Surfing's Wow Factor: Unforgettable One-Off Experiences

Great story,
Looks like they are having an all time season over there this year.

Yeah great story, bring on some more people.

Great read, it's the little details that make a story.
I could certainly visualise and feel that spent slump up the beach.

@reform , it was easy reading , I was there with you under all that whitewater , you have a talent for writing and I’m sure you have a few more experiences worth sharing. Great topic .

Yes, it was a great read, thanks for sharing.

I've got a story very similar to Reforms, happened at a remote east Indo island on a big swell, in fact there's more than one event on that island that's indelibly etched in my memory. But there was another much less dramatic moment at Burleigh that always makes me smile.
We'd been staying at the caravan park in a unit, right in front of the break. 2 of our kids were with us, so surfing was first thing in the morning before family time.
For the 2 weeks we were there, I got one close out in front of Oscars and the pool, to myself. Every wave other than that I had company. Quite often, even after looking over my shoulder to make sure I was the deepest, and not seeing a sole, a board nose would miraculously appear under me as I got to my feet and with pin point precision the owner would bottom turn around me and snap a reo in front, leaving me in their wake.
I just accepted it, I know the folk law about Burleigh and the locals reputation of fiercely protecting their patch, so kept my mouth shut and enjoyed the paddles.
We had a great holiday, this is about 15 years ago, and despite my lack of solo waves the beach provided good body surf in the arvos. That definitely helped.
My last morning I crossed the road with board under my arm, and turned left. The whole time I'd avoided the keyhole and paddled from the beach corner up the point.
A bloke, that reminded me of Larry from the 3 stooges, same hair and balding on top, but much stokier, walked up to me with his board under his arm. " not today, follow me " is all he said.
I didn't answer, the not today line was a reverberating in my head. How did he know? I'd seen one of the Harris brothers and mates a few times sitting watching the surf in the spot near the keyhole, but there's many, many people surfing there on most days, and I'd never seen the Larry lookalike before.
Any rate I tuned and followed, today was keyhole day. 20 steps later a couple stopped him and began chatting, right this my chance to head back to the corner, I turned and this strapping young bloke about my size was right behind me board under arm. "nah mate, keep going " Fuck, what's happening here? There's backup, who are these blokes?
Who was I to argue with local guidance so persuasively given, being now followed I got to the keyhole, rock hoped, paddled and got out the back with dry hair, didn't even bump a fin on the boulders. Didn't get a wave either, but I don't think that was included in the price of admission.

Hah, classic. I think many have been there, myself included.
My only memory of Burleigh is at that same caravan park. My girlfriend and I were travelling up the coast and booked a couple of nights. On the first night the rain started and didn't let up. We shrugged and stayed put, no point in packing up a wet tent. Didn't realise an out of season depression had formed just off the coast, howling onshore and torrential rain for 3 days straight. On the 4th we awoke, to yet more rain, and as we got out of the tent the sleeping mats floated with us. It was time to go. The worst part, it was onshore slop the whole time.

Blackers you missed the visual spectacular of the point in action with an offshore on it, but it's a different story in the water. Hardest place I've been to score a wave, however it hosts some brilliant surfers. Good place to people watch in and out of the water.

nice, cracker last line.

Ash wrote:

Didn't get a wave either, but I don't think that was included in the price of admission.

Reform. A big hello to you and hope you’re all well and thanks for sharing your story.

I really enjoyed your story of Sunset Beach very much, but most of all I enjoyed your honesty. Good stuff mate.

Quote.
‘My wife says it’s good therapy to do this, to get back in touch with your accomplishments because it is the makeup and the storyline of who we are as individuals. As the saying goes, 'it’s how the tree grows'

Your wife is a very smart woman in my opinion.

There is no doubt, no matter how relevant or irrelevant you think your story or stories are, they are always worthy to be shared with others, particularly our mob, Swellnetters.

Honesty and truth telling will always set you free.

