NOTSHOCUZ

Just wrapping up my trip, cruising in Kuta, Bali.  Surf has been ok.  Fun session at Uluwatu.  Surfed at the temples peak, which is in full view of the main peek at Ulus, but up current.  It is a double up wave, that is fun if you can read it.  It is relatively uncrowded and really fun when tide and swell cooperate.  Chris Cordio, Jesse Thielan and I also spent some time at Balangan, which is down the coast a bit.  The wave were big but inconsistent.  I think we averaged about a wave an hour.  My first wave was one of the bigger ones of the day.  I had to paddle, kick and scratch my way into it.  I rode for about a hundred yards doing big carves until I hit the end section which heaves into what we endearingly call the death bowl.  You see the most hollow barrel setting up, and your natural instinct, for surfers that is, tells you to pull the !#*k in!  Then hopefully, reason prevails…because you have about a split second to get out.  I have pushed this timing a few times, including on this wave.  I always find myself hoping for the impossible, “I can make it or at least pull in for a little while…”  Not!  The wave squared up and produced a solid overhead, two foot thick barrel that ended in virtually dry reef. Punching through became my only option.  Now on a small or less powerful wave, a person of my gravitational substance, would have no problem, I knew this was different. I managed to punch though and waited for board to reappear. Still waiting as the next wave approached. Then my board shot out of the water towards me, tail first. I had seen this before and quickly ducked, then grabbed m board in time to execute somewhat of a duck-dive. Not fully on the board, the next wave start to pull my board out of my hands, my board slipped down between my hands until i had just one holding the last foot of it for a few seconds, and the it was gone. i came up to retrieve it for the next wave and realize the wave had also taken my leash off for me. Luckily my effort to hold it had kept it close to me, so i put my leash on and paddled back out in time to watch Cordio get rewarded with a nice peeling 6-8′ footer, with off-shores blowing off the top like the mags. spent the rest of the day at Nicky’s warang, bintang,massages and don’t forget the mie goreng.