Surfing adventures

March 2020:

Early March:

Palm beach is my favourite beach. Tom teaches me how to surf left and right on the waves. I still don't know which way the waves are breaking and have to ask him always. I catch lots of waves. It's a beautiful day. Tom gets tired (or maybe his leg hurts because he has pistol grip deformity) and watches me from the shore. I catch two waves to the right, and give Tom my biggest smile because I'm so happy. He is happy too but now gesturing for me to come out of the water. ''One more wave'' I tell him. I must catch another one.

Early March:

We go back to palm beach. The waves are small and just right for me. Tom takes my blue foam board. For a while we have the space to ourselves because there is nobody else there and we have lots of fun surfing. It's the first time we properly surf together and even ride on the same waves. When more people start coming it gets a little bit cold and starts sprinkling with rain. My toes become numb and I get scared that my toes will fall off. I decide that I will go out and wait for another wave to catch in to shore.

hmmm..

there are no waves and it is taking forever. I check my feet. Oh no! my toes are going purple. F*** it, I'll just paddle to the sand instead.

March: 

It's a little bit cold outside but that's okay because I have a long wetsuit. We walk from the car to the beach and the waves are too big, bumpy and scary. We walk along the sand to the north side of Bondi. Blue bottle jellyfishes are washed up on the shore all the way across the beach. ''Are there blue bottles in the water too?'' ''It's part of surfing, sometimes there will be blue bottles but don't worry, you're wearing a wetsuit'', Tom said. 

We go in the water and right away, after just a couple of paddles, I feel a stinging sensation on my right wrist. I think I'm just being paranoid but the sting gets worse. ''I think I just got stung''. And right at that moment we are surrounded by a gang of bluebottles ready to kill me. There is a long blue bottle tail across the nose of my board. I scream and Tom is trying to help me and say to paddle out. I get on my board and paddle for my life.

We escape the blue bottle gang but there are still more here. The plan was to catch a wave back in to shore. Lucky I didn't fall off the wave and actually caught it all the way through otherwise I don't know what bad things might have happened if I fell off. 

Anyway, I'm not scared of bluebottles  now. I would do it again.

Saturday 28th of March, 2020:

Today we drive to Palm beach again. Bondi beach is closed because of Covid-19. There are cops on the way, blocking some entrances to other roads leading to beaches. As we drive up we see that Palm beach is closed too because we see that nobody is there. That's okay, but not really because Palm beach is my favourite beach. But it's okay because at least we can drive to other beaches nearby. We end up going to this other beach and the waves are too scary for me. I paddle out for just 30 seconds near the rocks and already the waves are pushing me back with force. the push me onto the rocks and it's is embarrassing because there is a couple on the shore who are watching me. Tom paddles back to me but I tell him I can't do it anymore. I walk back to the beach in my walk of shame past the couple and I smile at them embarrassed. Before Tom continues his surfing he tells me ''you should go for a swim in between the flags''. I take my surfboard back to the car to change back to my dry clothes. I look for Tom's keys on the car wheels where he hid them, but I can't find them anywhere. I ask the guys at the small beach shop to help me find them. After lots of searching we find it finally. 

I guess this surfing day was the worst one yet... but it's okay because Tom buys me tandoori chicken burger after.