Why can’t I do that Frontside Cutback anymore...?

I like to think I used to be a little bit better than Jade at surfing. 

We spent half our honeymoon surfing in Sayulita, Nayarit, just about an hour south of Chacala Bay. We were addicted to the waves and only ever got out of the water because of hunger or lack of funds. It cost too much to rent surfboards for the entire week.

On the day of our flight home we spent all morning in the surf until the last possible moment before we had to run back, check out, and catch our bus to the airport.

Since then we have surfed in Hawaii and California as well. Somehow Jade surpassed my skills and now coaches me while he catches nearly everything, effortlessly.

We have been itching to hit the waves since we got here 2 weeks ago but a tiny part of me has been secretly reluctant. We have PLENTY of time, I told myself as I let day by day pass me by.

We have been asking around about good surf spots and we are still in the process of tracking down a couple surfboards. I will be happy with the 8 foot soft top board they sell at Costco here but Jade has his heart set on a fiberglass board. He is still watching online classifieds and asking around.

The other day we were helping out a neighbor, Tobi. She asked us to check on her dogs in case she didn't make it back from the dentist early enough to let them out of the house. She got home while we were over there and we got talking on the topic of surfing. She has one of the Costco boards and has been dreaming of surfing for years. She’s not quite in “surfing shape” she called it and is afraid of trying it alone.  She needs a coach and can’t afford a lesson.

That’s when she told us that she needed to head down to Sayulita the next day to go to the vet there and we hatched a plan to meet down there, for her to loan us her board in exchange for a quick surf lesson. “I’m old and won’t have the energy to stay very long but it would mean the world to me to have someone in the water with me, giving me pointers.”

And so we finally ventured out into the surf world here. We met Tobi on the beach the next morning. We brought our umbrella and a couple chairs and she brought her dogs, Utah and Sherpa.

By the time we were set up there were plenty of people in the water. It’s later in the season than when we were here before and it was definitely evident in the sheer number of people in the water.

There was a surf school in session and lots of lobster-red tourists playing Frisbee and bobbing in the surf. Every five minutes we kindly turned down some handmade item being sold by another vendor walking on the sand. “No, gracias… Gracias, no, gracias. Que te vaya bien.”

But all that mattered was that there were waves. Chacala bay is very rarely surf-able so it made my heart happy to see people out on boards, catching the incoming sets in Sayulita. What was even better is that they were nice and easy, a perfect re-introduction to the sport to keep me from getting intimidated.

I volunteered dog-sitting duty while Jade spent an hour in the water with Tobi, talking mostly. He pushed her into a couple waves and eventually she was able to stand up! She was ecstatic and exhausted as she came up out of the water. She had tweaked her hip and was unaware that her nose was bleeding. But she had been waiting a long time for that progress so she was happy and she left to tend to her injuries and her dogs.

After that, Jade and I traded off with the board playing in the water when it wasn't our turn. 

The beach was a very shallow which was nice so short-little-me could touch the ground even when out in the waves with Jade.

The sand was incredible. It was very fine and glittered with specs of gold. When the sand was turned up by the shore breaking waves or by my feet dancing around in the water, there was so much gold glittering around in the water I thought I should be able to collect it and turn it in for money. 

The city of Sayulita is even more immersed in jungle than Chacala. Just sitting on the board and looking around was breathtaking. 

And the surfing… How can I describe the feeling?

I think catching a wave on a surfboard is what I was born for. I feel undeniable happiness as energizing electricity flows through my body from my toes to my fingertips conducted by the water around me. 

I wasn't as good as I wanted to be. I never have been. Even watching surfing on TV as a child I knew this is what I wanted to do every day for the rest of my life. (Nevermind that I ended up living in Las Vegas, dry and barren desert, Nevada, which I actually love regardless of the lack of rolling waves).

When I see surfers I transpose my face on their bodies in my mind and think I am getting barreled in the wave instead of them. I’m only slightly devastated and impatient with myself when I paddle into a wave, can’t figure out the timing, and “pearl,” nosediving into the water and get sucked into the washing machine spin cycle.

I just won first place in that competition in Huntington Beach on TV last month. Why can’t I do that Frontside Cutback anymore...?

I try to give myself a little credit, though, and with a few tips from Jade, I caught some really good waves. I tell myself that it’s all about practice and I will soon be riding out waves doing headstands on my board (as I saw someone doing last time I was in Sayulita all those years ago).  And even if I don’t, I will always be happy doing this, just taking it easy.

And that feeling of utter joy that I get as I pop to my feet and drop into a wave that swells my heart like the Grinch to 10 times its normal size will never go away.  

When we noticed the date we realized it was only fitting. It was June 21, the first day of summer and the longest day of the year, obviously prophetic of many summer days to come.

Finally, exhausted and sun kissed, we decided to grab a bite to eat before heading back. We had delicious shrimp quesadillas at Sayulita Tacos where we enjoyed the wall murals almost as much as the food. It’s hard to aim right when you’re taking a selfie. 

oops.. bad aim.

That's what I meant to do!

We took a short walk up the familiar street to the vacation rental where we spent our honeymoon just over 3 years ago and tried to do a re-creation shot of an old photo.

3 years ago on our Luna de Miel (honeymoon)

On the drive home we couldn’t stop talking about how energized we are to head back to Sayulita as soon as possible. In fact, we will be heading into Puerto Vallarta in the next couple days to get my board.

Rip Curl sponsorship here I come!