It's GREEN, baby!

Today I experienced the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum of a fledgling surfer. The waves were crashing in fast and heavy and I struggled to get el torpe and myself out far enough to not have to contend with them. I had almost gotten into an ideal position when my shoulders had had just quite enough, so I took a breather when there was a lull. Apparently I had gotten in the way of a local female surfer and as she took a wave, came straight at me! She had to jump off out of the way and our surfboards (with us underwater) smacked into each other. She was pissed! And I just stared blankly in shock at her while she barraged me in enraged spanish. It sounded beautiful, but I was embarrassed. When she realised that I had no idea what she was saying she was quiet. Still upset, I disentangled our cords so I could get away quickly enough before she decided to eat me.

There was another big lull, and the unpleasant lecture on 'surfing etiquette' I had just received made me more acutely aware of what I was doing. A big wave came in, I paddled out just enough to position myself at the spot right between where the wave begins to pour over and the big swell of the ocean. I waited for the board to catch the wave, then stood up and went at a 45 degree angle toward the left.

WHAT A RUSH!