I checked out that David Roney tree spiel you recommended, I emphatically agree will all he wrote, it was a bit of a woody metaphor on life.
He described all the attributes and strengths of that large tree that occurred at certain levels.
I will digress and add my two bob’s worth that when describing tree strength, torsion should never be left out of the conversation.
If you were able to stand above a very tall large tree and look down on its apex, the very apical tip, you can see as they grow tall an additional element of strength called torsion is occurring simultaneously.
In most species of large trees, but not all trees, the trunk slowly and minorly starts to spiral, somewhat analagous to twisted licorice confectionary, this just adds more strength to all the other elements that combine to its overall strength.

I’ve a real life story to tell where I almost left this world in October 2022 at Lances Right on the island of Sipora, Mentawai Archipelago, Indonesia..

I’d previously been there on boat trips years ago, this was the first time there land camping. So, I fully understood the power of the place.

As Nathan Florence once stated, the underwater turbulence at LR can be similar to that of many breaks in Hawaii.
One thing I learnt, you must go there fully fit.

Late season , shoulder season, myself and two mates had a 10 night stay at Katiet Beach Resort, a great place to stay with great owners. ( So much so, myself and Supafreak are going there for 14 nights this coming July) .

Before leaving Oz, got a Swellnet surf forecast from here and it held true to every day. It never dropped below 4ft and in the middle period of the stay , the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it absolutely pumped relentlessly from dawn to dusk, line after line of groomed 6-7ft, odd 8ft sets, marching around the corner of the island like military precision. You could see what you were in for before the sets were upon you. For anyone who’s surfed there previously, you’d know the kind of power I’m talking about. Sure got the heart rate up as you planned your moves and positioning.
It’s midday, baking hot, I’m 57 years young, I’ve got a receding hairline, plastered all over with that good shit that Cocoa/Beeswax sunscreen, the best in my opinion, I’m 70kg and all I’m wearing is board shorts.
I’m riding a beautiful Fletcher Chouinard 6’10” round tail quad, catch two waves around 6ft, feeling good and confident, paddling and positioning is going fine ( it’s always pulling you towards The Office or the Surgeons table to do you in ), slowly the sets start to develop steps in them, found myself paddling right up to the crest of large waves to then have to paddle quickly up and over the next one, the swell is on the pump and its incrementally getting bigger.
Next bank of sets comes marching around the corner, I clamber over two waves, then just make it over the next one, horribly I felt my board getting sucked over the falls and then that all encompassing body feeling of knowing the leg rope (brand new Ocean&Earth) stretching and then snapping clean in half at its midpoint, such is the power.
Suddenly, an overall feeling of doom comes over me, I’ve no board I’m out the back in the impact zone bobbing around like a fishing float, big swells are rolling in and I’m being sneakily pulled towards the death zone by some mythical coral Neptune dude who is on the other end of the rope so to speak. I’m fucked.
I cop 6 large set waves on the head, drilled close to the bottom near the coral but not on it, no chance of a gasp of air at any stage, up I’d pop, to be then hammered time after time, for those who know that lagoon, when the wave breaks and the water fills the lagoon it’s all good, but a second later as the next wave breaks it sucks you straight back out and into the impact zone for another flogging on repeat rinse’ cycle, it was no fun I can tell you.
All the while I’m becoming exhausted as I duck under for the 5th or 6th time, I’ve run out of air, I could feel life being drained out of me as my saturated oxygen levels in my blood drop to all time low levels, I was in the process of drowning, the faces of my two mates, my son and my then wife back in Oz slowly flashed past by my subconsciousness. I merely felt myself drifting off to who knows where.
As I’m nodding off, a minor amount of adrenaline kicked to awaken me, I had no energy to swim so I did a side stroke kind of kick like a fish laying on the deck of a boat moments after being pulled from the water, I moved slowly into the lagoon, fortunately bump a vertical coral head with my foot, so I stood and sucked in air like a puffer fish and then got creamed again by a set but I was further towards shore at this stage.
Slowly I kicked and bobbed into more shallows and I was safe and alive, all the time feeling drained to the max.
I look towards the shore, there’s much commotion, I can see my board laying parallel to the water on the sand, an Indo kid nearby.
I finally reach the coralline sand edge at the water and sucked in big ones.
I stood up, fell over immediately from exhaustion, an American guy stood me up who’d been watching the whole drama from a tree top lookout next to Hollow Trees Resort.
He said, I had you down as about to die, I agreed. He said I was white as a ghost and I was definitely feeling like Casper.
Slowly start walking along the beach , dizzy, giddy, loads of self reflection as to the what ifs etc.
Get back to our bungalow, rest in a chair for an hour , totally buggered, have lunch.
A couple of hours later, feeling slightly relieved and better.

