Thanks for the waves

Thanksgiving morning, you don't need a brain to know the water's going to be crowded. Especially if it's 55 degrees and the waves are good. And they were.

Just as I got out the sun appeared, casting that light over the water that you only get in the morning, and painting the water such a beautiful blue-gray.

I didn't feel like going for the jetty today, not just because the waves were so good I didn't really need to, but because of what I saw. The jocks were all piled on top of each other and going four or five at once for the same wave. Not just going for them figuring the others wouldn't make it, but they went knowing pretty damn well they were all going to make it and meaning to surf it together. I mean, they were literally surfing on top of each other. In typical surf jock fashion they hooted and hollered happily (a couple who rode in literally rail to rail jumped off their boards smiling and yelling "Happy Thanksgiving!" to each other) even though they were inches away from dying or being seriously injured. I have to think that these guys all knew each other and knew their skill levels---I mean, I have to think that, if only because as far as I know no one got killed today! It surely does take a high level of skill to take off right next to someone and not hit/get hit by them. I did not belong among that crowd today.

When I was at the jetty last time I remember a guy yelling me off a wave when I was a safe distance away from him. Yeah, we were on the same wave but we weren't even gonna come close to hitting each other, even at my skill level. And then when I see what I saw today, I know I wasn't breaching any written or unwritten rule of surf etiquette or doing anything others don't do; he was just yelling at me because he didn't know me and didn't want me near him on "his" wave. Or maybe because I'm a woman. Who knows.

I did do some early popups again today and fall off when trying to make the drop. I saw D. in the water and asked him about what Always Smiling Asian Guy said. Should I stand up at the top of the wave of the bottom? D. said "It depends" which seemed like a good answer. He said, not too soon but not too late. Not at the bottom but not at the top. Yeah. That makes sense.

So, I worked on not getting up too early, and on really thinking about and trying to remember what I do after the popup, which as D. always says is the important thing.

When I got out of the water I got compliments from my other former surf coach (now I can't remember what initial I gave him if any, but it doesn't matter) and another veteran surfer about my progress. People are noticing that I'm getting good.