No wave surfs

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grazza
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No wave surfs

Post by grazza » Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:53 pm

Had a no wave surf last night. Paddled out at the Bower, right round from the rocks on the inside rather than rocking off at winks just so that I could get a good look at things. Got to the inside take-off posi, and sat where I usually sit outside the boil next to that rock that sticks out of the water. There's about 10 others on the outside take-off, sitting another 20m out again, but seriously it didn't look that big - 4, maybe 5 - and it doesn't break out there unless it 8+ at least, so I figured they were having a good tug, as it were.

After maybe a 3 minute wait, I paddled for, but didn't get, a 5 footer, and turned to see a serious and freakishly large set unloading right in front of me. Absolutely no chance of a duckdive, so I dived for the bottom and got under OK, but got hauled back a way by the leggy. Much less time to take a breath for the second, but not too bad. The third one I had a couple of seconds max to prepare. It's a shallow, ragged dive, and my board is ripped from my leggy. Wave four, without a board, should have been easier, but with no time to get by breath back, it's nasty. The swell direction is ENE, so instead of washing me through the reef, it's holding me in closer to the rocks inside the peak. The water is now churning white and probably 50% air or more, so both floating to top after each wave, and getting in a decent breath when I'm there, is increasingly difficult.

Eventually, it takes 10 waves to sweep me through to the deep water on the other side. All the time I am telling myself that I'll get there eventually, but it takes what seems like forever. At the end, I'm heaving breaths like I have emphysema. I can't see my board anywhere, and I'm closer to halfway beach, so I slowly breast stroke (thinking, all the time - who can help it these days - shark) across to the rocks, in time to see some booger, 300m across the bay picking up my board, looking around and making up the path. I far as I could, I ran up to the car park, getting there just in time to growl at this kid putting my board into the back of his car.

My wife suggests, with deep and touching concern, firstly that I call it a day in bigger stuff, and secondly, with somewhat more urgency, that I get a will in place "just in case". Now some of you might concur, remembering my harrowing tale from last year http://forum.realsurf.com/forum/viewtop ... =4&t=13176 and see in this further confirmation that I'm a deluded old fart and that it's time for me to pull my head in. However, I'm inclined to say that it means I can still deal with this stuff (although it does feel like the margin for error is shrinking). After all, I didn't have to be rescued this time.

So the first thing that occurs to me is when is too old? How will I know?

The second is that this is the first time I can ever remember going for a surf and getting no waves. Zero. Not one.

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Spoon
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Spoon » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:08 pm

Scary stuff. As for how old will depend on fitness and confidence. There are a lot of older guys still surfing but their choice of equipment and what waves they now ride would differ to their youth but at least they still get out there. I'm nearly 47 and definitely know my comfort zone and when its time to watch the younguns take it on.
Al this is gold. "She didn't realise I was fairly high and spent much of the evening trying to figure out why a purple and orange cow wanted me to climb a tree."

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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Nick Carroll » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:16 pm

hey maybe it was just one of those days...everyone screws up occasionally, sounds like you weren't paying enough attention.

the day you bring everything to the table and still get smashed, you'll know it's time to step back a bit....and there won't be any shame in doing so.

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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Thibb » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:18 pm

I don´t see why you would assume your trouble was a result of being ´old´. Shit can happen to anyone, maybe your experience even helped you to stay calm while things went sour, whereas an 18 year old may have panicked.

If, on the other hand, you simply mean that you no longer want to expose yourself to these kinds of risks, or if you never really had the skills to feel comfortable in these circumstances, then maybe you should just be more selective about when you go out?

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oldman
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by oldman » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:22 pm

Grazza,

I love your style, writing and story telling-wise.

I've had a few no wave surfs, usually because I went out in onshore small mush that could hardly be ridden anyway.

First things first, get your will done. Regardless of what you do surfing or otherwise, get your will done. It will save your wife and various mistresses a lot of headaches and legal bills. Just do it Grazza.

How old is too old? Can't help you there mate. I reckon you have a better handle on it than me. I'm starting to think that I might be a very poor judge of my general health. I think I 'm going well, but in the back of my mind is the thought that it's the last breath of the dying man.

In particular I am noticing that the beatings take more out of me than what they seemed to a decade or so ago. I'm less inclined to go out in big conditions these days, so I suppose I have self-selected out of days that might see me in trouble.

It's a slippery slope. :?
Lucky Al wrote:You could call your elbows borogoves, and your knees bandersnatches, and go whiffling through the tulgey woods north of narrabeen, burbling as you came.

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Clif
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Clif » Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:43 pm

lmao.

Nice story. Sometimes it just all goes wrong. Last trip to Indo I finished on a similar note at a break I am very familiar with. 3 boards down, one left, and last surf. Low tide.

Get caught inside, badly. Place is notorious for sneaker sets. No waves caught.

paddle

paddle

paddle

paddle

paddle

"ffs"

paddle

paddle

"m$%^***(()^$E f#$%err"

paddle

"Oh, you ain't beating me biatch, I own you"

paddle

paddle

paddle

"jes$s f%^&$ng chr!st"

paddle

paddle

draining reef, lip ... "f#$ck yooouuuuuuuuu!!!!!!"

