My First Wave

It took three surf outings, but I finally caught my first wave! For five whole seconds, I understood why people are so addicted to surfing. The time between my first and second trips was so long that I didn't really retain much. By the end of my second trip, my paddling had become much more efficient and I was feeling much more balanced on the board, but...alas...I only managed to catch a couple of waves on one knee. During the third trip, I picked up a few more helpful hints and tricks from a guy named Bruce I was surfing with. Armed with some new knowledge and experience, I managed to stand up a couple of times. The first time didn't really count because I fell off almost immediately. When I finally rode a wave standing up, I caught a glimpse of why I had been exhausting myself and eating so much dirty saltwater.

I have to admit that I got pretty frustrated during my first couple of trips out. I was beginning to wonder why I was punishing myself so much. Seeing people riding waves didn't give me the impression that it would be worth all of the effort when I finally stood up. It was pretty thrilling, though, while it lasted. Fortunately, I've also gotten more efficient at paddling out in the first place, so it's not quite as much work. Unfortunately, the experience was so brief and no one had a camera that day, so I have no visual evidence. Here are a couple of pictures of me in a wetsuit on the beach before the second time out. (The weather wasn't so good that day.)