Surf Ouch

Surf Ouch

I spent most of my childhood in Absecon NJ. One of the great parts of living there was the proximity of the beach; we were 8 miles outside of Atlantic City, maybe less. But that was just one option. The beaches from Brigantine to Ocean City NJ were all close by to swim and play. Brigantine had the biggest waves and also a pesky little fly called green heads. Yes, the head of the fly was a brilliant green. They also fed on blood, having a nasty painful bite. Ocean City had and still has the best boardwalk out of all the options; unfortunately it was also the furthest away. It was on these beaches I learned how to body surf, riding a wave without a board. I still love doing it today.

I remember many long rides to the sand on perfectly caught waves, no people in the way. Being human, my two most memorable rides were the most short, and painful. They were rides far bigger than I could handle.

In my eyes the wave I was waiting for was huge. I moved to the position where I knew the wave was about to break. I could feel the tension in the water from the undertow and the water building in the wave. I could feel the wave about to break. I jumped up and forward paddling hard with my hands until I felt myself sliding down the face of the wave, it seemed longer than normal, I was riding the wave in.

I don’t know how it happened; I just know I went from riding the wave, to tumbling sideways in the roll of the wave. When the wave let me go I was gasping for breath, feeling like my spine was twisted. I was scared but that was all. I hurt physically, and my pride.

The second memory is very similar to the first. It was another large wave, another lack of judgment. I again waited on the wave, moving into position, feeling the tension in the water to know when and where the wave would break.

I felt the moment, pushing off of the hard packed sandy bottom, swimming to get to the right spot. I started to slide down the face of the wave, loving it, knowing I caught the wave, knowing it would be a good ride. I knew it would be a good ride only for a moment, then what I thought I knew changed as I was pushed by the water down into the sand, chest scraping the bottom…ouch.

Both of those wave riding experiences did not happen as they appeared they would or as I planned. Both started off very good, both ended up in pain and embarrassment. With more experience I might not have rode those waves or maybe I would have been able to properly ride those waves. Makes me wonder, do I make my decisions with the same wisdom as I did then? Have I changed?