a session, chasing beach breaks up and down, I was starting to feel some fatigue, and so when I got out the rest of the half dozen lineup was out too, and we talked some times, and appreciating each other's surf boards and the like under a very warm spring like weather soaking in the soft sun and smelling the spring grass sprouting abound in our area.
I must say that this is the kind of a day that surfing is really all about.
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