My surfing mission is complete, and I can go home feeling accomplished. I finally learned how to catch real waves out there!
Yesterday was my best surfing day so far. I made a Japanese friend on the beach, who surfs a lot on Okinawa, where she lives. Her name is Mika and she would help me out in the water, giving me tips about where and how to catch the waves. When I caught one, she'd get excited for me.
I was exploding off my board with confidence, transitioning from paddling to standing, faster than I have before. I was with a lot of surfers, bobbing in the ocean waiting for waves. Mika was out there for three hours, making friends with everyone, and since I knew her, it was easy for me to chat with the other surfers in the water too. Both locals and tourists were having good times in the water, calling out as they caught the waves, or caught sight of a big one approaching. It was fun!
Mika said it was her best day...she said "When I surf by myself, I cannot enjoy. But today, I have many friends in the water. Very fun!" I agree with her...it was good times. I was catching waves and trying to paddle into the biggest ones, feeling confident on my board. There were others around having good times as well, and the vibe in the ocean was great.
The one vital part of surfing I still can't do is turn on my board. It's important to turn into the wave, so that your board is parallel to shore, enabling you to surf the entire length of the wave. There's a reef break off the coast of Sumatra called Rifles, where you get 600m long rides. Imagine!
Turning into the wave and getting longer rides is my next mission, but I'm satisfied with being able to paddle into a wave, catch it with confidence, and ride down its face. I tried to turn like I turn on my snowboard, but evidently that doesn't work. I think I need more weight transfer and more exaggerated movements.
Even though I can't turn into the wave face, I'm happy with my progress. I will go home knowing I can paddle in, catch a wave, and ride it until it turns into white chop.
I've taken the day off surfing today, to give myself some rest. I didn't want to ruin yesterday's good surf by getting out there today and having a bad day, or wiping out hard and ruining my ear. So, I'll just stay on land today, enjoying yesterday's surf.
To complete the good day, I had dinner with seven other travelers. My Suisse friend Natalie invited me out, with a couple of her friends, who invited their friends, and it turned into a really great evening out.
There were two Brits, two Dutchmen, one Belgian, one Kiwi, and one from Switzerland. And me of course, making eight of us. The conversation was good, the company was excellent, and the evening turned into the best social outing I've had since Er's wedding in January. It was a great ending to my best day in Bali so far.
Tomorrow is my last full day in Bali, and I'll hit the surf one last time if the waves aren't deadly. Even if I don't surf again, I'll be happy with what I've been able to do on my board. I have accomplished what I set out to do, which was learn to paddle into, and ride, a real wave. Mission complete!
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