Surf's Up

The wave hit me from behind. I caught the swell too late and had pushed my body too far up the board, and now I was watching helplessly as the nose of the board was pushed under the water as the tail was lifted from behind.

The water washed me from the board’s surface and tumbled me around like a rag on the spin cycle. Spitting and stumbling, water pouring from my nose and down my throat, I emerged and gathered my bearings. The board, which was attached to my body by a cord velcroed to my ankle, was still trailing the offending wave and dragging me with it. I grabbed the board steadied my legs and searched the sea for another wave.

No matter how many times it knocked me down under gallons of salty water I would kept coming back to the surf for more. This was after all my second time surfing and the ocean was still teaching me who was boss- I heard the message loud and clear and politely continued practicing by trial and error.

My second round at surfing (the first was almost two weeks ago in Ulladulla, a small town three hours south of Sydney) was intoxicating. Already I was standing up more than not, and I was experiencing fewer wipe-outs, while experiencing a delicious adrenaline rush that inspired me back for wave after wave.

The facilitators of this experience were Wendy and Hamish, a couple I was couchsurfing with in Hobart, Tasmania. We had woken at 5 a.m., piled with boards and mugs of coffee and tea into the car and drove 2.5 hours up the east coast of Tasmania to Bichno as the sun rose pink in the distance.

When we got in the water Wendy coached me through a few waves and then left me to my own devices so she and Hamish could tackle bigger surf further out into the ocean.

I loved every minute of our morning surf and only stopped when my arm muscles, largely unused and certainly unaccustomed to the demands of paddling and pushing up on a surf board, refused to cooperate further.

By 12:30 p.m. we were all spent and starving, so we headed to the local bakery for some lunch (I had a toasted chicken, pineapple and cheese sandwich with a huge coffee ice cream float.).

We cruised back to Hobart and enjoyed a few more bakery and beach stops along the way.

I’m at high risk for becoming addicted to this surfing lifestyle.