047: steamer lane

Posted on February 7, 2009
Filed Under Surfing | Leave a Comment

late in the day. ocean beach is blown out. mad dash to santa cruz. minus tide, lowest I’ve ever seen and the lane is doing it’s thing. lots of guys out. middle peak is way in the middle. indicators is working. sky is clear again. so many people. few shorter ones. someone drops in. frustration. then it is clear, a nice big set that makes it all worth it. sun goes down, near full moon. crowd thins.

darkness and silver moonlight on the harbor. more consistent sets. sea lions barking loud. a couple more and then it is hard to see the outside waves. see a longboarder lose his board, flipping up on the wave in the moonlight. long swim for him, tough luck. I’ve been there. take a wave in, kick out near the surfer statue. what’s that headed for the holes in the cliff at indicators? a longboard. broken leash. so, he wasn’t a leashless soul surfer. quick decision: help him or let it go? those damn lonboarders had been snaking me all evening. do the right thing. get his board. can’t control both without letting mine go and paddling his. paddle back to him in the dark, he’s still swimming.

“lose something?”
“what!? lost my damn board, what’s it look like?”
“I have it here for you”
“oh!”
I send him his board.
“sorry, I didn’t see that you had it. Thanks so much!”

then the long dark ride north on highway 1.