Thanks Meg/Paul

I had a great 4 1/2 hour surf session with Pavi (Paul) today.  It was definitely a great relief, and surfing just seems to melt all my stress and worries away.  The waves were nothing incredible, about head-high, sectiony and breaking at different points.  It's still better than the average day in Folly.  I had a few good waves were I made connections to other waves inside, and ended up with good long rides.  During some of the close-out waves, I could still get a good drop-in, go around the whitewater and shoot straight up the wave, launching myself into the air.  It's not a very difficult exit, but it's fun everytime.  I'm like a little kid, with this big grin on my face when I see it coming.  It's just so nice to go out in the ocean with friends goof around, talk about anything, get a great workout and catch some decent waves.  I feel like my surfing is getting a little better.  I'm still not good, but I can tell big differences in the way I surf now as compared to last fall.  I have a little more confidence and am turning a little tighter.  It's great after all this time to finally be a 'competent' surfer.  Basically a surfer that doesn't wipeout everytime, but only every couple waves.  I'm still really nervous surfing over reef, in hollow conditions, but I guess that will come with time.  There's a guy here that's been surfing for over 20 years, and he just kills it in all the conditions, just like the South Africans, so it's good to pick up techniques and advice from them.   The reason I named this blog entry 'Surfing Purgatory' is because this place is just so 'in the middle'.  It's not great, it's not bad, but it is better than Folly.  Plus we're still in the 'rainy season' (I've used way too many quotes so far...) and it's jsut been gray every day.  The sun has peaked out once or twice in the past week, but it's just been cloudy with the occasional rain.  I think Rob jinxed us when he said that it had been an unsually mild rainy season and that it was ending soon.   Apparently it just keeps going.
  I still haven't made any decisions about my surf trip in January, but Indo is lookin bad.  Not because of the bombings, but because it's the rainiest month, and dirt roads don't handle rain too well.  Paul and I are still researching and looking into the Caroline Islands/Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and a couple other spots, but in the end it's going to come down to the airfare.  I was talking to one of the Southies, Grant, today about Indo and how I was nevervous going there, being a mediocre surfer and he made a good point that no matter where I go, if there are enough waves, I'll be able to find one that suits my ability.   Well, I'm pretty exhausted, so I might just watch some TV or read and pass out for the night.  Another crazy Saturday night, right?

Thanks Meg/Paul!

Leave a Reply