Adam is at it again

Adam Vs. the Waves, Again.

Well some of you have probably read my earlier entries about my surfing/swiming experiences with waves, and I would like to anounce the waves are still kicking my ass. Of course I can now say I am not the only one loosing. I now have many stories from other people on the same beaches as me getting pummeled into oblivion. Anyway here are some more of mine. I was getting wet at Rivermouth near Mergret Rive rone day. I was waiting for a wave along with about 8 other people on surf boards, but the waves appered to have taken the day off, so after floating out there for like 20 minutes before we all unanimusly decided to call it quits at the same time. We all started to paddle in towards shore, when a shadow loomed over us, I looked up into the curving blackness of the biggest wave I have ever seen at this beach, and ever have the misfortune of being in the water for. There have been very few times on this trip when I have verbly swore on this trip, this was not one of those times, not because I didn't want to, but because well, before I could get it out, the wave pounced. If you have ever had the oportunity of being swallowed by a 10 foot wave, I won't have to tell you that it felt like I was stepped on by a giant, I won't have to tell you that I was bounced off the bottom of the ocean (3 feet below the surface) like a bouncy ball, i would never have to mention how you get winded along with a mouthfull of sand, and I most certainly will not tell you when it got bad. I will tell you that when the wave receeded how there were 8 gagging caughing bodies lying on the beach 6 surf boards and 1very stressed looking life guard. All was ok in the end, and the 2 missing surf boards did eventually turn up, though there teathers that held them to there master were snapped like a peice of string. 2 days later I was swimming at Redgate beach with everyone at work, and at one point we were standing at the waters edge chatting when a stupid little wave about 6 inches tall hit my ankles and well, I landed flat on my ass to the whooping laughter of everyone else standing there, well everyone else but Kat, who was kind enough to fall on her butt, just so I wasn't alone. Embarasing, well yes it was, esspecially when women were around. Anyway about a week later I was at Yallingup, North of Margret River where, well, the waves are bigger than any I faced before, but they were really fun. Anyway I was standing in the water taking the waves and chatting with a local guy, when a 12 foot monster rolled in, and we both instinctingly did the same thing, dived into it trying to gut under the curl of the wave, or as i call it, the painful part. Well I succeeded, kind of, I got my upper body through, but my legs got caught and my knees bounced off the ocean floor like a pingpong ball hit with a baseball bat. Even the local guy got caught by this thing, and he later said it was the biggest wave he has seen on this beach. Anyway it was great fun and 2 days later after some wine tasting Ella, Lena, Kia, Chris and Myself all went back to Yallingup. Chris and Kia both attacked the waves, the rest of us looked on and said "Not a chance in hell", actually honestly I was ready to go in but I was going to go snorkling with Ella in the calm part of the beach just off the reaf. Secondly Lena and Ella said Chris and Kia looked stupid to attack the beach with waves like that, and on closer inspection I agreed as this was the first time I was at this beach, and noticed knowone else was swimming out in the waves, that, and I am trying a new tactic of trying not to do stupid things in front of women. Well us three went off to the calm waters and I snorkled with Ella for a little while, and when we were done I looked over at Chris and Kia and found them sitting on the beach not far from where they were swimming earlier, which was strange as usually they are out there for about an hour before they need a rest. I walked down to them and as I approached I noticed something, they were both looking at the ocean, and neither one of them were talking. That is when I found out what had happened. Tweedle De and Tweedle Dum were swimming in the waves and decided to come back in for a drink, Chris turned and went to shore, Kia was 1 foot further out and he got caught in a rip tide. Chris grabbed a drink and turned around to find that Kia was still in the water, rather far in the water. So he goes back out there to find out what is going on and now well they are both caught. Luckly Chris knew what to do, because I pointed it out to him on a poster 2 months prior. If you are caught in a rip, don't fight it, just swim parallel to the beach and you should find a place where the rip tide swings back into shore. It still took them 20 minutes to find that hole in the rip tide, and by that time they were about 200m down the beach, but Kia almost didn't make it, he was so exhausted he actually had a hard time breathing for a while after. I of course new nothing about this when I was snorkling, and by the time I had shown up, they were both re-living the near death experience in their heads. Needless to say they didn't go swimming for the rest of the day. On the not so death defying side of the swim, the snorkling was good and rip tide free.