I couldn't even comprehend paddling that far out into waves this big. Look what you have to go through - and if you get pummeled, you can't go anywhere because land is VERY far away.
...this time at Panga Drops: a deep water break about 500 yards off shore. Here's a photo of Steve getting close to the wave after about five solid minutes of paddling.
And here's Steve surfing a wave that hopefully explains why I nearly soiled my boardshorts when I found myself on the other side of it. Surfing East Coast waves that are 5 or 6 feet is no big deal. This, however, was a whole different animal.
Here's me a few hours later after my new board clocked me in the face. I buried my nose, went over the front of the board, and when I came up for air, the edge of my board bonked me in the forehead right above my left eye and the sharp-edge of one of the fins when into the meat of my nose where the bridge meets the brow. I saw stars and had those few moments where I was afraid to take my hand away from my face because I was expecting a lot of blood. All things considered, I got off relatively unscathed!
I'd been renting longboards for most of the summer, but for the last few days I'd been trying out a used shortboard (6' 4") that was for sale trying to decide if I should buy it.
