Goodvibes

Let me start by saying what this post is not about. I am afraid that the fantasy portrayed above is just that. There will be no crystal clear barrelling point breaks. We will not meet  Captain Goodvibes with his narcotic fuelled attitudes and questionable wave etiquette. Nor will there be premonitions of the usual post perfect surf session conventions. Forget slightly sunburnt shoulders, there will be no post surf beer, no sharing of wave analysis  exaggeration  or even that surfed out feeling after many hours luxuriating in the briney playground.

If you are still reading please have a look at my fellow blogger’s  take on the surf session in less than ‘optimal conditions’. Thos at  ” A board , some wax and a leash” says that he’s found out that sometimes you can have a great time in crapped out surf. I can say with an inexcusable smugness……I always knew this. I spent much of my twenties and thirties sessioning in the said less than ‘optimal conditions’. Onshore Llanngenith, minimal Llantwitt Major, storm torn Croyde and well, Putsbourgh. Thos is right, you can return to the car from these sessions invigorated by the environment, that stolen wave that should not have been there and the stoke from the physical act but my sessions were predicated by the knowledge that I had ‘got one’.

‘Got one’ means that I had put some necessary miles in, I had sweated , I maintained my conditioning and most importantly my frontside cutty at worse retained whatever doubtful qualities it had before.Yep, getting one in means that the next time I paddle out I may ..just may be just as crap  as before or if things are going really well my cuttie will throw 2 oz more water than last time. ‘Getting one’ has worked well for  me, to be fair I am into my fourth decade of this ridiculously addictive past time. However I have noticed that during the past few years I am reluctant to ‘get one’. Even when time permits I now pause and consider the conditions above the benefits of conditioning. Is this malaise or the break through to another level ? One thing is for sure I missed the surf before it blew out today and it hurts. Thos you may be right.