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| Kendra Nordin Mary Knox Merrill – staff |
How to catch a wave in just a weekend of trying
Our Little Kahuna investigates the best way to sample surf if you've never done it before: skimboarding, bodyboarding, or surfing.
from the May 19, 2008 edition
Page 3 of 3
As I tried to outrun a tower of water, I suddenly felt a force of a million bubbles lifting me up until I hung over the edge of the wave like a grinning ship figurehead: This was it! I was flying! And then ... it was over. The wave dissolved and I was beached in two feet of water. I'd caught my first ride.
Wading out and negotiating the waves again and again is tiring, even lying on a soft board, and after a couple of hours we retired to the boardwalk for some shaved ice. That night, I slept soundly.
• • •
Besides other surfers, the other thing to watch out for in the water is animal life. The next morning, it was time to really learn how to surf. But the morning news was buzzing with reports of a shark attack down the coast. Beaches for an eight-mile stretch were closed.
A receptionist at Surf Diva where I was to have my two-hour lesson assured me that La Jolla was still open. "See you soon!" she chirped.
Right. Here I come.
The beach was teeming. Hula dancers, sea kayakers, and snorklers filled the boardwalk. Temperatures were an unseasonably warm 90 degrees F., while the water was an unseasonably cold 58.
Elisabeth Gause, our instructor, greeted my class enthusiastically. She looked strong enough to bound down to the water with a board under each arm, no problem. She assured us that despite what we'd heard about surfing, we'd have fun.
"Your first rides are like first kisses," she said. "It doesn't matter how long they last, or how good they are, it's just exciting that they're happening."
The first hour was not exciting: We learned wave etiquette and practiced lying on our 10-foot foam boards, doing pushups and leaps to our feet.
The actual "surfing" part consisted of repetition, repetition, repetition. With our boards tethered to our ankles, the class would push against the current out to Ms. Gause who stood in one spot amid the breaking surf. She'd hold us steady as we hoisted up onto our bellies, and then she propelled us toward land while bellowing: "Paddle! ... Up!" The only thing missing was a set of orange flashing lights to proclaim "Watch out! Beginner here!" But it didn't matter. We were surfing.
While Gause focused on the waves, we focused on getting up. The Surf Diva theory works: I got to my feet on my first attempt. I also fell over in two seconds. It was a quick "kiss."
After an hour in the water, I straggled back to the beach and collapsed. Maybe being a hill person wasn't so bad after all.
But I'm hooked. I'm already scheming my next surf adventure.
I don't know if I'll grab a skimboard, bodyboard, or surfboard but I do know this: Don't be afraid to commit; It's all about timing; Every wave is different; And ... oh, yeah. There's always another swell coming. Surf's up, baby.
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