Learning to surf
Whenyou’ve never ridden awave, surfing looks like a pursuit that requires plenty of discussion, instruction and theory. Not so much. The beach portion ofmy lesson with Carroll lasted five minutes.
OnaWaikiki beach belowan endless line of hotels, the former surfing champ explained howto mount the board (at the back-middle, belly first), howto pop ontomy knees (one swift, confident motion) and then howto lift and positionmyself (feet a couple of feet apart on opposite sides of the board). And thenwewent to thewater.
Carroll led theway aswe paddled into the ocean until wewere several hundred yards off the shore, with the waves gently rolling belowus (the smallerwaves are a good reason to learn atWaikiki rather than the fabled North Shore, where the surf can reach epic sizes).
Carroll is called “TheWave Whisperer” for a reason; he spots the surfworth grabbing15 or 20 seconds before it arrives (and finding thosewaves, Iwould learn, is harder than riding them). With Carroll’s guidance, I rode the first one onmy belly. Fun. Then I rode one onmy knees. Also fun. For the third one, Carroll said to ride it however Iwanted and to try standing when Iwas comfortable.
As thewave swelled beneathme, andmy surf board rose in the foam, I popped up as I had been instructed on land— and I rode it! Itwas a magnificent feeling: snow skiing meets skateboarding meets flying. Iwas riding the ocean.
Whenthewave ran out of energy and I toppled into the ocean, I paddled back to Carroll and asked the key to becoming a decent surfer.
“Patience,” he said.“Waiting to be in the right place at the right time.”
Over the next 90 minutes, I discovered other necessary attributes. Balance. Relaxation. And letting the body do morework than the mind. Eventually I even figured out howto steer the board by shiftingmyweight (one reason it helps to have skied).
Locals began givingmethumbs up as I rode with them. But the most gratifying compliment came back on the beach, when Iwas salt-drenched and exhilarated and dreaming ofmy next surf.
“A-plus, bro,” Carroll said.