La Boca

I made it a bit early to our dawn patrol session yesterday at La Boca Del San Lorenzo.  Watching the sun rise over the Marina light house is a thing of beauty.  I'm thankful to be a surfer and experience moments of pristine tranquility.  No one other then surfers, fisherman and the early morning runners are that crazy to be awake that early in the morning to see something like that.  And because of our commitments to the sea and the mornings and the luck to live so close to the sea, we experience things only others dream about. 

I heard that this place hasn't gone off in a couple years.  Panama Red, who lives within a short 5 minute walk from this spot said that it was going off the day before, lending six foot, non-lethal, barreling peaks.  I was tending to The Lane that day, stealing some bombs out back from old guys on long boards and mini guns at Middle Peak.  But today, La Boca was the call.

This wave can get very clean and hollow.

We paddled out before the rise of the sun.  We watched it rise up and sparkle the sea with millions of lights as it rose into a velvet sky.  Sets were coming in at around four feet with an occasional five footer in the mix.  And when it broke outside, all you had to do was catch it, grab rail, stick your arm in the wave and watch the glow of dawn through the silk sheets of water as mini barrels were lending themselves if you were in the right spot.

A local making it happen.

It was just me and two other friends trading waves.  I had many spills and ills, but like Richie says, "If you make it, that shit'll be epic!"  One particular wave just set it self up for me.  As I was pumping down the line, trying to make sections, a slow rising section of this wave bumped up and steepened out.  I made one quick pump, put myself close to the wall, stuck my right arm in the wave and enjoyed a 3 second mini barrel.  It tried to throw me off at the end as it poured gallons of water over my right shoulder, but I stayed determined, made it out, made a quick chop off the top and the ride ended.  Richie, a fella that I surf with occasionally was stoked out for me.  He said he watched it the whole way and gave me a fist bump.  And yeah, I was super stoked!    

On the Sunday before New Years, I surfed The Lane with about one hundred of my closest friends.  But it was firing to say the least.  I bet everybody on that day got something that could be comparable to the ride of their life.  I hanged out around the slot for a while, but I got tired of endlessly taking monsters on the head.  I scooted over to Middle Peak.  Compared to everybody else, I felt so under gunned.  I saw old dudes on mini guns and nine foot long boards.  All I had was my 6'2 M-10.

After an hour of just trying to judge where I could position myself and avoid the run of the 'logs', I decided to stay deep and maybe catch the fourth wave of the set.  A set came, first wave, second, third and oh shit, here comes the fourth. I was all alone as others either caught one or were cleaned up.  And this particular wave was coming wide.  I paddled with everything I had to get to it's outer right shoulder, straightened up my board and went for it.  That drop had to be one of the biggest drops I ever made.  All I saw was a wall of green and I was speeding down it.  At one point, I thought I was going to lose control of my board, but for some reason, it was one of those moments where the wax on my board kicked in and my feet got into proper position.  And by blind luck, I was able to make what felt like the ugliest cut back ever to set myself up near the curl.  For the next 100 or so yards all I remember was the wind in my hair, silence, a green wall and here and there, the curl of the wave falling softly on my back foot and tail.  And when I woke up from this dream, I was passed Cowell's point and about 20 yards into Cowell's.  I decided to paddle into the Cowell's stairs, go to my car and leave on a high note. 

And now it is the New Year, and I guess the tradition is to make resolutions.  For one thing, sugar is the devil for me, so I have to make a resolution around that.  Another thing that I want to do is read more, but my wife said that I already read enough.  So my resolution this year is gonna be somewhat of an abstract one.  My new years resolution is to "stay stoked" and enjoy the great moments that life offers.  And to make my cutbacks prettier.  They are so damn ugly.