Aug
22
Give me a job in the surf industry please
I’m totally into surfing at the moment. I just love being out there.
There are a few reasons for the stoke.
- We live less than 20 mins from a heap of good breaks. I’m out at Ocean Grove every weekend and last Saturday we had a good session at 13th Beach. Other breaks like Torquay, Jan Juc and Pt Lonsdale are just as close (not that I’ve been to any of them for years) and Airey’s Inlet and Fairhaven aren’t far away either. One day I’ll get to Bells, but it’s a right and I’m a goofyfooter so I need to practice my backhand first.
- The surfboard that Jayne bought me for my 31st birthday in 2003 makes me look good. It’s a shortboard/longboard mashup: it’s a thruster shape, 7′0” long, 3″ thick and 22″ wide, so the volume of the board makes catching waves easy, but unlike longboards it’s short enough to stay manoeuverable. It’s helped me catch so many waves in the last four years that I’ve improved to the point where I’m looking at a new board.
- My 4/3 wetsuit, gloves and boots mean that even though the winter water temperature is 13deg celsius I can stay out there for a couple of hours.
- My surf buddies make it fun even if the waves are ordinary. On any given weekend I can surf with one or all of John, Damian, Jon B, Stu or James, and they’re all just as stoked as I am. When the surf’s on we’re concentrating but if it’s a bit slow we’re just sitting out the back talking. Last week with John and Damian we even had a big seal keep us company for 30 mins.
- When I’m out there I completely forget about work. Even on Fridays when I have to work for the rest of the day.
- I can actually surf a bit now. I’ve had some awesome rides in the last six months. It makes a big difference when you can actually ride the waves properly instead of just fumbling around on them.
It’s become a big part of my life. Well, my leisure time, anyway.
Can’t wait for Friday! (2-3ft and offshore)