I sat down immediately after a session in South Africa to write this letter home. With hair still wet and sand on my feet I felt compelled to get it out of my head and on to “paper” before I lost the feeling. Here’s ‘The Rollercoaster’
Hey Dad,
I had a wave today that reminded me of home and surfaced old memories.
Remember when I told you I wanted Uncle Rob, your brother, to be my dad; not you? I was throwing a tantrum in your bedroom at the old Columbia Avenue house. The words rushed out of my mouth before my filter could catch them. Even at 5 I knew it was a terrible thing to say and I immediately felt guilty, but I didn’t yet have the courage to apologize or ability to clarify how I really felt.
Amongst all the seemingly “little” things you spanked us for, I’m bewildered I didn’t get anything for that one. I think if you had spanked me I’d feel less guilt about it.
Although I controlled my outbursts better as I got older my desire to be as different from you as possible lasted well past 5. Despite my best efforts, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and in an unexpected and undeniable moment today in the water, that was clearer than ever.
The scenery at todays break was natural and breathtakingly beautiful… not much like our home break in that regard.
On a beach that stretches over a mile long I didn’t see a single other surfer and it wasn’t due to the conditions. Peaks spread down the beach as far as I could see, turning my walk into a trot as I mind surfed the sets.
The iconic green mountains of Cape Town were right over my shoulder. Down the beach sand dunes like the ones the surfers in The Endless Summer scrambled over before surfing the perfect wave, seemed untouched.
I didn’t expect the white sand to be so white or the water to be so clean and clear. It had a turquoise tint to it I’ve only seen in the tropics. On top of it all… the sky was a deep orange as the sun set over the ocean, creating a contrast of colors I’ve never experienced.
Peaks down the beach… no surfers in sight… and a mind-blowing sunset… I felt like I was in Surfer Magazine.
Dunes is your classic beach break; a variety of lefts and rights with – mostly – unpredictable sections. Some would jack up and break with a barrel hollow enough to crouch in. Some would get fat and fade out. The bigger sets were closing out.
It’s amazing to me how many variables need to come together to make for a perfect wave. Or maybe more aptly, how just one variable can diminish a wave’s perfection.
If the wave is breaking fast down the line, but it’s hollow – no problem. I can tuck into the barrel immediately after the takeoff and be in the pocket. No bottom turn needed. Just angle the board down the line, place my feet up high in the middle of my deck, and crouch down with my hands open and resting on the face, there to dip into the water and slow me down if needed.
If the wave isn’t hollow but breaks a little bit slower it’s perfect for carving and ideal for experimenting with new lines. My safe approach off the takeoff is a big drawn-out bottom turn allowing me to size up the wave for a nice carve.
With the extra volume on my fish sometimes I like to pull up to the top of the wave immediately off the take off. I take no turns; just harness the full power of the wave, taking a high line at the very top to generate as much speed as possible down the line.
Then, just before I outrun the wave and lose all momentum on the fading shoulder, I cut sharply toward the beach. But rather than cutting all the way back into the pocket, I do an exaggerated bottom turn. Going all the way into the flats far out in front of the way I give the wave enough time to catch up and save myself just enough speed to get back to the middle of the face where I can pick up the wave again.
It doesn’t always work, but it sure is fun when it does!
Most of the waves today were just one variable off perfection; fast down the line but not hollow enough to barrel ride – great for mind surfing but more challenging in reality. The sight of almost-makable peaks was just enough to keep me paddling back out after the sun had set, thinking the next one would be the one to line up perfectly, to deliver my daily stoke.
This “almost perfect” feeling of the surf reminded me of the conditions back home.
But a different feeling on my last wave reminded me of you. It was a carvable left with a rare shoulder peeling at just the right speed.
The takeoff was just the way I like it. I paddled in early and the wave invited me in. I felt like I had all the time in the world to get up. In my opinion, this is one of surfing’s most underrated feelings; The wave is pushing me toward the shore, I’ve clearly caught it but I’m on the top, not falling down the face, not struggling to get in. I’m in control. I can check down the line and decide to pull out, or commit and fly down the face.
I know how you like your late takeoffs. You jam the board, take two paddles, and pop onto the wave. I find myself doing that too sometimes. My friends back home used to comment about it. It’s fun and thrilling with steeper waves, but I find it harder to get my feet set properly.
I much prefer the “cruise in” when it’s an option. This only works when I get enough paddling momentum ahead of time, I’m on a board with a bit of volume, and the wave has a somewhat gradual slope.
The stars aligned on this one.
As soon as I felt I had caught the wave, even before I got to my feet, I knew this was the one. This was my last wave of the day and could possibly be THE wave of the day. I was almost stoked before I even surfed the wave. I smiled in anticipation.
The wave went as expected, until the end. A clean bottom turn, a conservative but still buttery top turn. Then a quick check turn followed by a pump for speed as the next section broke quicker than I expected. As I neared the shore the wave kept its size and increased its speed. This one wasn’t hitting any deep pockets of water and backing off.
The wave charged forward, the face got steeper and the section coming toward me started to barrel. Seemingly out of nowhere, the wave was coming to an end. I had no time to think. All I could do was react.
I pivoted the board, cutting my last bottom turn short and driving the nose of my fish up the face. My trajectory mirrored the lip that was coming toward me as I knew the only move available was to meet the oncoming lip with my board and ride the closeout section toward the beach.
But surprised by the wave’s quick development, I was feeling a little too late. I leaned further back (feeling almost parallel with the ocean), reached with my legs at almost full extension, and managed to place the board dead center over the oncoming lip.
The wave pushed me with surprising power toward the beach, helping bring the board back under my feet as I rode the lip down the face. To keep my balance, in a pure natural reaction, I threw my hands up over my head.
Cruising down into the flats in a rush of speed I was thrilled from the surprise section and my instinctive reaction to it. I felt like a real surfer. I dropped to my belly and rode the whitewater in.
The adrenaline quickly subsided and I played the wave back in my mind, watching myself as if a spectator from the beach. That’s when I realized I had just done a “rollercoaster” and I had done it the same old-school style way I’ve seen you do so many times.
Hands up in the air almost straight overhead, as if coming down the first big dip of an old wooden coaster. Legs almost totally straight, hips pushing forward, in an almost backward arch like a sun salutation in yoga. Then bringing the board back under feet and riding it out just in time.
It reminds me of something I’d see in a surf movie from the 70’s.
Thanks for the style. Looking forward to surfing together when I’m back home.