surfing

Session after session I gained confidence at this beastly wave. In the afternoons the crowd would thin and the circus of photographers and spectators would run off to find food and shade. With just a few locals out I began to sit deeper and understand which waves I wanted and… Read the rest

There is MUCH more energy on the reef this morning. Its thunder is like a constant itch. I can’t focus. I’m scared again. I want to go, but I don’t. I want to catch a big one, but I don’t. The jet skis buzz by and a flash orange boat… Read the rest

The thundering sound on the reef made it impossible to sleep. I tossed and turned, fearing the fear I already knew I would feel during my first session. After all, it was Teahupoo*! In my mind, it was so thick and punishing and frightening and reefy and everything scary about… Read the rest

Jason here:
As an American,  I often find myself falling into the trap of culturo-centrism, even unconsciously.  The semi-conscious thought that the best of the world is found in the USA.  We have clean water, grocery stores full of every imaginable variety of food, and all the latest technological gizmos… Read the rest

And then one afternoon, when my faith in the male gender had plummeted to an abysmal low, I turned in and saw Bali talking to a guy on the inside. He was the best surfer in the water. He took his waves but wasn’t greedy. He looked at me as… Read the rest

To my own disbelief, I had correctly wired in the wind generator and watched with glee the next morning as the ammeter on the board showed amps coming in with each gust! Without further celebration, I got back to work to remount and rewire the solar panels. My ‘albatross’, arrived… Read the rest

Round two started off all wrong. I mistimed the paddle out, taking 3 or four in the impact zone and found myself way down at the ‘first crack’. I caught a fat, walled right and then paddled against the current down to the reef. Only just arriving to the peak,… Read the rest

Anna and I managed to make it out between sets that morning. Once outside, we sat wide where we’d be safe enough from the looming destructo sets, but still able to claw our way into the waves that peaked too far right for the guys sitting deeper on the reef.… Read the rest

“We’ve got two 6’10″s you guys can ride?”
With just over a week to departure and still too many unchecked list items, I started looking at my options. Then call from my dad sealed the deal”¦
“I have to fly east on business, if you stay a little longer I… Read the rest