Catch a Wave Surfing

“I start paddling this time, and I can see the cresting white behind me like a monster on my tail. The water rushes over the nose of the board as I push myself up but keep one knee down. I watch the gulf blur past until the moment I feel steady enough to look up to the rapidly approaching shore. I’m so excited to make it this far I forget Val’s warning not to ride to the sand, lest the fin break from impact. I pop off with seconds to spare, feeling sheepish as I plunge into the water. But I’m triumphant as I stand, hair dripping.”

“The sun was hot on my back and the water was cool as I lay on my stomach on my surfboard, preparing to jump up and catch the wave. When our instructor called out for me to stand, I did. I used my arms to push myself up, positioned my feet, angled my arms, balanced — and rode the wave. The rest of the lesson was filled with more successful attempts as well as failures. [...] After we emerged from the salty ocean at the end of the lesson, I was drained, thirsty and sunburned. I’d fallen down and been flipped around under water, yet I felt completely overjoyed.”

“I didn’t have a rash guard, and my stomach showed it, but it didn’t matter, as soon as I caught a wave everything else just disappeared. It was just me, the board, the wave, and avoiding the tourists who were worse than me (If that’s possible :P).”