First wave

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El Kneelo
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First wave

Post by El Kneelo »

I'd been swimming in the ocean for as long as I could remember. My mom was a school teacher from Washington State, who loved the ocean. I remember when I was about 4 or 5, I had a chunk of Styrofoam that I'd paddle out into the lineup with all of the surfers. The life guard would swim out and pull me back in. I'd go right back out. After a couple of times the surfers would tell him "Hey, leave the kid alone! Don't worry we'll keep an eye on him!"
I was given my first knee board for mowing a lawn when I was 12yrs old. (1981) It was a green single fin box tail "Full Force". It had a chunk out of the nose and the tail was held together with duct-tape. I had been sponging (riding Boogie Boards) since they first had come out and was excited to take what seemed to be the next step! My friend, Steve, had just gotten his license and had his mom's 70' 4dr Nova and we were cruising!
I remember the wave that got me hooked….
It was a sometime during late afternoon and we were at Newport, 17th Street. Back then, south of the Newport pier used to break three times at low tide (Outer, inner and shore). Steve and I traded off using the board or a Boogie. After managing to stay up on a couple of waves, I was amazed at the speed of fiberglass over sponge (Boogie Board). I can remember it like it was yesterday…
It was breaking probably 2 to 3 ft. I was outside of everyone. For some reason I just had a sense that I should wait just where I was… Well, it wasn't long before a set came and everyone was scrambling. I was right at the peak of about a 5 ft'er! I paddled right into it. I didn't do a bottom turn or anything, I just took off left and kept going. After what seemed like 3 minutes, it started to die down, I straightened up a bit. The wave reformed a little more hollow on the middle break. I was still on the shoulder! It hadn't clam-shelled! I remember thinking about that scene in Endless Summer with the really long wave?? It hollowed out and I may even have gotten barreled a bit? Then, once again the bottom dropped out and I hit my belly for a bit to stay on the wave. It started forming again, so I popped up and dropped in for the third time! Now it was steep and hollow and I did get barreled! I only stopped when the 6" fin hit sand! "Wow! That was like a 10 minute ride!" I was hooked on knee boarding! From that moment on I never rode another sponge (Boogie board)! Not even at the Wedge! For the next few weeks, I Begged-borrowed-scrapped together all I had in order to buy a used Small Faces knee board at the Frog House and I was off!
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Scott
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Re: First wave

Post by Scott »

Thanks for writing out your first experiences. It's amazing, isn't it, how time seems to slow down on an incredible experience on a wave, one that proves to be a quantum leap to the next level. Glad you're still at it so many years later.
I'm not influenced by the past; I change it!
El Kneelo
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Re: First wave

Post by El Kneelo »

Scot,
It is funny how time stretches! I glad you picked up on that! As for still being in the water? There have been a couple of rather large gaps, but those are stories for another time!

Ian
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