First Time Surfer

I am exhausted.

Yesterday, on my first full day in Cocoa Beach, I was warned by my “woman in the chair” (my sister at a computer in Minnesota) that there were riptides and I should not go surfing. So I still went to the beach, but I only played in the water, walked from Shepard's Beach to Cocoa Beach Pier and back, and roamed around the world famous Ron Jon Surf Shop.

I also spent my day scoping out the town. I now know where to park for free near Shepard’s Beach (Four Points Sheraton parking garage), where to buy the best inexpensive bag of salad (Publix), where to rent a surfboard (Cocoa Beach Surf Company), where to get great used books (the public library is having a .25 cent book sale), and where to go for a chill vibe at sunset (Blockhouse Beach - across from Patrick Air Force base.) I also know where to get good free water, a public bathroom, and a good haircut (Dee at Supercuts on N. Atlantic Ave.)

But that is not why I am exhausted.

I am exhausted because today, on my second full day in Cocoa Beach, I WENT SURFING!

I was so excited about surfing that I woke up a little before 5 a.m. to get ready. I drove to the beach, parked, and did yoga while the sun came up. It sounds idyllic but it wasn’t. Let me paint you a picture:

1. I didn’t have a yoga mat. (Made do with a sandy beach towel)

2. I felt a little exposed. (The spot I chose was a stretch of grass between a beach hotel and the beach parking lot and walkway. Safe in the early morning because there were people around, but not someplace I wanted to close my eyes and pull a “Happy Baby” pose)

3. Two teenage girls pulled into the parking lot in a Jeep, started to unpack their car, and couldn’t stop giggling (was it something about my downward dog?)

But I’m still proud of myself, because regular yoga practice is a part of the discipline that I am trying for, so getting it done today felt great.

Next, I rented my first surfboard.

(Yes, I said "first surfboard".) You see, I decided that I didn’t want a big, ungainly foamboard - I wanted a smaller one I could fit in my car. The attendant seemed a little dubious, but he was won over by my confidence. I signed the forms and paid my money, then lugged my surfboard two blocks down to the beach….

…where I was promptly humbled to learn that I was TOO HEAVY for the surfboard I had chosen. I could lay down and paddle on it alright, but when I tried to sit up on the back of the board, or to “Pop up”, I would submerge the whole damn thing.

To quote Princess Bride, “Humiliations galore.”

Did I mention how fun it is to carry a surfboard? I didn’t? That’s because it’s not.

But I lugged it back to the rental shop, and traded it for a bigger board. Which I then lugged back to the beach even more awkwardly. It was already about 10 a.m., sunny and 85 degrees. (Not complaining, just sweating.)

Luckily, when I got back to the beach and needed to rest, I was able to strike up a conversation with a delightful and charming solo surfer named Katie. We chatted about kids and weddings and grief and loss while the beach filled up around us.

Then, properly rested, I tried surfing. And THAT, dear friends, is why I am exhausted.

Holy schnikes, is surfing hard!

It’s hard walking in the wind with a surfboard. It’s hard paddling out into the good waves. It’s hard getting tossed by waves while trying to control an 8 foot foam board. It’s hard to read the ever-changing waves. It’s hard to avoid getting wrapped up in the leash thing strapped to your ankle. It’s hard to concentrate all the time when you just want to lay on your stomach and rest - but that’s when the big wave will come, RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT!

But I tried. I tried for what felt like HOURS. Man, did I try. And I did not succeed in standing up - nor did I even come close. And then I walked back to my spot on the beach. Where I learned it was not even 11:30 a.m. Ha!

I reapplied sunscreen. I rested. I rehydrated. I went out and tried again. It was lovely and exhausting and didn’t get any easier.

By 1:15 p.m. I texted my sister “I’m safe I’m fine I’m tired :). Taking the afternoon off for a bit”.

So I am back at the public library, in air conditioning, completing another discipline - writing. But Blockhouse Beach beckons, and I’m off to try, try again.

Hang loose!