Obama's Victory

wanderboy : the surf diaries

My life as a boy has always been connected to the sea. My dad used to take me fishing. He enrolled me in swimming school at the age of 10. So swimming has been part of my life since then. Went on to join college varsity. The goal was not really to win as I was a student first and being in a tough academic program and university. I didn’t pursue it because I couldn’t wake up so early for practice. Which made me very happy so that i could concentrate on sleeping, partying and studying.

Kidding aside, after college,  I have tried to explore the best beaches in which to swim. After having swam in many fantastic beaches, Travels that resulted in the happy  memories, grueling journeys and a life threatening accident. I always wondered how it was like to surf. I used to watch Kelly Slater slice the seas like a sous chef. Watching all those hawaiian  masters tear up the waves. I knew it was dangerous. I have played so many  sports in my life, surfing is one of the more dangerous ones. So i never thought I would ever ride a surfboard. Fast forward to present. I did. Life is indeed playing tricks on me.

The might be funny but a newbie can teach you something if you never tried surfing. You think it’s easy. But it’s actually harder than driving a car. When the first wave rises, you feel a rush and you really don’t  know what to do. When you see that you huge wave, crashing over you all you can think of is holy shit…:) you get mangled by the powerful and merciless waves. The truth is, the instructor mumbled so many things, i didn’t know how you could smoothly slide up like a transformer. But luckily, i just jumped up and found balance and voila, i was up. the trick was when you feel a small nudge at the tip of your board, you just slide up swiftly with purpose and balance. I wouldn’t say it is like riding a skateboard. it was also very tough navigating or “reading ” the waves and deciding to go left or right as I am still a beginner. 

On my fourth try,  I was able to steer left and right. Speed up and slow down. Walking on the board to control it. I thought hey, I’m getting good at this. So much fun with the speed and the satisfaction of being able to go where  you want sliding down that pristine beach…the feeling is just exhilarating.

Just when u thought everything seemed so great, i finished my exhibition laden surf run and landed on my feet at a high speed. Then i heard my knee crack. Oh boy. This might be bad. rested for awhile , i prodded on like a wounded turtle. it was painful but i had to push thru.  i shrugged it off and continued on but at a much slower pace and with less fervor and excitement due to the pain. my instructor taught me everything about surfing. but landing was not part of it. so when my feet landed in high speed, something had to give. I was glad I wasn’t taken to the hospital. but it certainly became very swollen. sleeping was a chore due to the pain.

despite this bad luck . I had so much fun.  surfing like life , has it’s ups and downs , waves and calm. it was an unforgettable experience. It felt a  bit like flying or gliding . Such a surreal experience. A wow experience you could say. This will be the start of a very beautiful relationship. The late Paul Walker sums it best.

“Surfing soothes me, it’s always been a kind of Zen experience for me. The ocean is so magnificent, peaceful, and awesome. The rest of the world disappears for me when I’m on a wave.”
Paul Walker