SNAP!

"Oh get f@#$ed, you are f#$^&ng kidding me!"

500 metre swim in. Go to airport, fly home.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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PB
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by PB » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:14 pm

I have no-wave surfs without even getting caught inside or losing my board

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oldman
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by oldman » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:20 pm

Clif wrote:..........SNAP!

"Oh get f@#$ed, you are f#$^&ng kidding me!"

500 metre swim in. Go to airport, fly home.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Clif, that is such a great way to finish a holiday. You'd need another holiday after that! :lol: :lol:

There have been many times where I have been paddling out just swearing at the top of my lungs at huey, every wave breaking on my head no matter which way I go.

Love those days :roll:
Lucky Al wrote:You could call your elbows borogoves, and your knees bandersnatches, and go whiffling through the tulgey woods north of narrabeen, burbling as you came.

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Trev
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Trev » Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:24 pm

Grazza,
your story brings back nightmares.
I had the same thing at The Bower. About the only difference was my leggie broke on the first wave, which probably saved my life.
I was outside Surge and about 50 metres towards Winki at the start. Ended up well inside and a boogie boarder let me hold onto his board for a couple of minutes until I got my breath back. One of his mates brought my board back.
I know I like to put shit on Boogers like everyone else but it's all in fun. There's a whole bunch of them out there early in the morning who are good blokes.
I've had one years ago at Currumbin and had to pick up my board in the channel somewhere between 5th and 10th Ave, Plam Beach.
It's funny, only the other day I was thinking about starting a thread based on where we see our individual limits. I have noticed I'm a lot more careful about what I paddle out in these days.
One day last week I elected not to go out at first light, waited an hour or so and took some pics instead.
Even when I did go out I spent more time paddling for the horizon than catching waves.
I don't see any shame in it. I have to recognise that at 61 it's pretty hard to maintain fitness levels for the big stuff. I won't go out if I feel I'll be in the way. Sort of have a limit of about one and a half times head high, dependent upon the tide.
Still enjoying myself immensely, though.

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aaronn
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by aaronn » Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:26 pm

________________________________
I HAVE U ALL BLOCKED

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Surfin Turf
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Surfin Turf » Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:21 am

I remember your story from last year grazza ...

another harrowing tale ... I also enjoyed reading it despite it being a very unpleasant experience for you ... I'd like to see you write about a good surf you had , it would be sure to be a great read ... :idea:

grazza
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by grazza » Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:43 am

Nah, I don't have good surfs anymore...

scroopulis
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by scroopulis » Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:23 am

I still reckon you should have given that lidder a smack over the chops :lol:

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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Grooter » Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:27 am

Every once in a blue moon I'll have a no wave surf, either that or fed up with either battling a crowd or crappy conditions I'll just catch some white-wash.

Sounds like you just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time grazza - 4 -5ft surf can still give you a hammering when you're nearly on a rock and have lost your board.
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by northeasterly » Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:33 am

I thought you were going to give your board to the booger, Matt Johnson style.

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Re: No wave surfs

Post by Yuke Hunt » Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:27 am

I think it may have been MP who said you have to catch at least three waves or it’s not a surf … anyway that statement was imprinted into my mind at an early age and I have lived by the rule ever since. On a handful of occasions over the years I have failed the test … either through copping a hammering or deciding that I was out of my depth … but last December I went for a surf at D’bah … it was exceptionally crowded and there was really only one peak working … the thriving throng of surfers was like a pack of sharks feeding on a dead whale … snaking and drop-ins were rampant …after paddling around in the sweep and mayhem for an eternity I finally managed to jag a wave … surfing it to the beach I turned to paddle back out … looked at the madness and decided to call it a day …
To this day I can still remember the times when I have failed the three wave rule … but that Saturday morning last December was the first time that mother nature had no say in the outcome … that day the bastards finally beaten me.

:cry:
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by daryl » Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:39 am

Eddie Punchclock wrote:You know what Grazza, I was about five metres or so away to the left of a bloke that took that same option you described, as we were about to get completely mowed down by a beast that I swear started feathering in line with the bombie! This would have been roughly 8:15 this morning at North Steyne.

Dizzy with dread and paralysed by fear I feebly ducked my head down in anticipation of an unprecedented thrashing. Instead, I was blasted straight up and out the back of the thing and left calmly paddling out as if nothing had happened.I am now in debt to huey and I shudder to think how I am to repay.
Odds are there's some good ones there for you too.

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silvynn
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Re: No wave surfs

Post by silvynn » Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:53 am

A couple of times when surfing long open beach breaks I've found myself stuck in a Star Trek style tractor beam / reverse rip sort of thing, where try as I might I cannot move. Paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle I'm not moving here comes set number 5 aww come on man?! And yet 20 metres either side of me other dudes are paddling out sweet as. One of those ended up being a no wave surf cause I got absolutely r00ted just trying to get out...

Ever had one of those?

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