The End of the Beginning...

Surf Session No. 43

Got up early to hit Swami's at dawn...was not expecting much size, seeing the the forecast had it at 1-2 feet. However, with the water temp being a balmy 70 degrees, I decided it was worth a look.

Drove down to the free parking spot, where there had already assembled a rag-tag group of old men staring despondently at the lame liquid breaking on the horizon. Most seemed to be doing the "wave snob" method of forgoing a paddle out, which I can relate to, having had my fair share of NORCAL days that resulted in "NO-GO" scenarios. However, having driven so far for so little...well, how could I say no to 70 degree water.

I said my good mornings before suiting up in my 3/4 with rash guard setup and heading down the stairs to the fun that awaited me. As soon as I immersed myself, I realized that I could have gone with just trunks and a rash guard...that's how warm the water felt to me.

Was surfing with two other surfers for the first 15 min before being joined by a handful of others. Since I wasn't a local, I stayed off the peak and took scraps, which still provided some fun rides.

Another weird thing about SOCAL, and this spot in particular, was the amount of Sea Grass and Kelp in the lineup. Was not enjoying it until I figured out a way to grab a hold of the crap while paddling, using it as an added push to my paddle.

At about the 30 min point of this sesh, I caught a nice left that laid out a soft shoulder for me to play upon. As I crouched low to maintain my speed on the face, I saw that the shoulder was peaking in front of me and that I needed to pull up and off of the wave before it closed out.

Now remember, I am used to surfing in water that is, on average, 50 degrees all year long. Likewise, I wear a 5/4 all year long too. So, when I found myself in this tropical environment down South, my body was not adequately prepared for the quick reactions and movements that I was now capable of doing. Additionally, I did not stretch before entering the water.

As I quickly moved to pull off of the wave, I felt something POP just under my left chest muscle. I was completely surprised and shocked by the sensation, as I fell off of the board and into the water. Fortunately, I had my leash on and did not lose the board.

As I climbed onto the board, I gave my chest a quick assessment, feeling around the injured area and seeing if I broke something or worse. I felt fine, with the exception of a slight ache and swollen feeling. I decided to continue surfing, which I did for the next hour, with no further problems.

My last wave was a pretty juicy set wave, which carried me all the way to shore. I rinsed off at the showers and climbed the stairs to pack up and get some coffee.

Despite being a little tender and swollen, the injury seemed manageable and I really did not think that it would prevent me from surfing later that afternoon with Valerie and Michelle.

Boy was I WRONG!

Here b the pics: