Catching waves 🌊
I tried surfing for the first time! 🏄 And I loved it!
Katherine has been encouraging me to try it for a while now. And in the past I’ve always had a conflict in my schedule and couldn’t make it. But last week we lucked out with the perfect late July evening with warm water and big waves.
Unfortunately these waves meant that my business was closed for the day but I figured, what better way to take my mind off the lost revenue than going to play in the waves?
I didn’t really know what to expect. I had seen people surfing, mostly on TV, but I had never tried it and wasn’t sure where to start. I felt a bit self conscious being the only one without a wetsuit (obvious newbie here!) but with how warm the water was it didn’t even matter. And I’m lucky to have seasoned and patient friends who were excited to have me join and willing to walk me through it all.
Katherine and I each grabbed a board and we hit the water. It took a bit to get comfortable maneuvering the board through the waves and getting ourselves out into deep enough water to start playing around. With the big waves and a bit of a rip current we had to watch what we were doing and we chatted about how to be safe in the water and which waves looked the best to try to ride.
And just like that it was time to jump into it!
Getting on the board was harder than I expected! The first few times I tried to hop on I just flipped right over. This was going to be more challenging than I expected! There was a lot to think about:
Timing the wave
Remembering where the drop offs are so I don’t step in one of those when trying to catch the wave (iykyk)
Not getting my leg tangled in my leash
Getting myself positioned on the board properly
After giving me the basics, Katherine gave me some space to keep practicing on my own while she swam around with her go-pro to capture footage of the seasoned surfers. It was nice to get into the zone and just keep trying until I found my groove. There was a lot of trial and error. Falling off the board, flipping over, missing the wave…but I kept trying again and again.
At first I found myself looking up after each attempt to see who was watching me. But the magical thing was that everyone was just doing their own thing. That helped me just get in the zone and keep trying. It felt really nice to be disconnected, off my phone and just learning to be part of the ocean.
The first wave I caught felt so good! It was such a satisfying feeling to have the wave come up behind me and glide along with it!
As tired as I was getting, I couldn’t get enough. I kept making my way back through the waves to do it again and again. A little bit of progress and I was hooked!
Katherine came back around to check my progress and cheer me on. Since I had seemingly mastered catching a wave while riding on my stomach she said it was time to start testing my stability by lifting my upper body into a cobra position to get ready to eventually get up to my knees and then my feet. I was feeling confident quickly and was able to get up on my knees for a few runs. Of course there was a lot more bailing in that process, all part of the learning!
Eventually I did get one wave where I was on one foot and one knee and that felt really good. While I didn’t push myself to stand up during this session I feel so proud of what I was able to do and how I embraced something new.
It’s been a while since I had a new challenge like this. And, honestly, I've been craving this feeling. I was looking for something to fill my desire for struggle - something I learned through Human Design sessions with Steff that is part of who I am. It says my drive to find meaning and purpose in life is through facing challenges and overcoming adversity. I’d say a session in the waves definitely gave me that!
It was fun to be a beginner at something. And I’m also excited to get out there again though I hope it won’t be until after Joey’s closes for the year. The wind required for good surfing is the same wind that keeps my boats tied up to the wharf. But when it comes I’ll be ready!
If you’ve been wanting to try something new I hope this inspires you to dive in! And, if you do, let me know about it! I’d love to hear about your adventures.
Until next time,
Julie Ann
