Brief session at The Beach on Sunday. first dose of NW, felt good to just be out there paddling around but pretty bad and dumpy and chopped up. Trying to get some paddling reps in.
Monday surfed a weird reef/point thing that's a named spot, an obvious setup, everyone always looks at when they drive by, it but it basically isn't a surf spot. I've paddled out there a half dozen times and this was the first time it was almost working. Just a few pumps down the line but still pretty cool.
Tuesday couldn't surf.
Today... Well, believe me on this or don't.
Went to a place that's a bit of a drive and then a bit of a walk. Random rock reef right that's pretty B-grade but can get kinda fun. There were four people out at the next spot down the road but no one out here. Didn't look at it long enough, paddle out. It's just not working--slightly the wrong direction means it isn't wrapping onto the part of the reef that sticks out, it's mostly closeouts in front of it. I'm about to go in. I'm outside, and lying on my board rather than sitting up.
Something bumps the middle of the bottom of my board *hard* and at the same time something pushes up against my right arm. I involuntarily put both my arms up out of the water. I completely freeze for maybe two seconds, long enough to say "oh fuck, oh fuck." Either my consciousness shorts out or I just was too physically frozen to actually really look down. There's something big in the water on the whole right side of my peripheral vision but I don't actually look down at it, I apparently couldn't. Nothing else happens after the bump and after the two seconds I start paddling. Whatever was in the water on my right either receded or moved left under my board and out of my vision I guess. I have a weird involuntary shivering in my core that I've genuinely never felt before. I paddle in (of course there isn't a set) and nothing else happens.
About 8 years ago I saw a very small shark cruise in front of me down in SLO county. It changed direction alway from me really fast, which was the only way I was sure it wasn't a sea lion -- it did the quick horizontal directional change thing like a fish with vertical fins. That incident was 10 years into surfing, and I've never otherwise seen a shark and rarely think about them. But I had *major* heebee-jeebies while out today, which was why I was floating on my stomach rather than having my feet dangle.
I dunno, I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking either that I was mistaken or am making this up. But what apparently happened -- a shark swam up and gave a curious bump, then kept swimming under me once it decided I was made of fiberglass -- is pretty common too I guess. Freaks me out that I was alone, and had a decent walk back to the car if it had given an exploratory bite. I think I'll avoid that for a little bit.
Monday surfed a weird reef/point thing that's a named spot, an obvious setup, everyone always looks at when they drive by, it but it basically isn't a surf spot. I've paddled out there a half dozen times and this was the first time it was almost working. Just a few pumps down the line but still pretty cool.
Tuesday couldn't surf.
Today... Well, believe me on this or don't.
Went to a place that's a bit of a drive and then a bit of a walk. Random rock reef right that's pretty B-grade but can get kinda fun. There were four people out at the next spot down the road but no one out here. Didn't look at it long enough, paddle out. It's just not working--slightly the wrong direction means it isn't wrapping onto the part of the reef that sticks out, it's mostly closeouts in front of it. I'm about to go in. I'm outside, and lying on my board rather than sitting up.
Something bumps the middle of the bottom of my board *hard* and at the same time something pushes up against my right arm. I involuntarily put both my arms up out of the water. I completely freeze for maybe two seconds, long enough to say "oh fuck, oh fuck." Either my consciousness shorts out or I just was too physically frozen to actually really look down. There's something big in the water on the whole right side of my peripheral vision but I don't actually look down at it, I apparently couldn't. Nothing else happens after the bump and after the two seconds I start paddling. Whatever was in the water on my right either receded or moved left under my board and out of my vision I guess. I have a weird involuntary shivering in my core that I've genuinely never felt before. I paddle in (of course there isn't a set) and nothing else happens.
About 8 years ago I saw a very small shark cruise in front of me down in SLO county. It changed direction alway from me really fast, which was the only way I was sure it wasn't a sea lion -- it did the quick horizontal directional change thing like a fish with vertical fins. That incident was 10 years into surfing, and I've never otherwise seen a shark and rarely think about them. But I had *major* heebee-jeebies while out today, which was why I was floating on my stomach rather than having my feet dangle.
I dunno, I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking either that I was mistaken or am making this up. But what apparently happened -- a shark swam up and gave a curious bump, then kept swimming under me once it decided I was made of fiberglass -- is pretty common too I guess. Freaks me out that I was alone, and had a decent walk back to the car if it had given an exploratory bite. I think I'll avoid that for a little bit.
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