Even more chop to surf

I didn't get to surf on Friday and, of course, heard the waves finally built to a reasonable surfing size and offered fun to those who made it down. So, I was determined to make it down and least one day this weekend. I chose Sunday since it was the only free time I had this week. Saturday was a busy one for me and included an 8-mile run, 13-mile bike ride and five hours of babysitting my 10-year-old nephew. (I had the chance to find out if I was smarter than a fifth-grader when I helped him with his homework. It was tough!)

This morning I made it down to Galveston at about 7:30 a.m., parked and walked over to Brian, Neil and Bob. They were discussing the waves. It was windy today, with winds approximately 20 mph out of the southwest. The water was a choppy mess. I realized that I had parked a little out of my designated zone, so I thought I would move it. However, I quickly realized that the car wouldn't start. The battery was dead, which required Brian to go home, get his jumper cables, drive back and then jump the battery.  We got the car going, so I moved it to the proper place. I also decided to surf for a couple of hours, jump the car and then drive to the closest dry goods store for a new battery.

The waves were a mess! Paddling out was a struggle because the waves were beating in so strong. Taking the rip current provided a little comfort, but timing had to be perfect to find the right spot. Even good timing, though, couldn't always get you to the outside. Sometimes, I was pushed back toward the shore at the end of the jetty. And, although, you could catch a wave occasionally on the inside, to get any long rides, you at to be ever so slightly on the outside. All in all, I had some fantastic rides. Neil and Bob did too. One wave would pick me up, while a second wave would carry me in. I also had some serious wipeouts, which is never fun. I got caught up in a bad one that included wave on top of wave just as I was trying to catch my breath, only to realize that I had sucked in part of the ocean. Not good. However, it didn't last...just long enough to remind me that surfing can be dangerous, and that I need to be more aware.

In other surfing news, I went for another surf in the sky and completed my second skydive. If I sign up for the class, I could go solo on my third jump. I'm not sure I'm ready. We'll see. It won't hurt for me to take a third tandem jump just to see if I want to do it. My friend D, took his first solo, but failed to pull the chute cord. Needless to say, they pulled it for him and he failed test jump #1. Too bad. I hope he doesn't give up!