wednesday I headed down to bells and surfed a fun 3-4ft onshore swell, a bit bumpy but good fun.
Then Mick and I went to have breakfast snd coffee with Maurice at the Torquay Lader. After an hour or so of talk about surfboard design, Kiteboarding and a very good toasty and latte, Mick and I headed back to bells for a "look".
Out we went only this time the swell had Jacked and was in the 5-6ft range, hmmm probably around the biggest I've been out at bells and a bit intimidating with the wind and bump. After a tough paddle out I sat in the line up of 4 and waited thinking to myself this could have been a bad Idea. I was on my 6'5 single fin and it was definitely at the limits of what it was intended for.
Then Marching in on the horizon came the first bomb, "I am way to far inside" and as the tripple overhead wave rolled in, a quick look behind and then down, down, down and as I felt myself being dragged back by the leggie I surfaced to see the next one coming in!
The Swell was building and my guess was now solid 6ft maybe 7ft plus on the sets. Now it definitely was the biggest surf I had been out in and I was yet to catch a wave. but in the back of my mind, the only way in was to surf.
Focus! I had to get a wave to go in! As I paddled in and got booted into the wave by the early crumbling lip, I got to my feet, the wave was still rising, never has it seemed so long to get down the face as I watched the lip rising above my head, it was so bumpy and I just kept gaining speed. Now I was having fun this was Awesome!!!!! Coming round the bottom turn and onto the shoulder, carving a big backhand turn on the huge face and droping back down into the next section. I was flying at this point, I can't even begin to describe what a rush this was.
I surfed that wave all the way in, as I bailed and was spat up onto the beach and managed to grab my board and make a run for it before the next shorbreak came down on top of me.
That night I sat contemplating that wave, I remembered the feelings and I want those feeling again.
On reflection it seems that just as in life we have limits at which we often turn back so that we can feel comfortable again, yet the next time we face those limits we often pass them with ease, this it seems is part of the journey of learning. I am not in a hurry to get back out in such big swell but at least it now seems like a possible goal
