What’s the longest layoff you’ve had from surfing? Do you remember what it felt like when you first hit the water again?

 

It had been more than a month – a crazy, sleep deprived, identity questioning new baby new job month – when I finally grabbed the old 9’0’ from under my sister’s house over the July 4th weekend. The second the lifeguards whistled their 6 o’clock farewell, I was running toward the water.

It was small, summer  afternoon windswell, but glassy enough and fun. The kind of day you watch from the beach and think you’ll get nothing, but when you get out, you are surprised by what a good longboard can do on small waves. Still, it wasn’t waves I caught that still stick with me from that session. It was just being there again, just being in the water, on a board.  

It was like I had been in a sensory deprivation chamber for eight weeks and suddenly was back, feeling and seeing again. I hadn’t thought about this much, but it struck me that minute I hit the water and started paddling out, how surfing so completely involves every sense you have. Is there another sport that does that? Is there another sport in which you are feeling so much – the water on your skin, the temperature, the motion and power of the ocean. Where you are actually tasting – (and yes, I find the ocean tastes varies from season to season and place to place) the medium in which you are performing? Any sport with such unique sounds – from the roar of the ocean to seagulls? Never mind any sport - is there any other activity - any art, any religious ritual, any pricey luxury spa treatment that can do all that?

 

The waves were fun that day. It was a classic midsummer, end of the day silly sesh with lots of groms and kooks and everyone having fun. I took to sitting on the board and finally sitting down during a few rides and doing some coffins. There are times to keep it light like that, and this was one of those times. It felt so good. It sounded good. It tasted good. And man, oh man, was it good.