Last Day in a Wetsuit

There was really no surf forecasted for this weekend, but I was anxious to get back out on a board after returning from California.  So when I first opened my eyes this morning, I called the local surf report hotline.

“Good morning Panama City,” the voice on the recording called out to all the hopefuls dialing in.  As my head was still resting on the pillow, I heard the best few words I could have asked for, “It’s a beautiful day out here on the beach.  Grab your long board because the sets are coming in clean.”

WHAT!!  I sat up immediately.

Within minutes I was out the door and on my way to Ted’s.  Once there, we donned our wetsuits for the last time (spring is here and summer is just around the corner, soon we’ll only need our rash guards) and jumped in the Fj.

The surf report didn’t lie; the gulf was gorgeous.  The waves were coming in sets from the southeast, the light breeze out of the north was keeping them clean, and the sky couldn’t have been prettier.

There were already a few surfers out in the lineup and one, we noticed, was doing a headstand on his board – not kidding.  We ended up sharing waves with him for the morning and it turns out he’s both a surfer and a sailor, and wicked good at both.

However, he had already transitioned out of his wetsuit for the season but his boardshorts didn’t quite fit…if you get my drift.  More than once, he surfed by us in the lineup, and it was a whole lot more under-the-kitchen-sink than you would expect when out surfing.

We also met a woman in her early 40s who was camping at the state park with her family.  She grew up surfing but had been away from it since her children were born.  Now both are teenagers so she’s returning to the sport.  On this particular spring morning, her husband was with the kids so she could score some beautiful waves – cheers to cultural progress!

Ted and I had a really good morning, catching tons of nice rides.  My paddling work must be paying off because there were several slow rollers that I would have missed a few weeks ago, but this morning I was able to get in front of them.  They had a decent height, almost as tall as the ones we caught in La Jolla, so I was able to enjoy some gratifyingly long rides.

As it got closer to midday, the winds shifted around to the southwest so the waves were becoming more hip than shoulder high.  Ted decided to trade in his board for the video camera so he could film some of my popups.  That way, I could see the progress I’ve made since the fall when he last filmed my surfing.

Tell me there’s a notable difference in my capabilities…right?