KELP AT THE LANE

I woke this morning pleasantly sore and achy, a reminder that I've gotten into the ocean for the past four days in a row. Yes! I'm determined to start early this surf season when the air is still warm and surf tame, in order to get my body and mind acclimated. Last year, I waited too long and by the time the big waves hit, I felt too intimidated to get in much. This year, I'm aiming for cautiousness and respect of the water, rather than a lump of fear in my stomach.

Yesterday was an amazing time. From the cliff, the waves looked too small for a boogie-boarder and I probably wouldn't have gone at all, but Gwen wanted to get in. So after dropping her, her friend and their two long boards at Cowells (super low tide (minus 1.4), lovely, glassy longboard waves), I paddled around the corner, past the Indicator and into the Lane.

It was an entirely different ocean there -- churned up a little, intensely thick with kelp. Turned out that there was a little break, more suited to a boogie-boarder than a surfer, and I was the only one out there. That had never happened before, to be the only one in the Lane with something to ride. It unnerved me at first. What did everyone but me know? High fecal count? Shark alert (I pictured my legs dangling in the kelp and knew they looked like part of a sick, helpless seal meal.)

But then I figured --What the heck -- and caught many good rides. The break was a fairly steep drop that re-formed slightly before turning to foam. One time, when coming down the face, the kelp wrapped around my fin and nearly pulled me off my board, like some creature from the Odyssey. But it was so amazing to have this rare experience of being able to stay present with the wave -- with its shape and direction and sound and smell -- without having to stay hyper-aware of other human beings. In that short session, I feel like I learned an enormous amount about reading waves and gained confidence.

At 5 o'clock, the bells from the nearby church rang and the sun dropped, turning the water and kelp and me the most amazing shades of blue and magenta. The water vibrated with color. Over the harbor, the moon showed its huge, round full face.

At the risk of sounding like someone stoned on New Age crystals, I truly believe that every moment of our life is one of perfection. But some of these perfect moments, like yesterday in the ocean, are a hell of a lot easier to recognize than others.