No real photos so you'll have to use your imagination
This morning I was woken by Mana asking if I was awake......well I wasn't.....but now I am (thanks very much) switched on the radio to listen to the George FM Surf report and was pleasantly surprised hmmm........doesn't sound too bad.
Breakfast done I checked the net........ Gloomy morning, we have a building WNW swell 3-5ft with the odd bigger 6ft set showing, and a strong offshore/corsshore NNE blowing, so it is clean, but with a little ruffle to it. HEAPS more energy in the ocean this morning with a stormy look to it but good waves to be had if you preared to make the trek and search for them.
Hmmm......while I'm doing that my beautiful wife came in to say she's just made some Pineapple cake and Raisin scones......and did I want some? (bit of a silly question really)
I can hear the C130 Hercules doing a engine run at the Airbase which could only mean one thing.......OFFSHORE (either that or we are at war and even if we are it will still be going when I get back from a surf so no worries)
During the 35 minute drive out to "Spot X" I found myself smiling away to myself, firstly knowing that I have the weekend off ,secondly there will still be some of K's Pineapple cake to munch on when I get home and lastly the prospect of getting into some West coast action.
Still wet from yesterdays surf I kind of had a interesting time to get into my wetsuit but after 10 minutes I headed off over the "many" sand dunes" to the beach as I climbed up the last dune I could hear the "CRACK" of the waves as they exploded just off the point which sent my mind racing thinking of what was in store......woohoo!!!
I got to the top and though the rain I could just make out........WOW!!! (another word would be HOLLY CRAP!!!)
I could see a very respectable 4-5 ft of clean SW lines (like corrugated iron all the way out to the horizon......WOW!!)
The wind by now had increased from strong to now a "howling offshore" and what may have seemed as a "mad keen" surfer running eagerly (in the rain) to get into the action was actually the wind catching my board and not so "gently" encouraging me into a jog/ canter so as not to fall flat on my face.
Getting out was going to be a really mission with a incoming tide and HUGE amounts of water flowing and my first duck dive took my breath away and left me gasping for air as the cold water instantly drilled into my head......but the constant bombardment of the point "spurred" me on as my arms became a blur and I continued on :)
FINALLY after paddling (like) forever I made it out the back and set about taking in my surroundings and I watched wave after wave lazily roll in only to met up with the previous wave bounce back and refract off the rocks to mutate into a twisted tortured mass of boiling madness.....again WOW!!
10minutes passed.....Right enough of this I thought and I paddled for next wave.......Geez it "screamed" towards me like a freight train with its one and only purpose.....to mow me down like a bug I can remember someone saying once "If ya gonna go.....then bloody GO!!!"
So I did...and with confidence flowing through my veins (and blocking my natural "fight or flight" instinct I paddled even harder.
I could feel my speed increase as the wave lifted me and within half a second I was up and driving off the bottom (what a feeling) it was short lived and things then turned to custard :(
My left foot slipped off the board with the lip fully pouncing on me like a Tiger on its prey and I thought ........."Huh this is gonna be interesting".......funny but as I was sucked up the face and hurled over the falls.....interesting probably wasn't really an accurate description.
I kinda "cartwheeled" then rag doll-ed it at the bottom of the face then as the main body (and power) of water caught up with me I was forced down even deeper.
Relax,relax it'll be sweet I keep saying to myself......funny I was really relaxed and along with it being pitch black (picture included not actual photo from under the wave) it was calmingly quiet.
5 seconds became 10 or was it 15? time went on and I was still down (I knew I was deep cause I could feel the pressure squeezing my body) it was about now I was thinking "you know...air would be good round about now"
Then as if Tangaroa heard me and confident that I had now been well and truly "whooped" she released her strangle hold on me and I surfaced.
I looked around to see 4 other surfers climbing the imaginary ladder,looking like stunned Lemmings with wide eyes and grinning from ear to ear one let out a "Wooohoo" shouting "That was intense......." I responded with my best Saturday night party "HOOT" at the sheer stupidity of the situation.
The next 2 hours I surfed with.....great some waves.....some great wipeouts.....WOW.... and as I made my way thru the shallows and back over the sand hills I swore I could faintly hear the first lines of Te Rauparaha's famous Haka "Ka Mate!Ka Mate! Ka Ora Ka Ora" It is death,it is death...... it is life,it is life!
