Learning the language of waves
This morning we went surfing at dawn at Kirra Beach point break. I am so lucky to have by my side my partner in life and love, a plus forty year veteran of the waves. He knows water. Waves. Conditions. And he is infinitely patient with me.
Just to make it out the back of the break this morning was a challenge. And then there were the waves.. monsters, and wind.. erratic, and white wash…more like a washing machine.
I came back to the beach, not a single wave under my feet.
We then sat on the headland and watched people enter the water and get washed far down the beach by the sweep, spending all their energy trying to get out the back. Many not making it. In seconds people had gone two hundred, three hundred meters along the beach.
Tony has always spent time on the shore contemplating the conditions before getting into the water. Looking at the break, the swell, the sweep. Deciding the best place to paddle out. The best place to sit to catch a wave once out.
It is not always fool proof, as conditions can change in a heartbeat. Patience is required, as it helps to wait for a set to go through before leaving the beach.
I am learning this craft of wave and water reading. It is a new language.
Like any great endeavour, better to spend the time knowing the territory, understanding the conditions, considering options, sensing the movement.
While I did not catch a wave, my lessons continue.
Photo taken April 4th 2021