Surf lesson

Yeah, I did it. I paid for it.

Ridiculous, to pay someone $100 to watch me surf. But I don't have anyone willing to do it for free and it was actually helpful.

What he told me was that, as I suspected, my timing was all off. I am catching the waves too late. I'd be going and he'd yell at me, Don't go, too late! And I did and it was.

So I tried it his way, just waiting, starting to paddle later though all my instincts told me to go. His way I saved a lot of paddling energy and got waves just by doing nothing but paddling four or five strokes.

When I got waves that way, it was different from what I've done myself, yeah, even when I got the waves earlier by myself. It's hard to describe, but I was on top of the wave. I didn't go down the face. I didn't take off on top and then sense, quite rightly, that there was going to be a drop down and then wait for it. I was just---how shall I say this---on top of the wave the whole time.

If that's how it's supposed to be, I've only done it the right way maybe six times in all these years.

I don't know, though. I thought you were supposed to wait for, and feel, a drop down the wave before you stand up. He says no. He says just stand up the minute you get the wave.

I did this once and got a long ride. That was the only one I got.

He also told me not to angle the board on takeoff like everyone else says to do so I don't go straight. He told me to go straight.

Cripes, maybe this guy does know what he's doing, but at this rate it will cost something like a thousand dollars to get me surfing.

I still really hate it when people tell me to stop thinking so much. What kind of person doesn't think, ever?

Oh yeah, that must be why stoners are such good surfers.