11 . 11 . 17
Sometimes, one wave is all a person needs. It could be one of many, or the only wave of a session, but if it’s enough to make a memory then we’ll take it, thank you very much. As we slide deeper into winter, with serious storms alternating with some beautifully clear but brutally cold days, opportunities to get in the sea are constricted. These are the times when it’s good to be able to dine out on a single good wave, however it’s ridden; these are the times when cold-water bodysurfing – whomping in winter – can pay dividends. Short sessions, swimming hard, hunting peaks and counting one good and long ride in the pocket as making it all worthwhile. Not many surfers bodysurf regularly, and even fewer do so right through the winter. Deep-winter sessions require a good hood, and even then going headfirst can still be a bit of a flush-fest. When days are short and time is tight, a half hour whomp when the opportunity arises can sate a surfer’s appetite enough to sit through the next storm. So, don’t hang up your handplane and fins as we approach December. All it takes is one winter wave.
