Dawn Patrol 1

I've been threatening to hit the beach at dawn for a surfing session. Kirsten (my spousal unit) has not been thrilled at this idea. Dawn is when sharks feed, something I was pretty well aware of. So I compromised and hit Head of the Meadow beach at about 7:45 AM. Not too early, but early enough for a morning surf session before the family is wanting to go places.

I wish pictures were working here, but Head of the Meadow has changed a lot since last year. (Darn you, Google!) there was always a large sandbar a few yards off shore but now it's turned into a semi-permanent feature. Last year it would get submerged in the high tide every day; now it has lifeguard chairs.

I took a position a few hundred yards north of the parking lot where the sandbar was just slipping into the water. Here the waves were breaking over the bar and creating about the only semblance of a break. I paddled out there and started surfing.

It took me a little while to get my sea legs again. I knew the whole process of paddling quickly as the wave came in, but there's a certain amount if muscle memory too which needed to kick in. After about fifteen minutes I was dialed in.

I love a sandbar break where the wave brings you over the bar into a calm channel. In that kind of situation you never have to get off your board. If I were a classical, prone surfer that would be a different story, but the paddle gives me that nice flexibility. And when I caught a wave and did not fall, that's exactly what happened. 

Falling is a part of surfing, especially when you're a relative beginner like me. So fall I did, and sometimes pretty comically. My best was in the shallow water over the bar. I was too far forwards on the board and pearled, then the nose caught the sand underneath. The whole board tipped forwards, almost getting vertical. Naturally I flew forwards into the water. I curled up, expecting the board to come down on me upside down. It didn't though. It must have righted itself whilst I was submerged, saving me the indignity of a beating after a fall. Lucky me.

It now time to mention the shark situation. There isn't a person on Cape Cod alive who isn't aware that a few dozen great whites are summering in these waters, feeding on the local seals. There was even an attack last year, just a mile from where I was. The threat is real but minor. While I was out there I saw seals almost continuously. Several seemed pretty curious about me. One time a seal swam pretty close. I could see its ghostly shape in front of my board. A few other times they were porpoising, which was pretty cool to see. All this means is that food for the great whites is here and plentiful. They will be or are already around.

Best thing to do is get used to this and not be stupid. But that's another blog entry.