Super 60 Surfer

I had been excited to learn to surf, but now I was facing the realities of the learning curve: fear and frustration.  Unsurprisingly, I had subconsciously taken on a sport that would challenge all of my greatest concerns. I'm sure I'm not alone: for some people, it's golf, for some, they have their kids to raise as a challenge. I'd decided to take on surfing and now I had to make a new decision: deal with the fear and frustration or succumb to them and give up.  And I wasn't giving up. First things first: Fear. There were days when the waves were well behaved and the right height for me. On these days the wind was blowing off-shore and keeping the surface smooth or "glassy." Then there were days when the water was untamed and the waves were bumpy and unpredictable. Or better yet, the waves were big ugly ogres coming from every direction. The surfing term is “gnarly.” If you're an Aussie, it's pronounced, "Nah-ly." On those da...

"How hard could it be?" Ha! Turns out, it's pretty hard. Soon enough, I had discovered that negotiating the waves with a big board is nothing like floating or swimming through them mermaid-style. It reminded me of when I was learning to ski: I'd been so excited until the first tumble down the mountain. At 10 years old, I was both frightened and excited. Fast-forward 40+ years and I was in for some new tumbles - and still super excited. Unlike skiing or any other sport, surfing is connecting with a moving power source: the wave. This power is both frightening and exhilarating. The optimal power-point of the wave is right where it's breaking.  Here, every molecule from the top of the wave to the sand is a big, turning, horizontal column of water.  If it remains open, it's called a “barrel”. The waves I surf aren't big enough to create barrels, which means: all water & no air. Getting caught up in the churn is called being in the "...

I was sitting on the beach relaxing on a lovely, sunny July day. I was visiting my cousin’s beach house in Normandy Beach, NJ and saw a young woman surfing. She was completely focused and happy. I remember thinking, “If I were younger, I’d take up surfing.”  I’ve always loved and respected the ocean.   I’m an excellent swimmer and know the ocean well enough to understand that with changing tides come to a change in rules of the water. You have to work with the wave. When I was 6, I was pulled out by a rip current. I wasn't able to pull against it - even when the water was up to my waist. Before I knew it, I was out, away from the beach, way over my head. I was neck and neck with life and death, miraculously out of nowhere a big college guy grabbed me and pulled me into safety. 12 years later, I had learned the ocean's secrets. I was in the water at the same depth and distance from the shore, but this time I felt safe floating, buoyed by the saltwater. I rem...