MAY ALL BE BLESSED WITH PERFECT SURF SESSIONS FOR 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
LIFE TIP: GO BEYOND YOUR PAIN
Yesterday a friend of mine accidentally took me out when she was dropping into a wave and I was paddling out. Using my own advice I blocked myself with my hand to prevent a serious head injury. I got slammed into full speed and the palm of my hand and my hip took the brunt of it. Thank goodness for no blood or stitches, just a lot of bruises and pain. I tried to surf more but, I couldn't hold onto my board or push up.
Luckily my daughter was there to help me get out of my wetsuit , strap the boards onto the car and drive us home. I iced right away but I really wanted my CHIROPRACTOR!!! I knew if I could get adjusted as soon as possible it would greatly reduce my healing time. Being that it is Christmas weekend I won't be able to get a physical adjustment until Monday.
Here I have the time to surf my butt off for the next few days and it hurts to even lift my bottle of beer (At least it is cold on my hand).
I thought of the many life lessons that my Chiropractor has taught me, like is it really going to serve me to be injured? One of my jobs as a patient is to keep a healthy state of mind and to express wellness. That did it right there. I AM SURFING IN THE MORNING!!! With these positive thoughts in mind I drifted off to sleep.
Sure enough I woke up early and after a killer cup of coffee headed to the beach for a surf session this morning, picking off a few prime set waves. After I got out of the water, put on some warm clothes and plugged my ipod into my ears, I sat on the beach and watched the other surfers catch some waves. The sets are more walled and the tide was dropping (So glad I came in on that smoking right) but there are still some good waves to pick and choose from.
I thought of something else my Chiropractor had taught me: "PAIN IS JUST WEAKNESS GOING AWAY!" I thanked her in my head for teaching me to dig deep within myself and to rise above the pain for I never would have even thought it was possible for me to surf today, let alone for the next week! Oh yeah and would not have had these great waves I just rode!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
SURFING TIP: Never Turn Your Back On The Ocean
Here is one of the first and most important surfing tips everyone should know:
NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN!!!
When i was a kid and first learning to surf I saw one of my friends start to take his leash off right at the waters edge. The wave picked his board up and slammed it into his face knocking one of his front teeth out ( you know what he was asking for for X-Mas!) I never forgot it and I make it a point to learn from others mistakes as well as my own! I have also taken these lessons and passed them on to my students.
I have seen unsuspecting tourist turn their backs on the ocean after they have rinsed off in the water. Without having any clue they turn there back on the ocean and walk back up the beach totally unaware that there is a huge shore break wave about to eat them up, slam them down, roll them around in the sand and suck them back out to sea or be pounded again to repeat the same process. The one I remember the most was at Sandy Beach, Hawaii (Known for its deadly shore break) Luckily the lady was at least 250 pounds or it may have broke her in half. She was also lucky that after the third time she got rolled far enough up the beach and to safety and not pulled out to sea in the under tow.
And then there was the chick who thought she was so hot in her little bikini and high heels with the two macho dudes with her. She somehow made it out to the end of one of the Jetties in Newport Beach (no easy feat even when you are barefoot). First I warned her that the tide was coming up but she ignored me. Then she was looking towards the beach when I yelled out a warning again, this time for the freak wave that just popped up out of nowhere. Too late. The wave fully broke right over all three of them like they were in a tube, then exploded everywhere. The two guys only cared about saving themselves as she got washed into the rocks and almost dragged into the water. They were off the Jetty before she realized what had even happen. Hair plastered to her face, make-up running, knees scrapped and one lost shoe not only humiliated her but pissed her off when she saw the boys already standing safely on the beach. I doubt they had much fun for the rest of the day. In fact she probably dropped them both and was looking for some new dudes!
Monday, December 14, 2009
SURF ADVENTURE: Peru part 2
After all the supplies were loaded in the back of the truck and the trailer was packed with building supplies, cans of gas, drinking water and whatever else did not fit in the truck bed we headed off for the first part of our expedition to Punta Tur.
Due to the fact that my Spanish is only O.K., I was never sure what was going to happen next. I got more and more comfortable in the unknown and just relaxing into the moment. From what I had understood we would be sleeping on the beach out in the elements and only have snacks to eat due to having nothing to cook food on. I also thought we would be driving through the desert for several hours to end up on some secluded beach in the middle of nowhere. After stopping in one of the neighboring towns and picking up a few more passengers, one in the cab with us and two in the back, we headed down to the beach.
In fact we drove right down on to the sand and after weaving between the crowds of people and squeezing between the pilings of the pier we opened it up and drove right along the waters edge at about 60 mph (or however many kilometers that is) racing the tide, for this area is only accessible by driving along the beach and you sure as hell better know your tides well or you will end up like some of the abandoned cars we saw along the way that were half buried in the surf and sand.
