Is this the new right wave? Photo: Javier "Pactwo" Munoz
In a single quiescent moment
When your mind is free
From the burdens of life,
A miracle can happen,
A missing piece of your spiritual puzzle
Can be found.
–
Ron W. Rathbun
I pulled my vehicle over to the side of the road and eased onto the shoulder, my tires crunching on the gravel. Coming to a rolling stop, I turned off the engine. Inside the cab everything was quiet; the only noise I heard was the faint rustle of the wind as it buffeted the car’s frame. Outside the window, the sky was a brilliant blue and huge cumulus clouds – thick and puffy – stood up against the horizon. I couldn’t see the water from my vantage but knew that a modest WNW swell was running.
I exited the car, walked around to the rear, and flipped open the back hatch. My surfboard lay diagonally across the bed, fins up. Next to it was my wetsuit, bunched up in a wad and tossed haphazardly in a corner. I reached in and took hold of the board, carefully backing it out of the vehicle tail first, and gingerly placed it on the ground. Then I grabbed my wetsuit.
I stripped out of my clothes and squeezed into the suit, zipping up the back. Then, methodically, I pulled on my booties, inserted my ear plugs, and affixed my cap. Thus equipped, I picked up my board, thrust it under my arm, and raced down the narrow footpath with a barely controlled urgency, blades of grass whipping at my ankles. I was eager to get into the water – to catch a wave – and experience that feeling that is so familiar to surfers. It is a feeling of movement and gliding – almost like flight – to which I and so many surfers are addicted.
I reached the edge of the bluff and drew to a halt, gazing out at the water. Lines of swell were rolling shoreward, bending around the reef and forming a quirky little right-hander just off the reef’s south end. It looked to be about waist high, perhaps shoulder high on the bigger sets. Hitting the reef, each swell line thrust up and bowled forward, peeling all the way to shore before cascading onto the rocks, shooting spray and foam. The waves weren’t perfect; there was a funny wobble and bump to them and the take-off was tight and narrow, but they were rideable. Most importantly, though, no one was out.
A line of pelicans suddenly entered the picture, their perfectly synchronized flight low over the water, wings outstretched and stationary, gliding along effortlessly.
Despite the beautiful scenery, I couldn’t muster the requisite sense of awe and gratitude. All I felt were the lingering effects of a miserable week at work – one filled with stress, overwork, and anxiety. My mind was still dwelling on all the week’s failures, miscommunications, and emotional stress. Now all I wanted to do was get in the water. Feel my board under my feet and the lash of cold ocean against my face. I wanted to wash all the stress and anxiety away; I wanted to immerse myself in the water and forget about everything else.
I carefully picked my way down the steep trail that led to the beach. I placed my board on the sand and stood for a moment, surveying the water, assessing conditions.
Finally, satisfied, I attached my leash, picked up my board, and trotted down to the water’s edge. The ocean was cold as I splashed through the shallows, but clad in my thick 4/3 wetsuit, and sporting booties and cap, I barely felt a thing. Reaching waist-deep water, I hopped onto my board and paddled out.
Soon I was sitting in the lineup, bobbing gently up and down on my board, my feet dangling into the depths. The water was dark and kelpy, with little boils popping up here and there. The bulbous tops of bull kelp swayed back and forth with the current, looking like miniature buoys, and I felt the breeze crisp against my cheeks.
My first wave was forgettable. The wave’s wobble got the better of me, and I flubbed the bottom turn. My second wave was better but still unspectacular. I nailed the bottom turn, sped along the flat, but unable to make the section, I was forced to straighten out. Frustrated, I paddled back to the lineup, determined this time to get a good ride.
