It’s raining, the Northerly wind has been howling all night.
With a wet wetsuit on, carrying my pink Bonzer, I carefully make my way down the hill.
My feet are numb – I knew I should have worn my new 5mil booties.
The waves were good yesterday (check the picture) I surfed for 5 hours, I’m tired this morning but I’m pumped.
I can hear waves breaking but can’t see them yet, sounds like there’s still loads of swell.
Someone is walking towards me, they have been at the end of the harbour wall checking the surf. As they get nearer they look up and smile, “no way man, are you going in, it’s pretty big?” they’re American I think. I smile and keep walking. Looking down, the fishing boats are swaying and rocking side to side on their moorings. There’s a loud BOOM, and 2 seconds later a giant wave crashes over the harbour wall engulfing me in ice cold sea water. I start running as the water drains off the path back into the harbour.
Reaching the Jump off point at the bottom of the steps I pause, the rip is savage, the air is alive, I can feel energy all around me, it’s now or never so I jump. The rip instantly pulls me around the harbour wall and into the line up. It’s crazy, massive waves crash all around me and there’s whitewater to the horizon.
The rip is mental and I’m rapidly pulled out to sea. I paddle sideways, duck dive, duck dive, duck dive, every time I come up from one duck dive there is another wave breaking in front of me it’s relentless. Eventually I manage to find a calm spot in the storm, I’m a long way out, waves are breaking on the outer banks and then reforming where I’m sat.
I sit on my board and catch my breath.
There’s no one on the beach and I can’t see any fishermen on the rocks, I’m on my own just me and mother nature. I always say to everyone that I’m more comfortable in the ocean than I am on dry land but all my instincts are telling me that I’m not in a good place and my instincts never let me down. I look up as a monster set closes out the bay and a huge wall of white water is heading straight towards me. As it gets nearer it mellows and starts to reform so I turn and paddle flat out. I feel the wave catch me, i jump to my feet and look down a vertical wall of water that has inverted at the bottom into a death pit of doom. Pulling out just in time I turn, roll off my board and swim down deep as another giant wall of white water rolls over me. On my way back to the surface I feel another wave go by so I relax, wait and make my way back to daylight. I open my eyes and see another massive wave close out the bay again about 100 yards out from me.
Every nerve in my body is saying it’s time to bale, retreat, abort. The wave starts to reform, I go into full ninja mode, paddling as fast as I can, as i feel the wave push me, I jump to my feet and my tiny pink bonzer takes off. I can feel her gliding under my feet, she’s flying, the wave walls up vertically so I take the high line and cut through the close out section at full speed onto the open face, the wave doubles up in front of me, I hold my line, accelerate and race through another gnarly close out section before it backs off in the rip.
It was a long ride but im still only half way to the beach and the rip is pulling me back out to sea. I see a rideable wave and paddle flat out towards it, it starts to break, I’m late but go anyway. I make the drop and then the whole thing inverts on itself, takes me down and pushes me along upside down underwater. Relaxing i let the wave take me, it’s cool, I know Im being pushed in the right direction.
Coming up for air I’m now back by the harbour wall, back where I started. The rip coming out of the harbour entrance is still like a river and although Im paddling flat out I can’t get back to safety. Looking backwards I can see I’m being pulled into the path of a wave that is about to break on top of me. Lying on my board I grab the rails, put my head down and shut my eyes.
As the wave catches me I angle slightly to the right, “if I get this right I should be able to ride the whitewater back into the harbour.”
I ride on instinct for what seems like ages but is probably only a couple of seconds and when I open my eyes I am staring at the back of a blue fishing boat.and a seal….I made it, I’m back in the harbour. Sitting on the pink bozer I float around for a bit, savouring the moment, hanging out with the seal….
Walking back up the hill I pass a dude with dreadlocks, he’s smiling ” yes bru, you survived, radical, I watched the whole thing bru, radical,” I think he’s South African.
Twenty minutes later I’m chilling outside “Box and Barbour” sipping a Cappucino, listening to Christy Moore and it’s not even 9am….. what an epic start to another epic day living in surf city UK.
