Frothing 072411

Surf Report: 1-2 feet ankle slappers

Water: Warm

Atmosphere: Deceptively gloomy

Winds: Slight on shore

I woke up bright and early a little before 0600 today.  I was surprisingly well rested and not sore from standing on my feet all day yesterday over a hot grill.  I thanked my mom for giving me chamomile tea with hibiscus last night, and I also rubbed a lot of athletic cream on my legs.  That shit works!!

I hit up Mr. Khang in the morning.  He answered and I told him that I’d be there in twenty minutes.  I fill up the water jugs and set out to tackle the day.

Matt was already at the beach, and was not going to paddle out.  He and Rick were grabbing some coffee, but I wanted to give Matt his Ulu pictures, so I begged and pleaded for him to stay in the area and meet us in the parking lot.  He obliged.

We got to the empty parking lot by 0700 and saw Matt pull up too.  The day was looking pretty dull already, with the waves just rolling in slowly and with little or no size at all.  I couldn’t believe that the waves had gotten worse since yesterday.  One of the locals came back up to switch boards.  He got a thicker, bigger board to paddle into the mushy waves.

Don was already out, and so was Roy.  I could see their cars in the parking lot.  If they are out, it must be worth a paddle out, right?

We three shoot the shit for a while, and Matt meets his friends Jim (?) and his wife, their two kids, and also Jack.  They tell us that Dave T and Gary are in the water already.  So, these guys are all friends from back in the day, but Jim, his wife, and Jack went to Uni High.  Now, Matt has to paddle out.

We get changed into our full suits and set out to the sand.  As I get to the sand, I have to pee.  I let loose as I walk, letting the warm liquid trail down my left leg.  I’m feeling a sense of euphoria and release as I do this, when suddenly, I feel a small nugget pop out of my ass.  UH OH.  I think I crapped in my wetsuit again.  Fuck my life.

I let the urine swish around my crotch area and ass, hoping that it will break down whatever brown nugget popped out of my ass.  I stretched a bit and then headed straight out. 

Matt and Khang surfed a little south of where I sat, and I sat around the 26^th Street life guard tower.  Matt was the first to draw blood, riding Rick’s fish.  He looked surprised that he was able to catch the wave so easily on the fish.  It seemed like a light bulb went off on his head and the waves weren’t as bad as they seemed from the parking lot.  Khang was on his thruster, and he seemed to  have a slow start with getting waves, but before you knew it, he was up and riding on the mushy peaks. 

I for one had a hard time getting into waves on my thruster.  The waves would sort of pitch up, but then bog.  I would paddle into them, feel the slide, but then when I was about to pop up, the waves would die, pass me up, and I couldn’t get in the wave again. 

The clock struck 0800, and so Matt and I went back to the cars to put money in the meter.  I switched out my thruster for Maria, and threw in an hour’s worth of quarters.  Matt and I headed back down and walked back out into the line up. 

These fucking little crabs are so crunchy!!  I winced every time I stepped on one going in and out of the shore pound.  Prickly little motherfuckers… oh well.

After I got Maria under me, it was game on.  I just caught wave after wave after wave.  However, I found myself looking down at my feet a lot, checking out the “spray” I was making in the pumps.  I figured this is a horrible thing to do, because it probably doesn’t look as cool as I think it does.  I told myself, “Stop looking down, look ahead on the wave.  Look where you want to be, and get there.”  I started to pump more down the line.  It just felt so amazing to be on a shortboard that caught everything and still be able to maneuver in the pocket.  Don was watching me on one wave that I caught, and I think he acknowledges my existence in the line up after that small wave.  I was able to crank out a few pumps on it so it felt really good.

The local guys were shredding like crazy on these small waves.  They really are amazing surfers.  They were always on the peak, and were able to go left and right well.  They are on another level.

I saw Roy and Mario again, and surfed with them for a bit.  Mario got a new used fish from Player’s surfboards, where I got my first board.  The color scheme was the same as the longboard I lent to Death Wish Dave.  Mario had this huge smile from ear to ear on his face the whole time.  His paddle looked tired though, so he was probably pushing his limits on endurance today.  The clock hit 0900, so I told Roy and Mario that I will see them in the parking lot later. 

I step out of the shore pound, stepping on more crabs, and wince in pain.  I wave down Matt and Khang, and they start to get their last waves in.  Just then, I saw Dave in his green neon suit.  We hug at the unexpected encounter, and he said he just got here.  I told Khang that I wanted to surf with Dave just for another half hour, and he said that was cool.  Matt had to go to breakfast with a friend, so he took off soon after.

Dave and I paddled out where Roy and Mario were.  Roy chuckled at me.

“I thought you were going to leave?”

“I had to come back out!  My boy is here!”

We introduce each other, and we four stick together in the same area. 

I made Dave a deal.  Every wave I paddle for, he has to paddle for.  He obliged. 

Roy was coaching Mario, and I was coaching Dave.  Well, I wasn’t really coaching Dave.  He has the basics down.  Sitting, paddling, and popping up.  It just has to come together all at once.  This can only be achieved by more time in the water.  Same thing for Mario too.  He has his paddle down, and the pop up.  Now he has to spend more time in the water.  The more water time both of them get, the more waves they’ll catch.

Roy and I split the peak on a small A frame.  He went left, and I went right.  We both took it for a while, and were smiling ear to ear. 

Dave told me that I have a “fish wiggle” paddle.  Not as cool as the alligator paddle I try to emanate by Sion Milosky, but it’s nice to know that I am doing the wiggle and that I’m getting into waves easier.  Even Roy said that he wished he had his fish right now. 

Dave and I pushed the limits on what can be paddled into.  He and I were just going for it.  I’m glad I forced him to paddle into everything I did.  I think it was good for him to be more aggressive in the water.  He went for a lot of waves, but couldn’t quite get up on the board after he paddled into them.  He would nose dive a lot, and come up dazed.  Heck, at least he went for it right?

However, on one little outside wave, he got caught going the wrong way paddling out.  He naturally likes to go towards the part of the wave that is not breaking, instead of going towards the white water.  As surf etiquette, one is supposed to paddle towards the white water so the person surfing the wave is able to go down the line and avoid hitting you.  I remember Dave did the same thing with Rastaman aka Orlando, and almost got a free hair cut from his board.  This time around, Sherry popped him in his nose and he was telling me, “Ok, lesson learned!  Don’t do that again…”

We reached 0945, and decided it was time to go.  I kept my date Khang waiting, and no one likes a man who keeps his date waiting.  Roy winced in pain as did I walking out of the water, and cursed the little crabs too.  He explained to Dave and I that Mario has had a tough up-bringing, and that he’s spent some time in jail too.  But, he started surfing about a year ago, and Roy kind of took him under his wing.  He told Mario, “Look, come surf with me.  But when you do, I don’t want any negative energy.  None of that belongs in the water.  When you’re surfing with me, it’s all positive.” 

And look at Mario now.  In the water, he is just stoked from head to toe.  He is smiling a lot in the water.  He is truly frothing to surf. 

We get back to the car where Khang was having a cigarette.  We shoot the shit for a while, and decide to go to Rutt’s (Roy’s, as Dave called it.  Haha)

Seeing just 1 – 2 foot waves would usually turn off people from surf.  However, we paddled out, and I think we collectively just felt better about the whole day.  I had to get to Obon to work the grill again, and so we all parted ways after grinding at Rutt’s. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean… I see that you’re stirring up something good for us on the weekend!  Can’t wait to get back and play with you.