Well this was such a thrill, I love driving in the sand along the beach, but the better surprise was that one of the guys we picked up, nick named Cucharo, which means spoon, ended up being the chef. Wow, hear I thought we would be living on snacks and come to find out we have our own personal chef!
Squeezed between two guys in the back seat with nothing to hold on to while bouncing down the beach was quite a challenge but the drive was so amazing I soon relaxed and just took in the sights. With the ocean on one side and desolate desert as far as you can see on the other, this is like straight out of the movies. Lots of dead sea wolfs (Sea lions) and dolphins at different stages of decomposition are strewn across the beach along with bones in the sand everywhere. Apparently the fisherman out in the sea harpoon or shoot them because they eat the fish out of their nets then the swim or wash to shore and die. This is very sad and I ask the guys what can be done to prevent this from happening anymore. They said there are laws and regulations but the problem is enforcing them. We see several shipwrecks, some in the water at the shores edge and some up on the beach half buried in the sand. People live right on the beach in little hovels they have constructed out of the natural materials they have found along the shore. Where so they get fresh water? They are in the middle of nowhere?
There are fisherman that some how have driven these big open trucks filled with people up the beach or from somewhere so far away through a desert road to the coast. Some of the fishermen are on their way home but many are still on the beach or in the water. At times there would be whole families or villages, pulling in their nets, having to quickly scramble out of the way as we barreled down the beach honking warning any innocent bystanders that may be hidden from view behind one of the trucks and not see us coming. This is all in a friendly matter with everyone waving hello to each other. This is the Peruvian way.
We stopped and the chef and boys bought some bait and fish from some of the locals pulling in their nets so that we would have dinner that night since we would not arrive until after dark. Of course I knew none of this at the time. I was more interested in the Whale vertebrate up the beach that was bigger that a Volkswagen Bug! When they called me back to the truck to get going they introduced me to the local fisherman as a world champion surfer. This brought smiles to their faces. We posed for a photo and what brought a smile to my face was that I was taller than most of them! Being only a little over 5’ tall this is not common for me.
We hurried back into the truck and started racing up the beach for not only are we racing the tide the sun is just about down too. At one point the there was a ship that looked like it sailed itself right up to the shoreline and parked. Most of the native men were clothed in only little loin clothes like many of the other ones we saw driving up the beach but then there were some with nothing on at all. The guys stopped the truck and jumped out. I thought they were going to help these guys get the boat back into the water but instead they start yelling at them. This only lasted a moment then they got back in the truck and raced off. They seemed mad and I was confused so I asked them what was up. They said these guys were pirates and fishing with illegal nets raping the ocean of fish. I wonder if all the big machetes the pirates were yielding had anything to so with them getting back in the truck so fast?
The tide is getting higher and the sun is getting lower. We can see islands in the distance hiding in the haze along the horizon as the pink, gold and orange hues of the sunset reflect the last light of the day off the low hanging clouds. Suddenly the beach narrows and there is no more sand left to drive on, for the waves are splashing right up on to the rock cliffs. We stop, throw the truck into 4-wheel drive, reverse to get a little more speed built up and then rush forward and fly over the sand berm and rocks into the dunes until we find two small tire tracks hopefully leading us to the right road, if you can call it that. We are now heading inland into the desert with very little light left and barely a path to follow. Just before dark and after bouncing through the winding desert road we head back towards the coast to a view of a beautiful bay with a left hand point that breaks easily a half mile long. I am stoked and think this is our destination but they tell me this wave although very good, is much better for long boarding. Looks great to me. After passing the bay in the last of the light we head back inland. It is quite ominous heading into a darkening desert as we pass ten crosses on a hill overlooking the beach. There were five large crosses and five small. What is the story? What has happen to these people? Are the small ones representing children? Makes you kind of wonder especially after seen miles of beach with bones scattered everywhere and dead animals? I am told that we have another forty-five kilometers to go. I really do not have a concept of how long this is but I do know at 10 mph or less this will be at least another hour or so.
After stopping several times and readjusting the trailer to make sure it stays on the hitch we finally arrive at our destination, Punta Tur.
