As the rest of our crew jumps in for a surf, I enjoy a quiet breath and take in the surroundings. The reef is exploding flawlessly with every wave. Knowing that this might be my last session before the next storm, I rally one more time and make my way to the top of the reef. Sitting on my board, I notice the moving mountains of water off in the distance, coming my way. I snap up to standing and paddle quickly towards the horizon as every wave I pass over grows even bigger than the last. Reaching the peak, I swing a sharp turn under the lip and drop into a pretty heavy left bomb that sucks up on the inside section, making for another fin-releasing air drop. As I reconnect into a long bottom turn, I race the lip to safety and kick out. My heart races as the adrenaline pumps through my body like a niacin rush. It’s an awesome feeling – being on the edge like that and having the confidence in your equipment and your own ability to push yourself. I paddle back out for more as another set of waves marches in. This time I find myself a little too deep for the left, so I make a last-minute adjustment and turn down the line, going right. I barely make the drop. Carving down the skatepark-like wall of the inside, I mistime the close out section and bounce off the reef bottom, losing my paddle. The next 45 minutes are spent scouring the whitewater and shoreline for my paddle, with no luck. I paddle back to the boat in frustration and grab my spare paddle to redeem myself and finish the evening session with a couple more solid rides and poundings. The crew calls it a day and we race back to the fishing village just as darkness falls, settling in for the long, bumpy ride home. Our final day starts with rain that clears by midday with a strong side onshore wind. Desperate for one more session, we hike out to a sheltered cove and score a really fun, grinding head-high right on a cobblestone point. It’s the perfect way to relax and unwind after two solid days of air drops and beatings. I finish the session with a walk up the beach just as a herd of wild horses make their way down to the water’s edge. I laugh, watching them lick the salt off my board and play together in the water. Nature seems so untouched down here. It reminds me of what used to be and how important it is that we protect and preserve this natural beauty
before it disappears.
