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!
