Excerpt of Upswell
Photo by LECHAT Valentin on Unsplash
Dark clouds sit fat on the horizon, but for now, the sun has bullied its way through. I rest on my surfboard, past the break line, my feet dangling in the warm sea. My board buoys me over a small swell, and there is a familiar tug on my leg rope as the undercurrent sucks back towards the horizon, telling me the next wave will be big.
Anticipation prickles as the ocean slopes, slow and relentless, growing fat and high. I pivot onto my stomach and begin paddling. I can see exactly what shape the wave will take, what angle it will pitch at, what spot on the wave’s face I will own.
I launch in and claim it.
Adrenaline explodes in my core. The wave rushes up, and my deck rises to meet my feet. I fly along the bank, my fingers trail across the face, spraying white water behind me. I lean onto my front foot, my board firm and sure, and tilt downwards, my fins rising as I head for the inside rail.
The lip of the wave is frothing when the surfer crests up and over, skimming into my path.
Number one rule of surfing; don’t drop in. Everyone on the water knows the code.
I whistle, loud as a car horn, like my brother Brock taught me as a kid, and wait for the drop-in to do the right thing and kick out.
He doesn’t.
Anticipation prickles as the ocean slopes, slow and relentless, growing fat and high. I pivot onto my stomach and begin paddling. I can see exactly what shape the wave will take, what angle it will pitch at, what spot on the wave’s face I will own.
I launch in and claim it.
Adrenaline explodes in my core. The wave rushes up, and my deck rises to meet my feet. I fly along the bank, my fingers trail across the face, spraying white water behind me. I lean onto my front foot, my board firm and sure, and tilt downwards, my fins rising as I head for the inside rail.
The lip of the wave is frothing when the surfer crests up and over, skimming into my path.
Number one rule of surfing; don’t drop in. Everyone on the water knows the code.
I whistle, loud as a car horn, like my brother Brock taught me as a kid, and wait for the drop-in to do the right thing and kick out.
He doesn’t.