and baby makes 6!

Local

Yesterday we took off and went to the beach to go surfin’. The waves were fun, but smallish, and there were not many people at all. We surfed pretty much by ourselves most of the morning and early afternoon.

Mid-afternoon some groms showed up with their father? chaperone? These guys were real yahoos on their short little boards. They were carving and getting air on the inside, and Bill and Cory were surfing the outside bigger waves. Billy was catching waves left and right, and riding them in all the way to the inside. Let me back up and explain “inside” and “outside”….it is pretty much how it sounds. The outside is the further most places where the waves break. At a long pier, it is usually around the T-head or in front of it. The inside waves are basically the sandbars located closer to the beach. On a small day, the inside is where the short boarders ride, as the outside waves roll too slow and they need a fast wave with a steep front.

On a long board, you can ride it all pretty much. You can catch the waves on the outside, and if you are skilled, stay with the wave as it doubles back up and breaks a second time. SO, this is what Billy was doing.

As he would ride the wave into the inside, the Yahoos! would try and drop in on him and cut him off the wave. This was just not going to happen with my husband. You NEVER drop in in front of someone who is standing up, riding a wave, and you most certainly don’t do it to Billy. As I watched, a grom tried to drop in on Bill’s wave, and Bill grabbed the nose of his board, and shoved him out……while riding the wave on his board. I can’t imagine being able to do this. I have enough trouble concentrating on my ride, let alone having the balance to bend down, grab the nose of another surfboard with someone on it, and shove it out of the backside of the wave.

This happened several times, and the older guy, maybe 30-35yo, paddled over to Billy and said something like “hey, you don’t cut in on the boys on the inside.” And Bill was all “what are you talking about? I was riding those waves, they were mine” and the guy said “no, you are not listening. You don’t ride the inside when the short boarders are there”. and Bill replied, “I have ears just like you, and those were my waves. I was standing up and riding them when those boys dropped in on me.” The older guy said something like “You don’t understand” and paddled away.

After Bill came in and told me about it, we were standing with a friend as the older dude came in. As he walked passed, Bill said “Hi, how are you doing” and the guy pretended to shoot Bill with his hand. I said “Kook” to him.

We don’t get much of that BS around here. In fact, I have not experienced anything like that since 20 years ago surfing the Flagship in Galveston. These guys were not locals as far as we knew. They were probably from south of here, and were jerks. The older guy had left his 2 small children, a girl and a boy, probably ages 10 and 7, on the beach ALONE while he pretended to be the surf police for several hours. They sat at a picnic table behind me playing “I spy” while their dad surfed and neglected them. The pier is a place where the bums and druggies sleep it off, and I cannot IMAGINE leaving my kids unattended there. Insane.

So basically, I have something to say to these idiots and you can count on the fact that next time I see them, they will get an earfull. Young man (yeah, I am your elder jerk, so when you hoot and holler at me from the pier, remember I am old enough to be your mommy), my husband ‘understands”. When you were just a one celled organism in your mamas ovaries, Bill had already been surfing for more than 12 years. When you were toddling around in your overfilled diaper, he had been to California, Mexico and Hawaii more times than you could count on your fingers, you Kook.

So get this. We are locals my friend. You, are not. Next time you try and educate someone whose surf experience totals all three of your combined ages, watch out. The next time it might be the more fierce of the locals here. My husband gently rebuked you by shoving you out of his wave numerous times (yes, he schooled you). The next guy might not be so patient. One surfer out there told my husband and son that  “if those boys pulled that #$*& on me, I would jump off my board and educate them properly” on surf etiquette and Tribal Law. See the part saying “Do Not Drop In”. What part of that do you not understand? We have never heard the rule of “No longboards on the inside”. Oh, that must have been one you made up to suit your Kook self. Aloha.