Surf Is Where You Find It by Gerry Lopez

Author:Gerry Lopez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Surfing, memoir, stand-up-paddle, yoga, Pipeline
ISBN: 9781938340253
Publisher: Patagonia
Published: 2009-01-13T05:00:00+00:00

Most surfers seldom had ventured beyond the lineups. Apart from diving and spearfishing, there had been no reason to go. A surfboard couldn’t catch the waves except during a short moment before they actually broke. The appearance of a wave well outside the takeoff zone is much different from the steep crest where paddle-in surfers catch them. If the ocean is deep where the wave of energy passes, it may be difficult to discern on the surface. Coming toward shore through deep water at Pe’ahi, a wave just doesn’t look like much before it gets into the area where it is ready to break. The ability to differentiate between one wave and another out beyond the break takes a lot of practice, and this skill was an advantage that windsurfers had over surfers.

At first I thought these guys were nuts. As I watched them get better, however, they made it look easy. Almost effortlessly, each one of them could select the wave of his choice in any set, ride into it at speed already standing up, and maneuver into any position on that wave that he wanted. They became so good that every one of them was capable of riding several waves in a set without getting his hair wet.

I was sold. I suffered no purist reservations about this not being surfing. I wanted to get in on the action and ride waves. The end of winter and the big surf didn’t preclude Laird and company from continuing to learn what jet skis could do. They took me out to Mud Flats on the south shore and taught me the quick water-start, as well as how to drive the ski to do the pickup. I paid close attention, knowing I would be in a desperate situation at some point, down in the water, waiting for my partner to bring me the towrope for one quick chance to get up and get away from the next impending huge wave. Tow-in surfing was a partnership, a two-man team. The two took turns, with one guy driving while the other surfed.

My first few times towing were in relatively small waves of little consequence. I needed those training runs. A quick pickup is not as simple as Laird made it look, nor was it as easy in breaking waves as it had been in flat water. There were a number of fumbled attempts that could have been disastrous had the surf been serious. Also, the tow-in boards were not as easy to ride as they appeared under experienced tow-in surfers.

The high speed off the towrope required me to adjust. I outran almost every wave I caught during my training sessions, ending up too far on the shoulder, where I lost speed and bogged down. Again, that would have been bad in big surf. The foot straps were difficult to use on a surfboard where a surfer is accustomed to shifting his feet around constantly. My years of windsurfing again proved invaluable, and I soon figured out how to surf strapped into one position.

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