It is about eight or nine o’clock at night and there is what looks like just a few shanty like structures, more of wind blocks, made with grass mats. Greeted happily by Sol, the camp dog, and Pedro the current care taker, who looks to be in about his mid to late 60’s, we make quick introductions and start unpacking. Well I didn’t because I didn’t know where to put anything. Anxious to stretch and move around a bit, remember I was crammed in the back seat for the last several hours, I walk instantly over to the top of a little sand dune to get a view of the ocean and even though it is dark I can see the outline of the waves and the effervescent glow of the white water exploding in magical green and blue glowing bliss! Wow! Look at this surf! Even at night you can see what a perfect set up for surfing this is. The waves have to be hollow and they look so fast! This is a goofy footers dream for it is a perfect left hand point. Now I see why they said the other place was a longboarding spot, it looked mushy and slow compared to this place! This is an expert only, grinding, fast hollow-barrels type of break!
The next surprise is that there is a trailer with two sets of bunks for us to sleep in! This is a good thing because it is very windy out here and the sand is blowing off the tops of the dunes at about 2 feet high. I see Pedro and Jose, one of the men who came with us, walk down towards the ocean with a couple of big white buckets so I follow them to see what they are up to. They set the buckets down next to the rocks and start cleaning fish. One is expertly scaling the fish while the other is just as efficiently gutting them. I held a flashlight for them to make it easier and watched in amazement at how easy they made this look but know it has taken years of experience.
By now the boys have set up the generator and lights so that they would have power to review all the videos and photos taken that day, to charge the batteries and down load the images. Although this was a necessity, I really preferred it dark because the stars were so brilliant.
The next great gift was the fisherman served us up huge portions of delicious ceviche Peruvian style! I thought this was dinner but then they served up a plate of fried fish and yucca! I was so full but then they brought out this rice pudding like dessert and hot tea that was irresistible!
After dinner we were watching more videos that Miguel shot that day when I noticed it was 11:08. I excused myself and quickly walked out into the dark desert far away from the glaring lights. It was a moonless sky being that it was a new moon and the stars were extra bright. The date today is 11-11-2009 (11) and I wanted to be out looking at the stars at 11:11:11. When I felt the time was close, I laid down in the sand next to a big pile of bones (Hard not to when they are everywhere). Just as I looked up into the sky I saw a huge shooting star! This is such a magical trip and this is only the beginning. I take the star as a sign that this excursion is blessed and going to progressively keep getting better and better. Which was proven to me in the upcoming weeks.
The energy out in this desert is super special and not like anywhere I have ever been. It has a beauty all of its own that makes you feel alive. With the night sky shinning so brightly, the glow of the waves on a perfect point, the pair of foxes that were seen running off into the distance, a full belly of fresh fish and the anticipation of a good surf session in the morning I am a very happy woman and am grateful for my good fortune!
Friday, December 11, 2009
SURF ADVENTURE: Peru Part 1
I just got back from the most incredible travel experience I have ever been on. I went down to Peru with Yvo one of the owners of Punta Tur Eco Surf Camp. I worked with Yvo earlier this year teaching him the tricks of the trade to be a successful surf instructor and he shared his dream with me to start a very unique surf adventure tour in his native country of Peru. He asked if I would be interested in joining him map out some new routes from the ocean to the Andes and teaching a surf clinic down there for the local children.
And this is exactly what we were doing down in Peru this November. This was our pilot trip and with a strong desire to share this kind of experience with others I am sure there will be many more to come. This expedition was truly the adventure of a life time and had all the elements of success. We surfed pristine virgin waves in the middle of nowhere and then traveled high into the Andes to visit ancient ruins of the Cloud People and hidden waterfalls.
After arriving in Lima we met up with Miguel, the videographer of the trip, took an 8 hour bus ride North to be picked up by Juan ( Yvo's business partner and Punta Tur Surf guide) and headed straight to Chicama, the longest left hand wave in the world, to catch the last of a dying swell before even starting the exploratory journey. The waves were only about 4'-6' (Not quite big enough to produce the mile long plus waves that this left hand point is capable of) with the direction of the swell slightly off causing some close out sections. But what can I say, we still got rides over a half of a mile long with the point section creating some very hollow barrels! There were lots of very speedy sections backing off occasionally enough to do some insane cutbacks. The currents are very strong and it is a lot easier to walk back up the beach than try to paddle back out. They were only about another half dozen surfers out there besides us so there was an abundance of waves for everybody. In fact it was so wide open we rarely even saw each other in the line-up! We surfed until dark then headed a couple more hours North arriving in the town of Chiclaymo where we had our base camp, Juan's house, late in the evening and would plan, shop and pack our supplies the following day for who knows what!
And this is exactly what we were doing down in Peru this November. This was our pilot trip and with a strong desire to share this kind of experience with others I am sure there will be many more to come. This expedition was truly the adventure of a life time and had all the elements of success. We surfed pristine virgin waves in the middle of nowhere and then traveled high into the Andes to visit ancient ruins of the Cloud People and hidden waterfalls.