My mates had ridden over to surf Bintangs which was about 5ft, I got on my bike went over , watched for half an hour then decided the best thing is to just get back out there, told my mates what happened who were totally shocked when they saw me and said I still looked pale.

So there’s a very truthful story, no bullshit, proves it’s very easy to leave this world when doing what you love.
Alas, as Reforms wife said in some kind of way, if you don’t tell your stories, the only person you are kidding is yourself.

So, to all, give us your stories.

So, here’s a picture of the Giant Sequoia trees in montane California, 2019, my then wife and son standing in front of it in all its glory .
A grand hallmark of strength that each and everyone of us knows we have within, you’ve just gotta give it run every now and then. All the best. AW

Nice one AW , don’t you feel fully alive after getting flogged like that ? You have your doubts if you’re going to make it , but after I reckon you feel stronger ( and grateful to be alive ) Can you send that email when you have a minute , just want to check my flights against your bookings . Cheers , I’m pretty excited and have dropped 7 kg , 6 more to go . Right shoulder is playing up a bit but have been given some exercises and stretches to try and rectify it . There’s always some issue with the old bod , how’s the knee coming along ?

@ash, @blackers.
Hi guys , hope you are well.

Nice life stories there, I love how everyone paints a good picture, momentarily you are taken back to the scene. Good stuff. AW

Reform, great Sunset story, as well as the following stories. Like you said, story telling is a great way to express ones self, and you tell a great story. Have always wondered about that caught inside at Sunset experience.
Thanks for creating this awesome thread.
Gonna be reading every and all stories.
This is a long read, so maybe not for all, but it was i guess the first step into taking the small out of small wave warrior. Definitely gave me a taste. And still a long way to go, but that's why we do it. :-)
Was written as a chapter to a book i started writing years ago, called "Ride the Wave, Not the Board" but i stopped writing it as i realised i needed to live more life experiences!!.... so maybe a little raw, but hopefully gives someone a little extra stoke in their day. Cheers all.
*******

