Welcome back to A Teen’s Surf Saga.
It’s strongly recommended you read.
A Teen’s Surf Saga: A Teen’s Surf Saga – Part 1, A Teen’s Surf Saga Part 2 San Diego Beach Lottery, A TEEN’S SURF SAGA HKSS – An Overachiever’s Story (Part 3) and A TEEN’S SURF SAGA This is Part 4 first.
The Boat Surfing Trip Starts at
You really need to check-out Part 5 before you read this segment.
I hope you have fun.
Kaila
Boat Surfing Trip –
The Good, The Bad, + The Ugly
“If” is the biggest word in the English language. Don’t let it’s two letters fool you.
It’s the kind of wave “if” you’re a really good surfer… “if” (that magical word again) you take 20 waves, you’ll get tubed 15 of them. I’ve seen guys get tubed 20 for 20. Happens. Kid you not.
The wave hit the reef. Smacks. Hard. Throws out.
Insane. When it’s working. And.
It’s working. Screaming left. Big smiles.
Captain Obvious
If you know how to surf, you’re going to say “duh.” But, when you’re surfing and you’re paddelingfor the wave… if you go left, then the wave’s a left. If you go right. It’s a right.
Thanks Captain. But, if you’re on the beach watching surfers, then non-surfers get mixed up between “left” and “right.”
I’m not sure about you, but I’m thinking this obvious guy needs a demotion.
Private Obvious. OK. I guess it just doesn’t have the same ring, after all.
Like I say, it’s mainly a left. The right is steep, short. Then it’s over quick. You only take the right if it starts getting crowded and you want to share the lefts. Not today. Empty. Just us.
HAZARD AHEAD
Did I forget to mention, there’s a Tad (another word I really like) bit ofa hazard on this wave? Keeps the wankers at bay. 
Well… about 100 yards from the take off spot. There’s these nasty rocks. Always something. Like I said. Keeps the crowds down.
At high tide, you might not even notice them. In fact, we’ve been surfing around them all morning. Add another 30-50 yards to your wave.
BUT
It’s always the “but” that gets you. Isn’t it? When somebody tells yousomething, you can pretty much ignore everything before the “but.” You really gotta pay attention to everything they say after the “but.”
BUT
But, the tides dropping. Fast. A few things are happening.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good
First, the good. The reef starts throwing out. Even More. Sucking 
Being Honest.
No one’s here, so it doesn’t matter. No one to take off behind us. So we’re taking off on the shoulder. Then we’re trying to slow down, trying to let the barrel catch up to us.
You can put back hand in the water/wave while you lean back, put your weight ever so slightly on your back foot. We’re goofy foot. We’re facing the wave. Which is a really good thing. Until it isn’t. Pay attention.
The trick is, as soon as the wave catches up with you, put your weight more on your front foot. Just enough to get speed. Or you just get run over. For us, it’s easier said than done. We’re learning. We’re young.
But, it’s getting really steep and fast. Waian and I stop going for the tubes. We’re survival surfing. Drop in. Hit the top pumping to get speed. Up and down. Then kickout before the rocks. Really. Really. Fun.
Wait. Hear that? It’s another boat. Bummer. They’re sitting over by our boat. Only two guys. Not so bad.
They’re anchoring. Paddling over.
It’s between sets. Sort of starring them down as they paddle over. Wait. We know these guys.
No problem. They’re friends of ours. They’re really, really, really good surfers.
They always encourage Waian and me. Nice guys. One owns a board company. The other is from Hawaii. They absolutely rip. If you’re reading this you know who you are. Thanks for all the kind words over the years. You’ve always had Waian’s and my back in the water. Always tried to help out.
We don’t surf and name drop who we’re surfing with… But thanks “D” and “C” 😊
There’s still plenty of waves for everyone.
7-8 wave sets. Five people out. All good.
Our friends are getting tubed every wave. For 50 yards. Easy. In and out barrels.
It’s the kind of wave, when you’re sitting in the line-up and someone takes off. You often won’t see them again until they kick out.
The real treat, of course, is watching these guyssurf which we’re paddeling back out, after a wave.
You can learn a lot by watching. Like a surf class.
Special
We’re hooting for them. They’re hooting for us. Great vibe. The way it’s supposed to be.
The Bad
The lower the tide gets, those nasty rocks, get nastier and nastier.
Like I said, keeps the tourists at bay. Not that any “tourists” have boats. But, if you can’t surf, this isn’t the place for you. Comprende?
Every wave now, we’re all reminding Waian, “watch out for the rocks.”
Double-Edged Sword
The smaller waves are fun. More manageablefor Waian and I. The bigger waves are like frieght trains. Or is that “fright?”
Problem is. The smaller waves break right on the rocks. Bigger waves, they’re often still able to surf up, and around the rocks. Double edged sword.
Waian takes a nice smaller set. Good wave. But she’s cutting it too close to the rocks. I’ll talk to her.
“Last wave, you kicked out too late Waian,” I tell her. “Don’t try and go for that last turn. No one’s here. You don’t need to.”
As usual, she’s kinda looks like she’s listening. Maybe. Sort of. Looking at me sideways.
She’s acting like I’m just trying to snake her waves.
That’s the problem, of course. When we’re surfing, she’s always thinking I have some type of angle. Even when I’m trying to help her. Like now.
Here, we’re not snaking each others waves like we do at home. When there’s dozens, or even over a hundred surfers in the line-up. At our home break, some crowded days, we’re trying to squeeze out our waves.
I’ll talk more about surfing in a freakin’ jungle in later posts.
So, if one of us is on a wave, the other is going to try and take off on it. Total breach of surfing etiquette. We know.
