Learn something new everyday...

I got to Sunset at 5:45am and saw Sherman already there, chatting with another older fella - Garrett. I hit the water at 5:55am. Marvin showed up with his friend, Christian, about 20 minutes later and joined me in the water. Sunset was small, just how I liked. Of course, the more experienced surfers didn't like that. I got in the line-up in front of the steps, and gradually moved toward the ramp because it was so flat. There, I got to talking to Garrett about surfing and the ordeals of beginner surfers. He told me something that I should try when trying to catch waves.

• "Crescendo" my paddling to catch the wave. Start out slow, then speed up as the wave gets closer, then paddle like crazy when the wave gets really close. And then, just as I feel my nose go over, GET MY ASS UP!

Garrett said that it makes a huge difference. So I tried it, and ALMOST caught the wave. I think he was right. I wanted to try it a few more times but someone turned off all the waves and it became flat. :-[ On top of that, I wanted to stay in longer, but sigh... HAD TO GO TO WORK! DAMNIT! I met Marlon (who I met last week in the water at Sunset) at the top of the steps and he gave me a couple of more tips too.

• It's better to pearl than to let the wave pass and miss it altogether.
• Keep going for the waves even though you keep pearling so that you get a feel for exactly where your feet needs to be for different waves with different speeds.
• Pearling = Good. Being too far back on the board and missing the wave altogether = BAD.

I need a new profession to accomodate my surfing addiction. I can't wait til the weekend when I can surf for a few hours without worrying about the time or having to be somewhere.