Facing your fears is something that might need a little bit of coaxing on your own behalf to bring out. Sometimes, a really scary situation will present itself to you in your life, and its then that you have the choice to run for the hills, or go in with your head down into battle.
My judgement day came only a few months ago, March 31, 2009 to be exact, a day that will be etched in my memory forever, no matter how many carparks and boulders I headbutt.
A strong Easterly swell had developed on the entire Eastern seaboard of Australia and began to steadily rise from an innocuous 5-6 foot ground swell to a raw 6-8 foot swell, and then…..a big storm came through the night, pushing wave heights up to 12-15 foot plus, with some waves maxing out at nearly 18feet. For the east coast of Australia, this is a pretty significant swell event, for unlike Hawaii, most big swells pass us by.
Anyway, this big day was too out of control to surf, but being the wily surf dog that I have become, I knew…that the next day could quite possibly be one out of the books. The wind was predicted to be offshore in the morning, holding the waves up in a perfect shape, and the swell just on dark was still in the 10-15 foot range.
First light I was up there on the local headland scanning the barely visible ocean. It was clean alright, and the swell had dropped to a less threatening size, however it was pretty hard to gauge the size. It didn’t look perfect so I opted for a drive up to Snapper Rocks on the GoldCoast, some 20 minutes away to surf the point. Well, this was quite something else too, because when I arrived at Snapper, with more light, I realized the swell getting in there was totally raw and quite sizeable. I have surfed this break many times, at many sizes and have never been intimidated by it, but, from the moment I put my feet in the water I could feel the energy was totally different. Raw power. I was super sketched out on the paddle out, fearing I would cop a set wave on the head, but, luckily I had chosen a good route out to the lineup. Well,…blow me down if there wasn’t some absolutely insane waves rearing up on the bank and unloading. It was an awesome sight watching guys paddle into these bombs from side on and then just free fall with big chocolate coloured lips exploding behind them…the water brown from the previous days rains.
Awesome. I caught what for me was the biggest wave id ever caught at Snapper and kicked out down at greenmount, some 400 metres down the point. I moved on down to Coolangatta and had a terrific surf, with hardly anyone out due to the size you could pick off the sets and get such a long, jelly leg inducing ride. It was quite a surreal experience. Anyway, the wind eventually started blowing more out of the NW, which, at this particular break is a bad wind, causing big surface chop on the face of the waves. Not good when theres some size in the waves. However, I knew with every cell in my being that my homebreak would now be beginning to fire. Oh my goodness…I was excited. I got out of the water and walked back to my car, to be presented with a flat tyre. Oh dammit!! And my spare was flat too. Shite!! So, I had to carry the spare tyre all the way across town to Tweed heads, to a service station, pump it up and then carry it back to Coolangatta. This took nearly an hour and it was exhausting. But I was mobile again and gunned it for Hastings Point..home. I just knew it was going to be going off. I still remember the drive back, me wondering just how big it would be, and how clean and how much I would probably be ripping it. But, I wasn’t quite ready for what I saw when I pulled into the carpark at the Headland. There, spread out before me, in all its glory, were some of the biggest, majestic, most perfect beachbreak waves I had ever seen. Big peaks coming in from very deep water, standing tall like lords of the ocean and then pitching top to bottom and spewing foam and spray everywhere. There wasn’t a soul out and not even anybody in the carpark. Uh. Hmm. Straight away, my first reaction was, oh well, thank goodness no one is out, must mean its too big for everybody. Im not going out. So, I went home and grabbed a coffee…feeling kinda cowardly, but not too bad. I grabbed my mate Joey and we both went back down to have another look at it from the beach across the road. This angle showed it to look even bigger from beach level and I swear I saw some waves breaking off the headland that looked like gigantic pipeline barrels. Orrrrgh! Insane. Still, I had proved to another person and to myself again, that it was too big to warrant getting drilled for. Then the first dude appeared out of nowhere. A guy, I had no idea who he was, coming in up the beach. We had no idea if he had made it out but he was having a crack. All my world suddenly felt a little tense. Ok. So someone tried to get out,…on their own. Hmm. This is my home break and someone I don’t even know has had a crack at that, while im sitting here sipping coffee. Not good.
