I was just thinking about this yesterday – I’m pretty happy that since I’ve been out to California I have NOT turned my back on the surf because I was scared. I used to do this when I was scared of the waves and didn’t feel like I was able to handle the conditions. However, since I’ve been in California I’ve surfed some pretty decent sized waves and I’ve been totally fine. There have been days where I was a little nervous, but never fearful.
When I started surfing I would get all suited up, get down to the water, and then get totally psyched out and not paddle out. That was totally demoralizing. I actually did that last fall when we had a fairly decent sized hurricane swell. I know now that I would now be able to paddle out into those waves confidently.
It’s pretty cool. I guess it also speaks to the fact that the California Winter season has been very sub-par. I don’t think the waves ever got above 6-7 feet here this year.
The California surf spots are also a bit easier to surf when it’s big because they don’t DUMP in heavy shorebreak like they do on Long Island. I’m not saying that I’ll never turn tail again, but I’m stoked on the fact that I’m getting so much more confident in the water.
In two weeks I’ll be heading to Hawaii with Val for a week to hit up the South Shore. I’m getting excited – last time I went to Hawaii (two months ago) it wasn’t really a surf trip. I did surf and I did bring my board, but it wasn’t really about surfing. This time all we’re going to do is surf. Well, not all, but that will be the primary focus. Then on July 10 I’ll be back home in NY to soak up some Hamptons sunshine.