Yesterday was my first day surfing after a few days off … seems like a while since my last time out. I think this makes 7 days on the water, 1 week of actual surfing. As anxious as I was, it always seems so hard to paddle out and decide what to do at each coming wave. I hope and pray this feeling will pass.

The Surf Pop-Up:
I got up on the very first wave, and took it for a long ride in. It’s quite an accomplishment now that I am messing around on my surfboard, trying to steer it, and learning how to speed it up as friends have told me how to do it. I realized during this session that I was popping up but upon self-check I realized I was not popping up per se but slowly standing. Damn it!

So, with this fix in mind, the next wave I caught I had “pop up” in my head. Oh yeah, I literally popped up so high that I think I caught some air for a split second above the board, and my feet landed a bit forward from where I intended. Kind of like a mini long jump or bunny hop. Of course I was off balance and couldn’t stay up, and I ended up in the water but came up laughing. Wow that was a blast off; What the hell just happened?

So needless to say, in my determination to use proper technique, I ended up surfing a rather inconsistent session after that – I was not so consistent with getting up on the board but glad no bad habits developing.

Paddling for Waves:
Second note of the day: paddling speed. ‘Kay, I am paddling in what I see as the same observable manner as everybody else, but I want to know why da hell are they faster? I don’t get it. I can be right behind another surfer on a wave as we try to paddle for it, and before I know it she’s gone! Left me in da dust. Similarly, I see these surf instructors out there paddling like they’re on nitrous oxide, but their arms are not a blur of arms paddling. It’s just this smooth, rhythmic paddling, and their arms don’t even look like they go very deep into the water.

Surf Bruises:
The bruises on the knees haven’t stopped. I don’t feel myself hit them but they will just appear in odd places in my knee area. I have a collection of polka dot bruises.

How to Fall while SUrfing:
I am remembering some things from Alii’s I should probably share. The day of the bigger surf…what are you doing after you fall into the white wash? I am relaxed and feeling my body like a rag just being whirled around in every which way, kind of fun.

Then all the warnings came from other surfers: roll up in a ball, get as far away from your board as possible, you don’t want to get hit. Man that bad form was kind fun. So roll up in a ball and cover your head with your arms while in da white wash after a wipeout. GOT IT! Your board becomes your worst enemy at that point, a lethal weapon. How quickly the tides turn.

The Surfer Dismount:
Oh and getting down off your board after you’ve ridden as far as possible … remember not to just fall off … you have to take the Nestea plunge (old school commercial)… fall backwards butt first to avoid hitting the reef, especially in shallow areas in Hawaii.

I guess when you get better you can pull out of da wave and turn like you see those advanced surfers do it eh? Or maybe not being on a longboard, things are somewhat different when you rip da shorter boards.

Until then I’ll gladly take the Nestea plunge. That only signals a good ride; a celebration at the end!
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