Joey and I decided to head up to the headland and take some pictures. And it is here, the day took a very not so subtle turn, for up there, waxing his surfboard, and who I will now introduce to this book, as a complete warrior, was our mate, Robbie. Robbie, is, in a word, kinda psychotic. He never shirks a big wave and loves fishing with a handline out at the bommie for big game fish in his kayak. He also had a stint as an amateur boxer and is one of the most mellow dudes you will meet…except when his adrenaline levels rise.
He also won the prestigious world grommet under 18 surfing titles in Bali in the ‘90s.
So, theres Rob, happily waxing away, pointing at these mountains that are erupting everywhere, saying, ohhh…look at that one,..ohh hows this one. Meanwhile, im standing there, feeling like theres absolutely no where to hide and feeling like one big wuss as Robbie prepares to join the other guy out there. He doesn’t ask me if im going out. I don’t pretend I am going to. Oh goodness…its big. Im not going out there. Its beyond my limits. So, I tell myself. I tell myself lots. I tell myself that im tired from my surf this morning, and from changing the tyre…etc etc. Many excuses, none of them true. I was just too scared. So, Robbie goes out off the rocks, jumps in, cops a 5 wave 10foot set on his head and somehow makes it out. He gets a few, but it looks hard out there to get in position. You don’t want to get cleaned up by a set. He does get some memorable bombs and pulls into one classic closeout. Im happy to enjoy the show but deep down, its really killing me. I continue watching from a place of fear. That’s all my mind wants to accept.
The day rolls on and so does the swell. Its not going anywhere like I hoped it would. Its as strong and as consistent as it has been for the last 24 hours. I go for a big walk along the beach, on my own and watch it from the beach level. It looks frighteningly bigger from here. Theres no way I can picture myself even contemplating going out into that. Huge mountains standing up way out to sea, in one big mass and slamming down on the outside bank…followed by another and another. Its huge. 10-12foot, which for a beachbreak is brutal.
I come back home and watch from the track. Theres guys out at the headland. Some trying the paddle, some towing in. The whole scene is starting to make me feel sick. I just wish this stupid swell would go away. Its making me feel cowardly. I decide to grab something to drink and to go and watch from a nice little hidey spot where no one can see me wimping out in the sand dunes. I get some beers and take up my position down the beach. Powelly, a guy from Cabarita, and a great surfer who also did some time on the World Qualifiying Series is out there. I drink. He paddles out off the rocks, gets a bomb and comes in in front of me. He runs past looking at me, but I keep my eyes down, pretending theres something in the sand that’s way more interesting than 10 foot waves. I watch him run around to the rocks and jump in again. Unbelievable. How fit is this guy? I sip away at my beer. Im feelin a little tipsy and start thinking hard about whats going on in my head. Wheres this fear coming from, I ask myself. I look at the waves and for the first time that day, look at them from the perspective of someone who wants to ride them. I imagine what it would be like to paddle into one, and realise that, although it is big, it is still just a wave that has a way in and a way out. And then an even stranger thing happens. The Doors song, “the end’ pops into my head and I start singing all the lines. “the blue bus, is calling us…driver where you taking us?” and I start to feel myself slipping into a place that I realise I need to be. Im detaching myself from fear, allowing myself to accept death if it were to be. All of a sudden a song, that has never really made any sense to me is going over and over in my head like a mantra..”ride the snake, to the lake, the ancient lake, the snake is long, seven miles, he’s old, and his skin is cold”. To me, these words are all directly related to riding these big beautiful giants. These prehistoric looking mountains of water. “come on baby take a chance with us….” Etc. I feel a sense of security, I don’t know why, but I feel like I have found some comfort in the words of the late Jim Morrison, a dude who I believe possessed those warrior like traits in his own life.
Then and there I decide, that tomorrow, I will go out no matter what. It might be
the dutch courage from the alcohol talking but im adamant. Yep. Im going out tomorrow. Theres not enough light now to go out anyway I muse. Good. Settled. Meanwhile, Powelly catches another bomb and comes in in front of me again and runs past. This time I feel silly, so wave. He waves. I catch a look from him, and it’s a look I don’t expect. Hard to even explain but its almost like he’s saying,’come on, you’ll be sweet, come out’.I brush it off and sip away. Powelly runs around again and jumps off the rocks AGAIN! Oh my goodness, that dudes like an ever ready rabbit. Non stop. Ive had it. Watching this is just depressing. Im gonna go home and rest up for my big day tomorrow…and secretly hope that its dropped a few feet. I walk back along the beach watching the big blue beasts towering out to sea.
