Surfing Waves

The forecast today was average, with almost freezing rain on top . But The Wall , as usual , delivered above expectations.
We've had some decent swells coming through the past month and I've been working on learning to ride my recent purchase, a 6'8" shortboard.
Used to pearling often, I had issues committing to the drop, or trying to catch waves too far out. But the shortboard likes to hang on the lip and fall on the backside like it was designed for that. So it was quite an adjustment, and a few frustrating sessions. Today's waves were not breaking steeply, requiring even later take-offs. I spent about an hour in the water in fruitless attempts. Lucky the rain made for a line-up that left plenty of openings, so at least I could get way from other surfers, which are always an annoying distraction.
Finally, I managed to catch a wave and also to convince myself I won't pearl if I have even a little forward motion.
But the bottom turn on that wave was not what I liked, essentially just leaning until the board stalled, and in the wrong direction too.
I had to do better!
A few more failed attempts, and finally, I managed to catch another wave. Something came over me and I was able to turn with my body, just like I have been meaning to, and not losing any speed. On my right I could see green water forming into the wave as I was moving down the line. The sight was mesmerizing, so I ended up over the lip and on the backside (not that there was anywhere else to go at that moment).
But for the first time since I started my quest to become a shortboarder, I felt like a surfer again

A little about my level, I went surfing in Florida in college a few times, on a friend's shortboard, failed to catch a single wave. Then I tried out another friend's longboard and caught my first white water ride.

After an 8 year hiatus, having moved to New England, I saw people surfing at The Wall during a run. That was 3 and a half years ago, when I got back into surfing, with the eventual goal of bring able to do an air at some point in time I'm 35 now and hope I still have enough stamina and flexibility left in me to achieve that goal .

Congrats! That's great. I remember the day I got my first barrel on an overhead wave. I had wanted to accomplish that for what seemed like ages and then one day the perfect wave set up and I got what I considered my first real tube ride. I remember paddling back out and my friend saying, "You better have gotten a tube on that wave."

pmcaero wrote: I'm 35 now and hope I still have enough stamina and flexibility left in me to achieve that goal .

Awesome! The amount of stoke you reap from that one ride should keep you going for awhile....I turned down the line for the first time about a year ago and a whole new dimension opened up....took me a month to do it again, and a few more to do it consistently, but I will never forget that first time or the first time that I took an overhead wave and made a solid bottom turn then found myself with a solid green wall feathering on top to race against.....was fuel for spoiled and imperfect efforts for months!


As far as the stamina and flexibility part, you're fine. I'd love to be 35 again and have all that energy....point is it is a slippery slide from where you are, but you've still got more than enough in you I'm sure....don't make excuses because you don't feel like you did when you were 23 years old.....and get a stretching routine; makes a huge difference in an ageing frame.