Session Number: 26

Time: 30 mins
Surf: 0 times

Four foot waves! Didn't get out past the breakers. With Luke and his mates.

Last night, on my behalf, Maurie suggested to Luke that he take me out surfing. This morning, Tash bounded into the bedroom to tell me that Luke and his mates were waiting for me out the front. Gulp! I now had to justify lugging the Carver up to Noosa and even the big surf wasn’t enough of an excuse.

Driving to the surf beach, which Luke had no doubt surfed a million times, I wondered if he and his mates laughed at me with my bright yellow 8’ 6” board in its new bag with neatly filled out name tag...Tash!

Got to the beach and the surf was huge! There was no way I could get out, but Luke wouldn’t hear of me backing out and sitting on the beach. Everyone else was cool, so I had to ‘suck it in’.

I followed Luke into the water and we got caught by a strong rip. All was going well until I got out to the breakers and there I got smashed. He told me to roll just before they hit, but I never got the chance to get back up before the next one hit. Luke must of got sick of hanging about because all of a sudden I was on my own, miles away from the calm waters out the back where he and his mates now sat.

I paddled like crazy to get out, but I just couldn’t do it.

Finally, defeated and exhausted, I turned to the beach and rode the board in on my stomach. I was humiliated.

I staggered up onto the sand, arms like lead weights, and stuck the board into the sand at an angle for sun protection. I camped under it and waited for the guys to come back in.

Didn’t really have to wait that long. I later found out that most of them had had near misses and decided that it was too dangerous. FUKC, I knew it! Heading home, nobody gave me any grief about my experience…and I appreciated it.

That night, over a beer or three, Luke told me that boards like mine aren’t meant to be in 4 foot surf. Yep!