Now, something happened here. Ride the wave not the board. Always look for signs in life and if they appear, follow them. I consciously chose to walk up the beach track that would take me past Robbies place, the guy that was charging that morning. Why, im not really sure. I came out of the bush and went to cross the road, and what do you know, there is the man, Robbie Johnson pulling up into his driveway. In fact I nearly stepped in front of his car. I give him a cheery wave and am met with a steely gaze. No wave. Just a look of distaste. Whoa. Not feeling the love. I know why though. Ive shown no guts at all today, and Robbie, a guy who is fearless probably felt a little distant from me.
He pulls up and I wander uncomfortably over to his car. We exchange a quick hello and then he says, “I just saw the biggest set ever off the headland…Im going out”
“Now?”came my amazed response. The sun was 20 minutes off setting and it seemed absurd to jump into that craziness with limited time.
“Yeah, you coming” came his enthusiastic reply.
This, my friends is the moment when I had no time to think and had to rely on my subconscious to make a split second decision.
“For sure” I replied, not believing I was even agreeing to it. But, I instantly reasoned to myself that I had already made the decision on the beach, but now I had some backup with me. The next parts all happened so quickly and are kind of a haze, that its hard to recall everything, but, of course I will never forget some of the next halfhour of my life. I can still picture it as clear as the sky.
Anyway, my main problem now was what board to ride as I didn’t have any big wave boards. I ran home, threw on my boardies, took my biggest legrope and ran down to my neighbour bruce’s house and pulled a 7’3” pintail down from the rafters of his garage. Ahh. This felt good. I felt slightly confident. We jumped in Robs car and took off for the Headland. Rob was giving me the drill about where to paddle out. It sounded reasonable. Jump in off the opposite side of the headland, paddle halfway out to sea, turn right, paddle across the front of the headland,…the sketchiest part of the deal and then, viola, in the lineup.
OKee. Sounds good. Good deal. We jumped out of the car and attracted slight attention from some of the locals. The headland was packed with people with cameras all eyes mostly fixed on the guys towing in out there…one jetski. Rob and I ran down to our spot to jump in. I made a decision to myself there and then that the only way I would be able to deal with this was one wave at a time. Rob was psyched. I was holding all my emotions in and just crusing along saying, yeah cool, no worries. On the inside, I was feeling a little different, but just trying to keep calm .
We got down to the jumpoff rock and rob jumped in first. Oh well, here goes I thought. I looked at the first small whitewater coming and took off after him. One wave at a time. Stay in the moment paul. I was a few feet behind Rob when all of a sudden a surge rock appeard under his board and he was high and dry. Then he cursed and turned his board over. He had lost his side fin. We both floated there for a few seconds wondering what to do.
“oh, ill just go and change it and come back out” he said.
“Ok, I said. I’ll come back in and meet you on the same rock” I said, not really thinking clearly.
Rob took off and I flapped around in the same spot for a minute. Then, I made the realisation that no, I wasn’t going to wait for him, because whether I did or not, he wouldn’t be holding my hand anyway. Ok. O.K.
I took a deep breath, swung my board around, and began the long paddle out to sea. I didn’t look too far ahead, just at each whitewater that approached me. I got clear of the initial shorebreak and was then in the main channel. I kept a steady pace, heading straight out to sea. Now, I could see the mountains that I had to confront way out to sea, and even thinking about it now as I write it gives me butterflies in my stomach. I kept paddling until all of a sudden I realised how far out I was. I was right out near the bommie, which was 500 metres off the headland. Time to veer right. However, just as I was about to a set came from out wide of the bommie. It was a big set. Bigger than anything id faced at my home break. The first wave I cleared, just..and the second one, a big left hander broke about 10 metres in front of me. Now, it was on. All my fears had suddenly arrived. Id never ridden this board before, let alone known how to duckdive it, yet, here I was with a volumous liquid bomb exploding in front of me. With all my strength I pushed the board under knowing it was probably going to be fruitless, however just as I got to my deepest point before the waves impact hit me I wrapped my arms around the board in a bear hug and hoped for the best. I wasn’t going to lose my board, Not out here. Well blow me down if I didn’t pop straight up out of the whitewater like a cork. What a surprise. However that alone along with the adrenaline had used a lot of energy and now there was another over sized whitewater to deal with. Down I went again, but the water was turbulent and I couldn’t really get under, and just like that, my board got whisked out of my