Today at Muriwai, I had the best waves since I started surfing. Finally it felt more like "surfing" rather than "getting beat up by the waves". I'm so glad that I decided to go despite the fact that summer is over and there are no more lifeguards at the beach. It turns out that the temperature in the afternoon was still very comfortable, and with such a good sea condition today, who needs lifeguards?
Each of my surfing sessions can be divided into three acts so far.
1
It begins with me throwing myself into the wild west coast sea.
The waves would then start to beat me up, giving me rounds and rounds of powerful poundings.
It is not difficult to see how the current can easily drag you out and have its way with you, so it's only reasonable that my mind is focused on staying alive.
2
The most distinct sign, is that I'd suddenly have an awareness of my body moving through the water against the waves with a sense of relaxation. Everything seems to become natural, and this is where the fun begins. I begin to notice small improvements in my techniques, like how to move with the waves, how to jump up and balance on the board.
3
Get exhausted and go home with some bruises and a sense of satisfaction.
Surfing has something similar to a good addictive game, no matter how many waves you've caught, you always want to try to catch another one, and another, and another.....so you keep going until you're absolutely exhausted. It is very physically demanding, but the time goes by really quickly, especially when you have beautiful curling waves like the ones at Muriwai yesterday.
Read more...I went to learn surfing for the first time today, and...it wasn't easy. The worst thing about learning a new skill is that you'll be like a complete idiot and there's nothing you can do about it.
That may be the reason why many people hesitate about learning new things, and I know I used to avoid trying certain things just because I really don't like the feeling of being inadequate.
Well, one thing I learnt from travelling, is that if you want to explore new horizons, you just have to accept that being/behaving like an idiot is part of the process, so just go ahead and get on with it. In conclusion, I will continue to fumble and tumble in the waves for an indefinite (but hopefully not too long) period of time.
A thing about the waves at Muriwai today is that it was probably not the best condition for a beginner to learn surfing.
I found this advice on the internet "For your first days surfing the waves should be small, being easy enough for you to walk out to where the waves are breaking, and not have to fight your way off the beach being constantly battered by waves"
The description, "have to fight your way off the beach being constantly battered by waves", was exactly what happened today. I suppose that just made everything more....fun......in retrospect.
© Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
