These are modified from my '99 alt.surfing posts about my early surfing experiences at the reef break off Waikiki. The first is a prose-poem that shows some of my ambivalence about this particular reef.
Like a Cat
Paddling out through whitewater can be nerve wracking when just inches over sharp coral . Today it was not, though. It was lovely. The waves weren't pounding wildly; the white foam was only about a foot deep. Today I was taking my time and enjoying it .
I dove under the white and thought of my cat ... how she arches her back to get petted all the way down her back. I dove shallow to feel the force of the water. The push of the wave combed my hair and stroked me from head to tail.
I Wanna do that!
A couple of days ago I was paddling out to the break watching as the guys
were riding in. I can pick out some of the regulars now by the way they
ride. There was a new sponger doing really well. I watched as I got closer
... he caught the wave perfectly -- It was about chest high. He sliced high
across the wall looking low and sleek on his board -- then I stopped as I
watched the lip slowly curl over him ... it seemed to happen in slow motion
-- he disappeard inside the curling wave ... the afternoon sun behind the
wave glowed and I could almost see his sillouette inside the tube. I held my
breath. He emerged in the froth and slipped back up over the lip.