hands. Ahhh. Here we go. My mind was thinking a million negative thoughts at once. By this stage I was right in front of the headland, the worst place to get caught inside, all my friends and people I didn’t know were up there, armed with cameras and beers and I could hear them all, as I got rolled around underwater saying, ‘ D#ckhead. There he goes. Who did he think he was trying to go out there?” Of course, that’s just not true that they thought that way, but that’s what I was thinking. So, I pulled myself up by my legrope and surfaced. Grabbed my board, took a quick look and saw thankfully, no waves coming for the moment and made two choices. The first, and the most telling one was I said to myself. OK. Look at yourself here. You’ve gotten yourself into a state. If you don’t stop panicking now you wont get out of this situation. Immediately I stopped, took some deep breaths, refocused and with resolve made my second critical decision. I paddled back to the North of the Headland, because as a local I knew, if I was going to get caught out by another set, the last place I wanted to be was in front of the headland, where getting washed up on the rocks in a swell of this size would certainly kill you. So, i stroked off to the North East, and avoided another big set which would have landed right on me if I hadn’t made that decision. By now, having escaped what could have been a heavy situation, I was feeling relatively calm. This time, I stroked about 100metres out past where the waves were breaking, stopped, and then paddled another 50 metres out, and then when I saw the jetski guys towing out past me, decided to put another 50 metres between me and the impact zone. Now, I was in a place I could get my bearings. I looked back at the headland. It was packed and it felt like they were all staring straight at me. I chuckled. Here I am I thought. No sign of Robbie. The jetski guys were looking at me and I felt for the first time some admiration from others.
Out to sea, big black swells were moving in so I decided to paddle further out again. It was so hard to know where to sit. There was no way I wanted a 12 foot bomb on my head. I watched as the jetski guys took on a monster across futher and then as I paddled over their wave, a big majestic peak reared up in front of me. It was big. I started paddling for it but I was probably a little too far out. I stroked hard but in my mind, I knew I didn’t really want to catch it. I just wanted to get a feel for the waves power. I pulled back as it started to throw and looked down. Lordy. What a view. It was a long way down. But, I wasn’t totally rattled. I felt the board was a good enough length to paddle into one and I set off down the beach looking for a right hander, one on my forehand.
I bobbed around, waiting, still no sign of Rob. I was tense but I knew what I had to do. I only wanted one wave. One wave would be more than enough after all that. One wave would mean everything to me. And then, it just magically appeared. A beautiful big blue peak with a perfect taper to it appeared in front of me and I knew, with all my heart there was only one way to deal with this. I put my head down and paddled like my life depended on it. I paddled and I paddled and I believed that I was going to catch this wave….and oh my god now I was flying down the face of this beautiful big blue wave, the wind in my hair, the board feeling so perfect in the face, and into a big swooping bottom turn and then away, racing a super fast sucky section into the shorebreak, doing a small cuttie, and then, when I realised I’d survived, standing there, exhilerated, relieved and with adrenaline dripping out of my finger tips. I didn’t even entertain the thought of going back out. Id just climbed a mountain and the adrenaline was at an all time high and plus, I didn’t like my chances of even getting back out through the impact zone. I lay down on my board on the same wave in the whitewater, and put my head down and said a silent prayer and was, totally at peace with my inner spirit. I hit the beach, looked back once, smiled and slowly and quietly walked up the path and walked home. Of course, then I grabbed my bike, rode to the shop grabbed a beer and went up to the headland to claim a bit of recognition. I was so happy. Never had I been so scared but still faced it. Never. Sure, it wasn’t Hawaii and people have ridden much bigger and much scarier surf than that, but to me, I felt my life was out of my hands the moment I chose to paddle out, and to pull something like that off, is the ultimate feeling. The warrior spirit was my closest friend that day, and without it I wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of going out.
Talking to yourself and talking through your fears to yourself can be so rewarding. Also, realising that you have the want and reacting to signs that present themselves to you I believe are some of the ways to facing your demons and realising your dreams. Its an old no fear ad, but its true, and its what I swore by that day. Face your fears, live your dreams. Yeeew.

These stories are great - keep them coming!

Temptation, drama, suspense, carnage, salvation, redemption!