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- Nov 24, 2014
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the best wave i've ever surfed was also pretty much the last waved i've ever surfed -
winter swell filling in overnight back in my undergrad days and i talked my roommate into surfing at dawn. next day i could hear bombs going off to the west from my bathroom and i was bitter because the other bastard wasn't up yet, guess i'd be alone after all. my buddy ended up running out of his room just as i was leaving. 10 minute later we were standing on frozen sand, crystal sky, offshore breeze.
so we paddle out - this is Devereux Point so very protected, very clean - and it's pretty big! there was a crowd gathering and i predicted the real sets would show up somewhere much deeper off of the lineup. So i paddle out there by myself and sure enough 2 minutes later a cleaner set comes up. i let the first one go, paddle a little deeper and - BAM! - turn around on a no-paddle takeoff (i was on a 9'6" at the time) and 15 years later the thing i remember best is the acceleration. i make the turn at the bottom - i could see a bunch of faces inside staring at me - find a line in the middle of the face, stick my hand in the inky wall and enjoy the ride!
i came over a little bump and there was some girl scratching out of the way. i tell her to go and she shakes her head and smiles. the wave keeps standing up and i could see it would peel for quite awhile longer but i kicked out and blew it a kiss. there was a second lineup inside and they were all over it after that.
when i paddled back out everybody was still staring! my buddy was watching and told me 'at least double overhead'. later on that morning i got caught inside and that was the end of that board. when i thew it away i became a born-again bodysurfer and quite happy since.
good times.
winter swell filling in overnight back in my undergrad days and i talked my roommate into surfing at dawn. next day i could hear bombs going off to the west from my bathroom and i was bitter because the other bastard wasn't up yet, guess i'd be alone after all. my buddy ended up running out of his room just as i was leaving. 10 minute later we were standing on frozen sand, crystal sky, offshore breeze.
so we paddle out - this is Devereux Point so very protected, very clean - and it's pretty big! there was a crowd gathering and i predicted the real sets would show up somewhere much deeper off of the lineup. So i paddle out there by myself and sure enough 2 minutes later a cleaner set comes up. i let the first one go, paddle a little deeper and - BAM! - turn around on a no-paddle takeoff (i was on a 9'6" at the time) and 15 years later the thing i remember best is the acceleration. i make the turn at the bottom - i could see a bunch of faces inside staring at me - find a line in the middle of the face, stick my hand in the inky wall and enjoy the ride!
i came over a little bump and there was some girl scratching out of the way. i tell her to go and she shakes her head and smiles. the wave keeps standing up and i could see it would peel for quite awhile longer but i kicked out and blew it a kiss. there was a second lineup inside and they were all over it after that.
when i paddled back out everybody was still staring! my buddy was watching and told me 'at least double overhead'. later on that morning i got caught inside and that was the end of that board. when i thew it away i became a born-again bodysurfer and quite happy since.
good times.
