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.