After arriving in Lima we met up with Miguel, the videographer of the trip, took an 8 hour bus ride North to be picked up by Juan ( Yvo's business partner and Punta Tur Surf guide) and headed straight to Chicama, the longest left hand wave in the world, to catch the last of a dying swell before even starting the exploratory journey. The waves were only about 4'-6' (Not quite big enough to produce the mile long plus waves that this left hand point is capable of) with the direction of the swell slightly off causing some close out sections. But what can I say, we still got rides over a half of a mile long with the point section creating some very hollow barrels! There were lots of very speedy sections backing off occasionally enough to do some insane cutbacks. The currents are very strong and it is a lot easier to walk back up the beach than try to paddle back out. They were only about another half dozen surfers out there besides us so there was an abundance of waves for everybody. In fact it was so wide open we rarely even saw each other in the line-up! We surfed until dark then headed a couple more hours North arriving in the town of Chiclaymo where we had our base camp, Juan's house, late in the evening and would plan, shop and pack our supplies the following day for who knows what!
SURF STORY: The Jetty Game/Turtle Bay
Once in a while guys aren't going to give you a wave no matter what. That's when I start playing the jetty game.
It helps to be cunning and quick and pay very close attention to the ocean, the timing, and patterns of the sets. Know exactly where the best waves (or the waves that you want) are breaking by dialing in a very tight line up with your stationary landmarks.
In between one of the sets, paddle over a little deeper than the pack so that you are sitting the deepest. After a very short amount of time you will notice that many of the guys will paddle around you and all try to sit deeper thus taking them out of the take off zone. It drives them nuts thinking that a girl might be better positioned to catch a wave deeper than them. Watch the horizon closely for the first signs of the set as it starts to approach and nonchalantly paddle back into your the line-up you have chosen as the ultimate take off spot. This will put back in place for the approaching set while leaving most of the pack too deep to make the first wave or two thus giving you a better opportunity for a good wave. It is important to get one of the first waves before the pack paddles back over. Your timing must be impeccable for if you move over too soon they will move back as well and if you wait too long you too will be left too deep to make the wave. Keep doing this through out the session. You will be surprised at how well it works.
My brother Curt and I were surfing in Hawaii once looking for a fun wave to surf and ended up paddling out at Turtle Bay on the north end with a good swell pumping through. It was fairly crowded but nothing like some of the major breaks like Pipeline or Sunset. We were patiently working our way into the line-up but, after about forty five minutes still no one was letting us have a single wave, not an inside one or anything. I had been watching the waves closely and noticed that some of the bigger set waves were breaking right over this partially exposed reef deeper than where any of the guys were sitting and I knew I could catch and make the waves from there. Finally I got frustrated and told my brother "Watch this, this is why they call me Danger Woman." I'm sure he was probably thinking, oh no, what's she going to do? I was riding a 7'6" gun that was bigger than most of the boards the guys were riding giving me an advantage to get into the bigger sets earlier than they could.
In between one of the sets I paddled past the guys onto the other side or the pack right onto the edge of the boil over the rocks. I could tell they were kinda snickering and wondering what this crazy wahine was doing until I caught this big set wave that I was able to negotiate the drop, fly past them and make the wave all the way into the bay. At first they just thought I was lucky but, after continuing this for a few sets and noticing that I had my choice of any set wave all alone, a couple of the guys paddled over to try to catch some themselves. Their boards were too short so that their take-offs were steeper and right on the boil where they kept getting pitched over the falls. Or if they did make the drop, their boards didn't have enough rail for them to make it around the first suck out section where everyone else was sitting. After getting worked a few times they would paddle back over to the pack. After watching me catch wave after wave a couple of the other guys would paddle over to where I was and attempt to catch the waves from there with the same results as their friends. Soon they too would paddle back over to the pack frustrated. My brother got a lot of waves too because I would surf just pass everyone else then kick out so that he could take off and ride the rest of the wave.
I ended up getting the biggest, best set waves until it was so dark that I was forced to go in before I could no longer see where the channel to get in was. Luckily all the tiki torches on the beach (and the ancient Hawaiian Spirits) helped guide me safely to shore once again.
It helps to be cunning and quick and pay very close attention to the ocean, the timing, and patterns of the sets. Know exactly where the best waves (or the waves that you want) are breaking by dialing in a very tight line up with your stationary landmarks.
