I did end up learning how to surf.
The second time I went out was with my unsympathetic roommate and some of his friends. I later learned that when the guys go out, that's when I should stay on the beach. A "good" day meant decent sized waves, which were too big to learn on. So these guys saw me fall and slip and tumble for about 30 minutes before I quit. Surely, I thought, this was the hardest sport ever invented. I was winded and exhausted. It boggled my mind how surfers can stay out there for hours and still have pot bellies. Not all of them of course--just the ones who still think it's college and drink beer every night. Finally an older guy came over to offer a tip. He told me that I needed to keep the front tip of my board skimming right under the water. It would help me paddle around faster. But to avoid purling I had to shift my body weight towards the back of the board or else my nose would get too far submerged. He also suggested I push down using one knee to shift the weight, but I didn't find that very effective.
(1) Keep your nose skimming right below the surface of the water to get speed. But lift through the chest (Yogis know this as the Cobra pose) to shift your weight to the back if you start to purl. Usually this happens as you're just starting to catch the wave.
After that I decided I'd stick to surfing without friends. They didn't offer any help anyway! A lot of the young locals are so obsessed with the image of surfing they didn't want to be associated with a kook like me. The old guys and the ones without something to prove turned out to be the most helpful and fun to be around.
One evening after work I "paddled out" (you've got to use the lingo, folks) and there were about 5 guys out with me. Two of them were on stand-up paddleboards, which are oversized longboards that are so bouyant you can stand on them and maneuver with just a little balance. They could go far past the breakers and it looked peaceful. I was doing my thing, attempting to catch waves, when one of them nicely offered to let me ride his big paddleboard thing. He said he was in the mood to surf, so I took him up on it. That night didn't do much for my surfing, but it's a vivid memory. I was able to see the ocean from a perspective I'd never had before. I felt connected to it, and it felt like happiness.
I can't remember when I had a breakthrough and was able to stand up and ride the wave to shore. I had a friend, Jeff Nicholson, who would meet me at around 5:30 after work down in front of my house at 35th street. No matter what the conditions were, we would take turns on my board until it got dark. A lot of nights the water was choppy and I'd watch Jeff try over and over to ride the wave in. We had a lot of fun, especially when Babs would come along and get used to the water.
I'm sure something clicked when the waves were tiny and the blue sky was calm and steady. All I know is that I was hooked. I wanted to go out all the time, and eventually I was able to feel confident with friends looking on. Confident meaning not completely ashamed! So I just kept at it.
We only went to Sandbridge once and there was a big group of us that day. Cory and Craig were there, Ashton, Reid, Jayhoo and maybe some other I've forgotten. Wes and I went out to a different peak away from the others, and he let loose of some excess baggage and had to leave me for awhile. That's the day he taught me how to ride the line. And then I did! I've only done it a few times and I think it was luck. But that time I got a cheer from friends down the beach that made it even more special. What an amazing feeling!
For the rest of the Summer I'd get tips here and there from Wes that helped me improve.
(2) If you're looking at the peak and it breaks to your left, go right. If it breaks to your right, go left.
(3) If the wave is coming at you and will break before you can get enough speed, it's going to crash on top of you. Wait for a better wave and start early.
We'd walk down to the shore and every wave that broke I had to say "take it" or "skip it," and if it was a taker I'd have to say which way to ride it, left or right. Or else!
Once we went to Croatan and there were these waves that were breaking 2-3 times over. If you caught the furthest break then you could ride it midway until it reformed and broke again. It was wild! I only did it once and passed Wes and a stranger who cheered me on.
Another morning Wes and Sam went without me and I was bummed so I figured I'd just go out myself! I went to the 15th st. pier on the southside and caught the first wave to the shore. That was the only time I really felt like "I could surf!" I made friends with these 2 guys who were out there and we just shot the shit and surfed until Wes decided to come over. That was a good day.
Now I have this 3-2 O'neill wetsuit I need to use somehow, and I'm thinking it will have to wait until next August when my family takes a trip to Oceanside, CA. I just hope I can remember how.
Now that I don't live anywhere near the ocean, and don't have any options to move back to the beach, it makes me painfully sad that I only had one summer of surfing. But it was one hell of a summer!
This is the second board I bought, which is a 9'2'' Hobie I got from Freedom Surf Shop for $260. The last day I took it out I dropped it by the truck so it needs a quick ding repair.
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