I just returned from a quick, three-day weekend trip to Huntington Beach, Ca. In late December, I had signed up for the Surf City (Half) Marathon. I registered for a ridiculously superficial reason -- the finisher's medal was a miniature surfboard. When I signed up, I also thought it would be a fun, quick and warm getaway for early February. I was right. I left Houston late Thursday night and returned to Texas tonight (Sunday). The run was early today, which meant I had Friday and Saturday to do what I wanted. I chose to go surfing. I contacted a surf shop in California based on a totally random Google search. The owner responded to me immediately, and we arranged for me to meet one up with one of his surf instructors at a beach approximately two miles from my hotel. People have been asking me why I thought I needed more instruction. I respond by saying that it never hurts to have an instructor, especially because I'm a relatively new surfer traveling to beaches I have never surfed. Maybe some day I'll have to confidence to venture out on my own in a strange place, but, for now, I think having an instructor is the smart way to surf a new location.I met my instructor, Phil, on a beautiful beach early on Friday morning. High tide was at 9 a.m., which is the best time to surf at this particular location. My friend Steph told me that at her California beach, low tide is best. I had explained to the surf school owner that even though I had surfed for three years, I still felt like I had a lot to learn. So, my lesson with Phil started with the basics, which included practicing my pop-up on the beach. I did okay with that, although, he had me change it a little. Like the instructor I had in Costa Rica, he actually wanted me to take an extra step during my pop-up. His reasoning made sense: I have long legs and moving my back foot forward would give me more stability. I practiced it and it seemed to work a few times. Because it was a shore break, we didn't have to paddle out far. In fact, I think I paddle out farther at the 43rd street Jetty than I did at Huntington Beach. We paddled out together, and was immediately forced to maneuver through oncoming waves. Although, I've heard it before, Phil had to remind me the only way out in those waves is to paddle through them. If I hesitate, I'll get crushed by the wave, which I did several times on Friday. Phil pushed me into a few waves, but the first thing I realized was that I had to get up fast 'cause if I didn't, the wave would close out on top of me. Needless to say, that happened to me multiple times on Friday. I caught a few that he pushed me into, but I missed more than I caught. Phil told me not to be discouraged. I told him that I though after three years I would be surfing better, but he seems to think I'm right on track. As he explained, I don't surf every day...in fact, he said, if I combined all my surfing time, I MIGHT have surfed six months. Ummm....I have never thought about it that way, but he's right.
I opted for a second lesson on Saturday. It probably wasn't a smart thing to do the day before my run, but I thought that I should take full advantage of my time at Huntington Beach. It might have slowed me some during my run, but I'm sure glad I went out to surf on that second day. I had a much better surf session on Saturday. Even Phil thought I did. I caught all the waves he pushed me into and then caught two or three on my own. I was able to pop up fast enough. Of course, he was amazing and caught everything just like the chief dude I surf with in Galveston. Phil mentioned that he had been surfing almost every day since he was six. That's a lot of surfing!! I still wiped out on Saturday, but felt much better about my surfing experience in California. He agreed that I'm a strong paddler when paddling out; however, I stop paddling about two paddles too soon when going for a wave. I really need to work on that. I'm so glad I surfed!!!
I also met up with one of my early Chica Brava surf instructors from Nicaragua. She heard I was going to be in Huntington Beach, and, contacted me. Unbeknownst to me, she lived nearby. I was thrilled to hear from her. We had lunch, but I sure wish I could have surfed with her. C. is a great surfer and a wonderful person. I found out that I will probably see her again when I go back to Nicaragua since she will be moving there for a couple of years. I'm so excited for her...and for everyone who will get to learn from her and work with her!!
