today i’m going surfing. hell, i figure i can try anything once, right? wish me luck.
(8:20 p.m.)
surfing was so much fun, and at the moment, i am so sore. steve, aaron, mike, howe, flo and i headed down to santa cruz, rented surfboards and wetsuits, and then drove a few more miles down to manresa beach, where the waves were 4-5 feet. i was worried about the temperature of the water being way too cold–it’s at about 55 degrees–but with the wetsuits, i was completely comfortable. my feet got a bit numb, but i didn’t notice. we waded out into the surf and paddled out to just beyond where the waves were breaking. that is tough work for arms. my biceps and triceps feel like jelly right now. i’m gonna go to the gym and start working out so that next time is easier.
it took me a while to figure out the best way to balance on the board, both laying down and sitting on it. i got caught and pulled under one really big wave and swallowed a bunch of sea water and was getting really discouraged, when the perfect wave came along and i caught it and just shot towards shore. i was so pumped merely to have caught a wave that i didn’t think to try to stand up right away, and so i only had time to get to my knees. but i rode it in, whooping and hollering the whole way with the biggest grin on my face.
after that i was hooked, but unfortunately i didn’t catch another wave that good all day. i caught a few smaller ones and managed to get to my knees again, but then i made the mistake of taking a break and sitting on the beach. after about 20 minutes i went back in the water, but my arms were pretty dead by then and as much as i paddled, i just wasn’t going anywhere. i never really caught any more good waves during the second go-round.
when we left, i was really tired. but it was so much fun! we headed back to stanford and steve, mike and i had to run to the intramural soccer game. it was a good thing that soccer doesn’t require the use of arms, because i felt like i could barely lift them. i played some good defense though, and since that was the first time i’ve played soccer in years, i was pretty proud of myself.
now i am exhausted, sweaty, salty, and happy. such a great day. i love california.