But, we’re sisters. We get on each other about it. But we both know sometimes we have to “hop” each other or we wouldn’t get many waves.
Not today.
Not. Here.
We’re being good girls. No wave hopping here. Easy pease.
But still. She’s a little hesitant to listen to me. “Waian you really need to stop cutting it so close.You have to kick out sooner. Those rocks are really nasty… okay?”
“Okay,” she mumbles. She’s looking for the next set. Shinning me on.
Semi-Digression
Digression, sort of, with no analysis.
We passed a few surf spots on the way here. More well-known. They had boats. People surfing. But not like this. No danger. No rocks. Shallow bottom. But nothing nasty.
If Mom knew we were surfing here with the tide so low… she’d wig out.
Did I tell you Mom surfs too? Believe it or not, Mom won the Swami’s surf contest one year.
Unbelievable. We cheered her on. We knew she should have won. But she was so surprised! Against “big name” women’s pro surfers. Like I said. What a moment.
Good story. Maybe I’ll tell you about it someday.
Point is. With surfing you can’t fool Mom. We were at this exact spot, surfing with Mom. When the tide dropped. She made Waian and I get out of the water. We all moved to a much “safer,” but much more crowded surf spot. ☹
In my mind, both Waian and I surf much better now. But like I said, if Mom finds out we’re surfing here…. Well. Let’s not go there.
The Ugly
“Nasty” probably isn’t a good description. The rocks have lots of sharp things growing on them. Sharpies. Not the pens though.
Here’s the problem. On the big sets, the other guys are going high on the wave. Off the top. Going right around the rocks. They’re getting an extra 30-50 yards, before they kick out.
Waian and I can see it.
But these guys are incredible surfers.
Us? Well, we’re not. Just a couple of groms.
Grom: Young surfer. Usually pre-teen or younger.
Waian and I don’t get called “groms” so much anymore. But, here now. We are.
Easy Button
Waian’s not seeing it. It seems.
Waian’s always been good at everything I know, this is going to her head. She goes through life with an easy button.
School. Swimming. Surfing. Skiing. Volleyball. A natural athelete.
Everyone likes her and, she’s the youngest. Easy Button.
Outside Set
We’re sitting in the line-up. Watching. Waiting for the next wave. So peaceful.
Tranquill.
Still glassy. Perfect.
“Outside,” one of the guys says, as he’s paddling away from the beach. We’re all paddling as hard as we can. You don’t want to get cleaned up.
It’s a really big set. Maybe the biggest set of the day.
“Outside” means you need to paddle out and over, so you don’t get hit by the large approaching set waves.
The first three waves, they all take smoking. Waian and I are still scraping to get over each of the waves.
It seems we’re far enough out.
Now, it’s just me and Waian.
It’s a big wall. We’re next to each other. Looks steep, but makeable.
Worst that can happen? We get pitched on the biggest set of the day. No guts. No glory. Right?
But, you’ve got to think positions. No hesitation. If you go… you gotta go. All in.
The wave is coming. Marching in. Like I said. Big. Steep.
“Do you want to go or do you want me to take it?” I ask.
“I’ve got it,” Waian replies with absolutely no hesitation. Gotta love her ‘tude.
She’s paddling furiously. It’s going to be close. “If” – that word again – she makes it.
“Go Waian,” I encourage her. “You’ve got it.”
Waian takes off. She makes it!
I’m hooting for her.
Then I don’t see her.
But, truth be told,I’ve turned my attention to the next wave. My wave. My wave.
No doubt in my mind. I’m going paddeling as fast as I can. I take off. It’s sucking out. I make the section… the bottom drops out breaking top to bottom.
Wave of the day. Fast. Big wall.
I don’t see Waian. If she had gotten pitched or not made the section, I’d be surfing by her. Good for her.
Goofy
No, not the Disney cartoon character.
Foot.
As in “goofy foot.”
Waian and I are both “goofy foot.” We surf with our right foot forward on our surfboards. Our left foot is on the tail.
When you surf with your left foot forward and your right foot back, on the tail of your board, this is called “regular foot.”
Don’t think this is something me and my friends made up willy-nilly. Surfers all over the world use these terms.
Being goofy foot is important to understanding how things went wrong today. As I’ve mentioned before, the wave is a hollow, fast left reef break. It takes all your concentration, at least for Waian and I, to make each section.
Because we’re goofy foot, when we go left we’re facing the wave.
Everyone else out this morning is regular foot. Facing away from the wave. Because they’re facing away from the wave, it’s easier for them to see the rapidly approaching rocks.
Because Waian and I are facing the wave, our back is to the rocks.
Yea. Those rocks, with lot’s of sharp thingies growing on them.
I was doing an off the top, when I heard the screaming. “Waian. Kick out! Kick out!”
Next thing I see, Waian and her board launch into the air. She had to be 10 feet above the breaking wave. She kicked out, with speed. Flying. Usually not a problem. Usually. Her and her board were almost floating in the air.
“Freakin’ Waian. Always cutting it close,” I’m thinking. But she made it.
When she lands in the water, she’s not on top of the rocks it seems. But close.
The problem is, with all the moving water, Waian and her board are getting sucked toward the rocks. Oh! Oh!
I kick out early, because I can see Waian struggling a few feet infront of the rocks. She’s trying to grab her board, so she can paddle away from the rocks.
It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The wave I was on breaks right in front of her. Tons of rushing water are coming right at her. With the nasty rocks less than five feet behind her!
“Waian,” I yell!
Be sure to check back next week for our final part of our boat surfing trip.
Part 7 Boat Surfing Trip
Blood, Sharks, + Beans
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