Another morning of big (by my standards) powerful surf. Good to be back at my home break. Lots of surfers out, but after the day before in NH, I felt okay about getting out there. I stayed in the whitewater and got 3 or 4 good waves- I lost track. It was a good day- a lot of the surfers on the outside were hooting. I cheered on a beginner myself, and even chatted with a few surfers on the beach after my session. I really felt like a surfer!
Time surfed: 43 min
total time to date: 6 hours 8 min
Saturday morning went to a meetup of More Women+ Surf and Lavender Lineup. It was really cool surfing with other folx of all abilities. Went to a new beach for it. The waves were big and powerful, and it was CROWDED! I felt more nervous about the crowds than the waves!
I got a lesson in turtle rolling, and paddled out to the back. There were way to many people out there though, so I went back to the whitewater. Took a break.
When I went back for session 2, caught and rode two whitewater waves, and had controlled finishes on both!
I got brave and went out the back. Paddled for a big wave- and wiped out spectacularly. But, sometimes that's a good learning experience.
Overall, it was a good experience- but I didn't love the break. Parking was a nightmare- but I did learn that I can carry my board at least half a mile down the road! It was crowded, and the vibe was not as mellow as at my home break. When the tide went out, some big boulders started to get uncovered- got a bit of a scrape from one of them- my first case of "reef rash" on my toe. it was awesome though to be with a group of cool surfers though!
I did not set my timer- but I'm gonna call it 1 hour 15 min. I was beat by the end of the day!
Time surfered: 1 hour 15 min
Total time to date: 5 hours 25 min
Had an AMAZING session! The waves were still small and choppy, but had more power to them. I for real caught a green wave, but my foot placement was wonky, and, TBH, I got a little scared by the feeling of dropping in.
But- the white waves were great, and also gave me some opportunity to feel the drop and get more comfortable with it. Had two legit, real, long wave rides in the whitewater. On the second one I even was able to do a little right turn-on my backhand! I feel like I really turned a corner last night- I feel I'm making significant progress!
Next step- work on more controlled finishes- my first wave was okay, but the second one with the turn ended, ahem, kookily.
time surfed: 40 min
total time to date: 4 hours 9 min
The waves were still small with choppy conditions, but less mushy. My paddling and board control felt really strong.
Working on my front foot position when standing up. At the end of the session I felt pretty dialed in! AS silly as it sounds in tiny little waves, I did feel like I had better commitment to the waves.
It's sometimes hard to maintain a wave count while out there- the focus is on mindfulness, not numbers, but I think I did 3 or 4 good ones!
Times surfed: 39 min
total time to date: 3 hours 29 min
The waves were tiny, choppy, and mushy. Stood up on 2 green waves, but was behind the wave so went nowhere!
Got a few "sort of waves," and one decent whitewater wave. Had one really clean pop-up but was off balance so.....WIPEOUT!
I found myself being a bit cautious in the shallow whitewater, didn't want to fall is the shallows. The lack of propulsion from the weak waves made it harder to stay up and riding.
Time surfed: 34 min
Total time to date: 2 hours 52 min
For various reasons I was out of the water for a whole week! It felt good to be back. The waves were tiny but clean. I stood on 2 green waves- but was behind the wave so got nowhere! I got up on 3 white water. I need to work more on angling my front foot the right way. I'm bringing it up and landing it pointing right at the nose!
Time surfed: 32 min
Total time to date: 2 hours 16 min
I had a great time in the water last Thursday, and I didn't even surf! I spent some time volunteering with Equip for Living's Equip for Surfing event- providing adaptive surfing experiences.
I was paired up with a surf instructor from the local shop, and we worked with participants who did not have mobility limitations. It was such a great time helping people have fun in the ocean. There is so much to be said for adaptive and therapeutic surfing- it can create new neural paths that can help with depression, anxiety, PTSD and addiction. It's great exercise, but also an exercise in mindfulness. It releases endorphins and creates a sense of accomplishment. It exposes one to the beauty, joy, and benefits of the ocean, and it's just darn fun!
I am looking for all the opportunities I can find to volunteer for programs like this, it was such a great time, and everyone had fun!
I was so excited to get out in the water Monday night that I forget to set my timer until I had been out the back for a while.
The waves were teeny tiny and weak. I caught two green waves and even stood for a moment! Caught two good whitewater waves.
Time surfed: 30 minutes
Total time to date: 1 hour 44 min
I had every intention of logging conditions, swell direction, etc...but all I will say is:
I fully caught and rode a whitewater wave! Totally stoked!
Time: 28 min
My surfing journey for the past 9 years has been in fits and stops. Things have changed though.
I live at the beach now! For the past year, I've been a fairly steady and competent bodyboarder. Last fall I got a 7'6" Mick Fanning softtop. I ditched the crappy old amazon board. I struggled on the MF and didn't really get any wave time to speak of. I hibernated all winter, pulled out the bodyboards in March, and tried the Mick again in June. It was a STRUGGLE!
I finally decided to go back to square one, and start all over again. I got a 9' Catch Surf Odysea log. It's got tons of volume! For that past month I've been getting out most days. at first, my stamina was such that I could only do a few minutes at a time, but each session is a little longer. I'm focusing on going slow, and really becoming a surfer. My paddling is stronger, and I feel more confident on the board and in the ocean. I even feel less shy about being out around other surfers. I feel like I'm doing pretty okay at reading the waves- the year of bodyboarding really helped. Right now, I feel like I can catch a wave, or stand up, but not both at the same time. Total kook problem!
I plan to start blogging my surf sessions and tracking my goals so I can see myself progress. I don't want to get too obsessed about it though, and make it more about the blog than what the blg is about. In theory, it should take about 30 hours in the water to go from "Beginner Beginner" to "beginner." I will spot myself a few hours and for tracking purposes start at 0:00 today!