Ka mau te wehi :)
Breakfast done I checked the net........ Gloomy morning, we have a building WNW swell 3-5ft with the odd bigger 6ft set showing, and a strong offshore/corsshore NNE blowing, so it is clean, but with a little ruffle to it. HEAPS more energy in the ocean this morning with a stormy look to it but good waves to be had if you preared to make the trek and search for them.
Hmmm......while I'm doing that my beautiful wife came in to say she's just made some Pineapple cake and Raisin scones......and did I want some? (bit of a silly question really)
I can hear the C130 Hercules doing a engine run at the Airbase which could only mean one thing.......OFFSHORE (either that or we are at war and even if we are it will still be going when I get back from a surf so no worries)
During the 35 minute drive out to "Spot X" I found myself smiling away to myself, firstly knowing that I have the weekend off ,secondly there will still be some of K's Pineapple cake to munch on when I get home and lastly the prospect of getting into some West coast action.
Still wet from yesterdays surf I kind of had a interesting time to get into my wetsuit but after 10 minutes I headed off over the "many" sand dunes" to the beach as I climbed up the last dune I could hear the "CRACK" of the waves as they exploded just off the point which sent my mind racing thinking of what was in store......woohoo!!!
I got to the top and though the rain I could just make out........WOW!!! (another word would be HOLLY CRAP!!!)
I could see a very respectable 4-5 ft of clean SW lines (like corrugated iron all the way out to the horizon......WOW!!)
The wind by now had increased from strong to now a "howling offshore" and what may have seemed as a "mad keen" surfer running eagerly (in the rain) to get into the action was actually the wind catching my board and not so "gently" encouraging me into a jog/ canter so as not to fall flat on my face.
Getting out was going to be a really mission with a incoming tide and HUGE amounts of water flowing and my first duck dive took my breath away and left me gasping for air as the cold water instantly drilled into my head......but the constant bombardment of the point "spurred" me on as my arms became a blur and I continued on :)
FINALLY after paddling (like) forever I made it out the back and set about taking in my surroundings and I watched wave after wave lazily roll in only to met up with the previous wave bounce back and refract off the rocks to mutate into a twisted tortured mass of boiling madness.....again WOW!!
10minutes passed.....Right enough of this I thought and I paddled for next wave.......Geez it "screamed" towards me like a freight train with its one and only purpose.....to mow me down like a bug I can remember someone saying once "If ya gonna go.....then bloody GO!!!"
So I did...and with confidence flowing through my veins (and blocking my natural "fight or flight" instinct I paddled even harder.
I could feel my speed increase as the wave lifted me and within half a second I was up and driving off the bottom (what a feeling) it was short lived and things then turned to custard :(
My left foot slipped off the board with the lip fully pouncing on me like a Tiger on its prey and I thought ........."Huh this is gonna be interesting".......funny but as I was sucked up the face and hurled over the falls.....interesting probably wasn't really an accurate description.
I kinda "cartwheeled" then rag doll-ed it at the bottom of the face then as the main body (and power) of water caught up with me I was forced down even deeper.
Relax,relax it'll be sweet I keep saying to myself......funny I was really relaxed and along with it being pitch black (picture included not actual photo from under the wave) it was calmingly quiet.
5 seconds became 10 or was it 15? time went on and I was still down (I knew I was deep cause I could feel the pressure squeezing my body) it was about now I was thinking "you know...air would be good round about now"
Then as if Tangaroa heard me and confident that I had now been well and truly "whooped" she released her strangle hold on me and I surfaced.
I looked around to see 4 other surfers climbing the imaginary ladder,looking like stunned Lemmings with wide eyes and grinning from ear to ear one let out a "Wooohoo" shouting "That was intense......." I responded with my best Saturday night party "HOOT" at the sheer stupidity of the situation.
The next 2 hours I surfed with.....great some waves.....some great wipeouts.....WOW.... and as I made my way thru the shallows and back over the sand hills I swore I could faintly hear the first lines of Te Rauparaha's famous Haka "Ka Mate!Ka Mate! Ka Ora Ka Ora" It is death,it is death...... it is life,it is life!
Ka mau te wehi :)
posted by PAORA at 14:36
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