Paddle Out for Pabs 021613 at Bolsa

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Surf: 1-3 feet

Water: Cold

Atmosphere: Sunny!

Winds: Light off shore

Today was our “Paddle Out for Pabs” day.  Pabs was a fellow blogger who passed away recently.  Surfing Grandma of the OC aka Michelle organized a day for all of us bloggers to get together and to do a paddle out for Pabs.  The event was an open invitation to anyone who could show up. 

Matt and I planned to go down to Bolsa Chica’s Tower 27 together in the  morning.  We were going to leave at 7:00 AM, but those plans were quickly thwarted by my gurgling stomach.  As soon as I woke up, I had explosive diarrhea.  After my first round, I had to call Matt to tell him I would be late.  “No worries man, no rush,” he told me.

Just then, the second wave gurgled from my behind.  “Ok, I gotta go, I’ll call you soon.”

The second wave was followed by a third wave in the same sitting.  Phew, got that over with at least.  Hideki had texted me that he was paddling out soon at tower 27.  It was barely 7:00 AM and he was almost there.  Crazy guy.  Love it. 

I picked up some flowers from Ralphs, and headed to Matt’s.  He picked up some donuts and we were off to Bolsa.  On the way over, we talk about what’s been going on lately with our lives and the drive down flies with the wind.  We get to Bolsa right before 9:00 AM and find Michelle and Valerie, aka Surf Mama of Mere-Made Surfboards.  We greet each other with hugs, and chit chat.  More people that I have always read about but haven’t met show up, including Cynthia, Irma, Surf Sista, Lauri, Goofy Kook, and Michelle’s hubby, Brian aka Brownie.  We all look over the pile of donuts that have accumulated, and talk over warm coffee and goof vibes.

Hideki comes out dripping wet, and he helps himself to some water and a tangerine from Michelle and Brian’s place.  Brownie recruits a kid to get a donut since we have so many of them.  It was definitely a fun morning to start off with. 

Yesterday, I had gone to a funeral ceremony for a client who’s son passed away.  I think the greatest pain for any parent is to out-live their own child.  Our client and friend is a super nice, amazing human being and is always a cheerful man.  However when he lost his son, he understandably went into a funk.  I hope the ceremony helped him, his wife, and his daughter cope with the loss of their beloved son and brother.  The ceremony was amazing, with nearly 100 people showing up for his son.  They read passages, sang songs, and gave moving speeches.  At the end of it all, my boss and I were drained, emotionally and physically.  I was feeling kinda down, and to have two ceremonies seemed to be a bit much for me.

However, this paddle out seemed to help with the heavy feeling.  Michelle gave a nice speech before our paddle, citing Pab’s blog writings in her speech.  “Pabs would want us all to be stoked and having fun,” she said, and so “We should all feel that stoke that he was always chasing after.” 

The emotional up and down wasn’t so bad after this.  I just felt pure joy holding hands in the line up with flowers clenched in my teeth.  We splashed water for Pabs as we threw our flowers in to the circle of friends.  Just imagine, a man that I never even met has connected me with all these lovely people. 

I talk with Michelle in the line-up.  “I wonder who’s gonna draw first blood?” I asked her, with a smile. 

“Oh, I know!  I wonder who it will be,” she said.

Just then Matt catches a wave on the inside.  He pumped on the inside to milk it for everything it’s got.  And then he comes back out, only to catch another insider left.

“Guess Matt draws first blood!” I said.

“Oh, what a show off!” Michelle teased.

The sun was shining, and the water was cool.  The winds were slightly off shore, and I just felt some joy in my heart to be a part of this surf community.  And right on queue, Pabs sends me a wave.  It was a small right, but it was good enough to pump on the face and go down the line.  I had a smile from ear to ear, baby. 

Michelle’s hubby Brian, aka Brownie, got a nice right that I hooted him into.  He seemed pretty stoked on it.  The wave peeled perfectly from the outside to right where he was, and he popped up right to his feet and took the right as far as the wave carried him. 

Goofy Kook had a high wave count today.  He caught a lot of nice rides on his board, and always came back with a huge smile on his face.  One wave had some backwash on it, but he somehow muscled his way into the wave and took the wave all the way to shore.  On more than one occasion, I would see him paddle back out from a long ride to shore.  I think he had the highest wave count out of all of us. 

