This is always a special time of year in the Bay Area.
The weather is welcoming, the water is warm-ish, & the waves are fun. And
it always seems to start on October 1st! This year kept with
tradition. For the last 4 days we had howling onshore winds; the surf was a
jumble of lumps, bumps & chops. And then around the time the clock struck
midnight on September 30th the winds went offshore. They blew all
night smoothing out the sea so that surfers of the Bay awoke to small, clean,
glassy waves under sunny skies on the 1st day of the Season. The changing
climate is affecting a lot of things, but has spared us NorCal surfers for the moment.
I had to rush out of the house before getting to do my
breathwork and warm-up, but this allowed me to get it all done in the sand
dunes overlooking the surf. It felt great to take in deep breaths of the warm
ocean air while being supported by the sandy earth.
The surf was mostly 1-2’ with the odd 3-footer. It was
too warm to pull up the wetsuit beyond the waist until reaching the water’s
edge. A handful of riders were sprinkled the length of the beach. The
water was a deep navy blue that shined like mercury. It was the perfect day for
the Wavestorm!
I had so many fun rides! A shortboard was in the car as
well, but watching the waves during the warm-up beckoned the trusty softop
Wavestorm. And sure enough I was able to hunt down wave after wave. At Ocean
Beach even the 2-footers pack a little punch so maneuvering that board around
the line-up was like wrestling an alligator for an hour. I had a fun surf and a
good workout! More on the benefits of Wavestorm sessions later…
The beginning of Surf Season feels like a good time to
get this blog going again. Though I have not been writing about it my surf life
has continued in new and exciting ways. Our family lived on the island of Bocas Del Toro, Panama for
a year and have spent every summer there since then. I’ve basically been living my
16-year old fantasy: surfing rad waves on a tropical island…..a lot! My love
for the ocean has grown ever deeper. And I dare say that I’m surfing better
than ever and am in the best surfing shape that I’ve experienced. Granted, nowhere
near my mind-surfing fantasy…but having profound levels of joy in the water
nonetheless!
And is the joy that has gotten pen back to paper. A glance at the state of the world is quick to reveal that suffering is on the rise.
Pick your lense…whether it be the health of humanity, health of the planet,
politics, society, finance, education or family dynamics…just to name a few. As
a whole it all seems to be more bummer than bliss. So what do we do? As my
acting teacher would say, “How do we proceed?”
My current answer is to proceed with gratitude. Where
there is gratitude there is joy. And while joy feels good inside me I’ve found
it to be highly contagious. I’m grateful for all surfing as done and continues
to do for me. Even with a keen awareness of all the bummer-stuff I am able to
smile. May these joyous cooties get all over you!
Thanks for reading!
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