To Date: Innate Lessons

"What is it you have learned my child?"

1) biggest feeling wave ridden: Cloudbreak; 18ft. at takeoff.

As a Kneeboarder, anything over 4ft. is over head. When you're speeding down the large face of Couldbreak, looking up to see the lip is almost nauseating.

On big waves I have to take off late because my board is a 21 inch wide  5'7". (Flippers are my best friend.) The view from the top of a large wave about to break is spectacular. It's like the view from the top of a Ferris-wheel, but over the ocean....and it's bottom floor.

2) best tube ever: Cloudbreak's inside tube, Shiskabobs.

The reason this tube tops the list is because it took me so long to get up the nerve to tuck in one. I didn't want to eat it over the reef bottom that can be seen CLEARLY while riding Cloudbreak, so, I always pulled out before the tube threw.

However,

One particular day I rode a wave into Shiskabobs. The face had settled at a little over 8ft.. Conditions were clean. I knew I had to tuck in this time or suffer the dreadful 'should haves.' So, I set my self high on the face and picked up speed. Then, as I gradually rode down the face, I placed my left hand in the wave to control my speed and drift. I watched the wave setting up to throw out. I didn't tuck because I didn't have too. Instead I pulled my ears close to the face and set my line.

The lip threw over me. I tightened the grip on my right outside rail. The wave wrapped around me. The famous "whoooooh" (say it has a whisper) of a tube's hollow cylinder filled my ears.

The barrel's opening got farther away. I almost panicked when I considered the power surrounding me, racing upon me from behind. The door gained speed, moving farther from me. I set my eyes ahead on the shoulder. I held fast. I think I was holding my breath but I can't be sure.

Suddenly...

The opening started coming back to me. It was getting larger. Daylight was brighter than ever through the expanding exit. I climbed a little higher on the face and gained some speed.  
"I'm going to make it," I thought.

I felt the explosive spray push on my back as I exited the cylinder. In a panic I dropped low and bottom turned quickly. I raced for the top and flew over the wave into the air.

I'll never forget it.

3a) worse wipe out: There were two, Newport Beach 1974, and Sunset 1979.

Newport: The waves were about 6ft. and low-tide hollow. I took a late drop and free-fell to the bottom. I landed on the rail of my board before I went under and hit the sand. I lost my flippers. My leash wrapped around my legs, so they were of no help.

My back and ribs hurt, but I was in the impact zone and couldn't do anything but try to relax in the tumble. I felt my board break away from the leash and the leash loosen up. I hit the bottom again and managed to adjust myself to spring off of it. Within a sliver of a second I surfaced gasping for air, only to be dragged down again by another wave.

By the time I swam in, my head was spinning. My upper back felt like a cannon ball hit it, and every breath hurt my ribs. It was the first time I thought I was a dead little girl.

Sunset: This was one of those days when a large North-East swell AND a more East swell moved in at the same time. I didn't want to ride the NE waves because, if you did, you could run the risk of getting caught inside when a wave from the E rolled in.

While waiting in the line-up I started chatting with friends. We didn't noticed we had drifted into the line up perfect for a NE take-off. "No problem. I'll just take one of them and ride fast to the shoulder." I thought.

The set moved in and I paddled into position. I'm in the habit of taking the third wave so I waited for the first two to take other surfers out of the line up before I set myself up. When I turned around to focus in front of me I noticed one of the surfers had fallen and was now in my way. I desperately back-paddled to get out of the wave, barely escaping before I was committed.  When I turned around a large E wave was rolling towards me, and I was in the impact zone!

In a frenzy I paddled for the wave.  I knew I was in trouble. I watched the lip feather as I climbed the face. Once at the top I tasted relief, but it was short. At the edge I felt the wave grab a hold of me. I was hopelessly, slowly, going over the falls backwards on a very large Sunset wave. All I could see was the sky until I got the wind knocked out of me.

I tumbled in the usual fashion, losing my flippers and board, but I didn't hit the reef until I was trying to get to the beach. I had to go in through Boneyards.

3b) how many times have you almost drowned?

Three times I thought for sure I was going to pass from this life into the after-life. I had other close-calls, but they were nothing more than that.
It's an odd thing to face death.

4) most embarrassing surfing moment: Costa Rica, Trip #2

One morning the group and I woke up really early to catch a boat to Witch's Rock. I didn't have a chance to do my morning constitutional but, I was feeling fine so I didn't think much about it. For some reason the truth about CR coffee being a clear-all slipped my mind.

When we were 15 minutes from Witch's Rock my stomach started rumbling. By the time the boat reached the line up, I was having a difficult time keeping things intact with a tight squeeze. Before we anchored I was out of the boat and swimming away in the clear warm water. I didn't get far from the boat when my sphincter muscles relaxed. I had to stop swimming and adjust my swimsuit to accommodate the rush. The stuff from my colon floated around me for all to see.

5) most interesting thing surfing as taught me: Where wax won't melt in a car.

Wax placed on the floor of a car between the front seat and the door doesn't melt. It has never melted there in all my years of experimenting with wax science; even when the interior of my car got hot enough to heat the water in my bottle up to hot-tea status.

"Who knew?"