In between one of the sets, paddle over a little deeper than the pack so that you are sitting the deepest. After a very short amount of time you will notice that many of the guys will paddle around you and all try to sit deeper thus taking them out of the take off zone. It drives them nuts thinking that a girl might be better positioned to catch a wave deeper than them. Watch the horizon closely for the first signs of the set as it starts to approach and nonchalantly paddle back into your the line-up you have chosen as the ultimate take off spot. This will put back in place for the approaching set while leaving most of the pack too deep to make the first wave or two thus giving you a better opportunity for a good wave. It is important to get one of the first waves before the pack paddles back over. Your timing must be impeccable for if you move over too soon they will move back as well and if you wait too long you too will be left too deep to make the wave. Keep doing this through out the session. You will be surprised at how well it works.
My brother Curt and I were surfing in Hawaii once looking for a fun wave to surf and ended up paddling out at Turtle Bay on the north end with a good swell pumping through. It was fairly crowded but nothing like some of the major breaks like Pipeline or Sunset. We were patiently working our way into the line-up but, after about forty five minutes still no one was letting us have a single wave, not an inside one or anything. I had been watching the waves closely and noticed that some of the bigger set waves were breaking right over this partially exposed reef deeper than where any of the guys were sitting and I knew I could catch and make the waves from there. Finally I got frustrated and told my brother "Watch this, this is why they call me Danger Woman." I'm sure he was probably thinking, oh no, what's she going to do? I was riding a 7'6" gun that was bigger than most of the boards the guys were riding giving me an advantage to get into the bigger sets earlier than they could.
In between one of the sets I paddled past the guys onto the other side or the pack right onto the edge of the boil over the rocks. I could tell they were kinda snickering and wondering what this crazy wahine was doing until I caught this big set wave that I was able to negotiate the drop, fly past them and make the wave all the way into the bay. At first they just thought I was lucky but, after continuing this for a few sets and noticing that I had my choice of any set wave all alone, a couple of the guys paddled over to try to catch some themselves. Their boards were too short so that their take-offs were steeper and right on the boil where they kept getting pitched over the falls. Or if they did make the drop, their boards didn't have enough rail for them to make it around the first suck out section where everyone else was sitting. After getting worked a few times they would paddle back over to the pack. After watching me catch wave after wave a couple of the other guys would paddle over to where I was and attempt to catch the waves from there with the same results as their friends. Soon they too would paddle back over to the pack frustrated. My brother got a lot of waves too because I would surf just pass everyone else then kick out so that he could take off and ride the rest of the wave.
I ended up getting the biggest, best set waves until it was so dark that I was forced to go in before I could no longer see where the channel to get in was. Luckily all the tiki torches on the beach (and the ancient Hawaiian Spirits) helped guide me safely to shore once again.
My First Blog
Well this is my first blog so here it goes. I am much more into surfing than I am the computer but I have so many things I would like to share with the world. I will be posting everything from short stories, learn to surf tips, my latest surfing travels and artwork to my philosophy on life and the latest news of upcoming events.
I am an accomplished surfer and surfing instructor. I have been surfing for over 33 years riding all types of surf boards from my 4'4" belly board ( I stand up surf on it) to my 10' gun. I ride anything and everything surf wise from 1' blown out slop to 30' scare the crap out of myself waves and everything in between! I started competing at age 30 after having 3 kids and competed until I was 46. I have won numerous surfing competitions including a capturing The Women's World Longboard Title in 2002, 12 national titles both for short board and longboards, the Women's Pipeline Championships for longboarding in 2005, 6 West coast titles and 1 east coast title and was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, CA in July 2005.
For those who would like more information on some of my accomplishments you can check out my website www.DangerWoman.com
I have been teaching people of all ages and walks of life how to surf since 1993 and will start this blog off with one of the reasons they call me Danger Woman. There will be many more short stories with surfing lessons to come and are out of the book I am writing that will be published whenever I finish it!!!
Thanks, Kim
I am an accomplished surfer and surfing instructor. I have been surfing for over 33 years riding all types of surf boards from my 4'4" belly board ( I stand up surf on it) to my 10' gun. I ride anything and everything surf wise from 1' blown out slop to 30' scare the crap out of myself waves and everything in between! I started competing at age 30 after having 3 kids and competed until I was 46. I have won numerous surfing competitions including a capturing The Women's World Longboard Title in 2002, 12 national titles both for short board and longboards, the Women's Pipeline Championships for longboarding in 2005, 6 West coast titles and 1 east coast title and was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, CA in July 2005.
For those who would like more information on some of my accomplishments you can check out my website www.DangerWoman.com
I have been teaching people of all ages and walks of life how to surf since 1993 and will start this blog off with one of the reasons they call me Danger Woman. There will be many more short stories with surfing lessons to come and are out of the book I am writing that will be published whenever I finish it!!!
Thanks, Kim
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