Michelle got some nice waves.  She was going for the bigger ones, which is a “new” thing she’s been trying to do.  I feel like Pabs was sending her some extra oomph on the waves for her though.  She would get some rides all the way to shore too.

Hideki was going for it on his yellow board.  However, he was already double seshing it and so his arms weren’t able to muscle in to the waves.  He did catch this nice left that peeled perfectly for him.  He popped up perfectly and did one pump on the face before bogging out. 

Laurie had a gnarly wipe out for the day.  She went for a close out that engulfed her right in front of me.  But, like a champ, she came up and paddled right back out. 

Cynthia went for this wave, and as the board picked up, she hesitated, and put her legs in the water, immediately pulling the e-brake on her board.  The wave passed her up, and I gave out a long, drawn out “Awwwww” for the missed wave.  She said she didn’t think she had it, but I told her that she did. 

“Next one, next one,” I told her.  And just like that Pabs sent another wave for her.  This one, she didn’t pull back on, and popped up perfectly on the shoulder.  She glided down the face all the way to shore on a right. 

Valerie surfed with style, going both left and right.  When she took off on a left, she would grab rail and direct her board down the line, let the rail go and just glide down the face. 

Matt got a lot of waves going both right and left.  I’m not sure what was cooler, him going for the waves, or him doing the 360 twirl at the nose of his board.  Even Goofy Kook was laughing about that one.  And I think that was what today was all about, laughing and spreading the joy and aloha. 

The “heat winner” was clearly Surf Sista.  From the get-go, she was just killllllllin’ it.  Her first wave was a right, and once she set her line, she walked up towards the nose, flipped the switch and went switch foot, walked another step and came back to her regular stance, and walked up more. 

“It’s so fun going switch foot!” she said.

She also went for lefts that she was able to pump and walk casually to the nose and back.  And the best part?  Her smile that was bright as the sun today. 

Everyone was just so stoked today.  Although it was a somber gathering, I think it was undeniable that the spirit of Pabs was around us and inside of us.  We can all feel the stoke and pure joy that Pabs always wrote about. 

My last ride was definitely my longest ride, and I felt that Pabs had sent me just one last wave before getting out of the water.  It was a right, and the peak formed just for me.  I paddled and popped up, and started to pump down the line.  I saw Goofy Kook paddle for it, but he backed out for me as I kept pumping down the line.  It was a perfect way to end the session. 

Back at the lot, we all hovered over the mountain of donuts we had accumulated, and tried to recruit the people biking or jogging or walking to have a donut.  Some obliged, most denied their inner fatties.  They all wanted to eat a donut, but they shut out that little kid inside of us like a smelly wet dog on a rainy day. 

Overall, this day was just perfect.  I was really glad that I got to see everyone.  I was really stoked to have shared in the vibe.  I was simply STOKED.  Surfing is such a funny sport.  We are all united with this one silly activity of riding a wave that formed thousands of miles away on these planks for just a few seconds at a time, and keep coming back for more.  I would never had met any of these people if I hadn’t surfed, and if I hadn’t written a blog. 

I am so grateful that I was part of this Paddle Out for Pabs today.  Mahalos to Michelle for organizing this.  Mahalos to all of those who came out today.  Without having a group of stoked surfers, the Paddle Out for Pabs wouldn’t have been so joyous!  Mahalos to Mother Ocean for bring us some great weather.  And Mahalos and Aloha to Pabs for being there with us today.  We know you sent us those waves to us.  We’ll be surfing with you always!!!  

::Post Script:: 

An entry from Pabs (one of my favorite entries written by him, and also read by Surfing Grandma before our paddle out):

"But think about it...that's what makes it so rewarding for me: You're no longer in TOTAL CONTROL.

Moreover, when you surf, you're entering a realm that humans have no control over. An environment that can kill you at any time.

Though we would like to think we know what we're doing when immersed within the stoke-zone, we are in fact mere passengers upon a liquid carpet that can either unfold in glorious beauty, or be pulled out from under you in a surprisingly and humbling wipe-out.

Giving up and allowing yourself to abandon all control, including all of the life shit that we carry into water...is what makes it such a spiritual experience for many of us stoke seekers.

You have to simply allow yourself to "BE" in the moment...that also includes those times when mother water forces us into "going deep"...a metaphor for reaching into ourselves and finding our soul."