Best wave ever

My first day back in New York, and I had no plans to surf. Surfline called it flat. (Regular readers should know by now that when Surfline calls it flat, you should go surfing!)

But I did. And it was one of those totally unexpected gifts.

The wind was north, the waves were small, and I was on.

I don't mean that I got every wave. But my timing was good, and most importantly, what I mean was that I was able to focus on what happened after the popup instead of just trying to make the pop. That means stance, balance, and turning. I was able to keep going for as long as the wave would allow by adjusting my weight and balance; I was able to turn by doing what everyone's told me to do, look where I want to go and turn my shoulders in that direction; I was able to get right under the curl so that I could get all the power out of the little waves. Leaning forward more than I'm used to made a big difference, I think; I had the confidence to do that because the waves were so small. When they're bigger, I tend to unconsciously lean back, like, Whoa! I'm not sure I want to go so fast! My body gets left behind the wave and I stall and fall.

But not today.

The last wave of the day was my best wave ever. I just kept going and going and I was in perfect control.

A great wave, the kind that makes your whole day.