O'ahu, south shore
3-4', no wind, beautiful!
Well ... great swell this week ... still going off, but I will be missing it
-- I may just be spending more time here reading the newsgroup. Got run over
by a longboard this morning.
I woke early - all excited because I just bought a new excel .5m shirt -
decided I needed it to do the dawn patrol (just can't take the afternoon
crowds with this bigger surf). I sort of replayed my dream that was so
insistant just before I woke, "Don't go on the freeway! Don't go on the
freeway!" the voice on the telephone said.
I was more careful driving; should have kept that same caution out at the
lineup.
I got out early - only four boards out there ... good riders. Fun to watch.
I was a little awed by the size and form of the waves. But, figured it was
good just to watch for a while; getting used to the bigger waves. I did
catch a couple of slushy ones finally, but couldn't get set up for any of
the good ones. Still, I felt toasty warm and got to see a couple of buds I
haven't seen in quite a while.
After about an hour, the crowd started to turn up. I figured it was time to
go in. I decided to take an inside break ... leftovers would be fine. I
noticed the guy next to me; a 'fairweather' surfer - only shows up when the
waves are over 3' (H'wn) -- even though he catches few. We nodded hi. The
wave that was coming in looked like it was going to crumble, but I figured I
didn't mind going straight since by this time I just wanted to get in. I saw
the guy to my left take it and saw the peak crumbling to my right. What I
didn't expect was this guy *swerves RIGHT*! Not just right ... but he was
cutting back up the wave!! He was coming straight toward me! I couldn't go
right, so I tried to speed up to keep his nose from hitting me in the face.
The guy saw me and kept coming (he just wanted to get out of the wave and
back to the lineup!). His board *slammed* into my leg ---- and he kept on
going.
I immediately tumbled in the wave ... feeling the pain so much that I
thought maybe something was broken. I was so far in that I think no one else
saw the collision. I looked back - the guy had paddled out. I think that
part hurt the most. He didn't even look back.
I limped in kicking with one leg and crying from the pain. By the time I got
to shore I knew nothing was broken, but also knew this wasn't going to get
better fast. No surfing for me for a while.
I am kicking myself ... remembering what the dad said to his kid last year
when there was a clumsy longboarder threatening everyone in the lineup, "You
stay away from that guy -- you get hurt, it is your own fault."
Sus
... sad ...
