Photo: Trevor Moran
Winters in Britain can be long, dark, and cold affairs. Storms can pass through with such regularity that you become accustomed to strong winds and sideways rain. But these storms often bring massive swell. And as far as the chill of the cold, empty lineups and gale-force winds are concerned, well, shelter can always be found.
The old-timer had got it right the first time, and Dan was just grateful they’d found it in one journey. The questions they’d been asking during the drive were answered in a split second upon casting their gaze on the beach below. They scrambled through the trees to the highest point of the hill, and as they stepped out from the woods the wind hit them and the raucous volume of tempest, quickly replacing the serenity of the shelter. Below them, maybe a hundred feet, was the small bay, and to the left was the river mouth. Beyond the headlands the sea was vast and wild, the enormous rollers breaking erratically. The contrast between the wild exposed sea and the cleaner, more ordered lines of swell inside the sheltered bay was immense. Any anxieties they had immediately dissipated, and their bodies relaxed because they knew they’d be getting some waves today—clean waves, at that.
Mike gave a big wide grin. His job was done. The master had once again validated his position. Mike’s wispy white handle bar moustache blew ferociously in the wind and he gave up holding his hood to keep his bald dome warm. He started to explain to Dan the method behind his choice of spot, but as he pointed at the headlands and gestured to the sky and sea, Dan switched off and was surfing the waves in his mind.
Dan was watching the waves break and envisaging himself out there on the walled-up faces, successfully mastering the difficult sections. There was only one guy out and this pleased them both. They both focused on the longboarder paddling and dropping into a set wave. The surfer’s scale worked to perfection. As he dropped down the face of the wave, it was head high and running all the way from the river mouth to the inside of the bay. Joy filled their bodies.
Mike slapped Dan on the back and they both rushed back to the car to get kitted up. Mike was more ordered in his approach in putting on a wetsuit. Maybe it was his age and wisdom that dictated his pace, as he took his time to secure his towel around his waist and then slowly undress, folding then placing his clothes in a regimented fashion on the front seat. Dan, on the other hand, whipped his jeans off and threw his stuff into the back seat.
“Take your time champ,” Mike sniggered. Dan was struggling to get one foot out. He hopped on one foot a couple of times before falling into the back seat. The more he rushed the longer it took him to get suited up. But he was so pumped. Mike was ready and had to wait as Dan went full gimp, boots, gloves, and hood, whereas Mike had never worn gloves and rarely wore a hood.
Both Mike and Dan skipped down the forest path that got steeper as it approached the beach. The roots turned into rocks then into sand. The tide was high so they didn’t have long to jog before they were at the shore. They waded into the fresh sea and paddled out. Two or three duck dives and Dan found himself out back. He positioned himself just inside the longboarder, where he saw the set waves break. Mike paddled past him towards the other surfer, smiling wide. He said something to the stranger, but I’m not sure he heard Mike through his hood. The man nodded and awkwardly smiled back. Knowing Mike, he would’ve said something corny, like “Some great TV on today,” or “Quiet day at the office, right?” which was his favorite line when it was uncrowded. Mike, once in the water, strangely never spoke about the conditions. He enjoyed the moment too much and just gained smugness from being out there.
Mike was first to go. He turned on a smaller, nicely shaped wave and took off. His pop up was still quick for an old man. He stayed low as he raced down the face and then stood up and took command, dropping to the bottom of the wave and turning back up the face for a full top turn. He hung on top of the wave for a brief moment before dropping back down, head only visible as he raced towards the beach.
As Dan turned back to face the horizon he noticed how tranquil the setting had now become. The surrounding countryside on the cliff tops swayed with the wind, and the dark, ominous clouds moved over at an incredible speed. In the water it was quiet. His hood muted the noise. And although the rain lashed the water’s surface when they paddled out, it now stopped and the dark brine was perfectly flat. Dan was just glad he was there and not sitting at home still looking out.
A more sizeable set rolled in and Dan paddled closer to the peak. The first wave broke and the stranger took off. It was just over head high. His footing was wrong on the takeoff , but he clawed it back at the bottom of the wave, as he clumsily readjusted. The next wave was about to break in the same spot and Dan was well placed. He paddled quickly towards the wave and turned to face the headland. The wave didn’t warrant much effort—a quick blast of paddle strokes and he felt the motion of the board and popped to his feet. He was low as he pumped to get away from the white water, then the face opened up and the whole wave stood up for his shear enjoyment all the way down that clean walled-up line. He took a split second to compose himself because over excitement and thinking too far down the wave was normally his downfall. He put in two big gouging turns, which felt great. His back foot dug into the tail of his board as he reached the top of the wave. He raced along the wall of black slick and needed a quick pump to make the final section, and then a big hack at the end to finish on the white water.
Dan let his board slide from under his feet and just dove on top of the cold foam. As he came up he pulled his board beneath his chest again and felt exhilarated. He started paddling back out towards Mike and, uncontrollably, his whole face was an exaggerated grin. Mike noticed and raised his thick thumb and pushed it towards Dan in recognition. He then turned back to the horizon and prepared himself for the next set. Dan kept smiling.
