Baptism

Today after work a bunch of us headed to Corbina to surf. The waves were bigger than I’d seen them in a while and still being a rookie surfer, I was intimidated by the size of the waves as well as the number of quality surfers in the lineup. I watched from the beach for a few minutes before deciding to paddle out. When the waves are head high or bigger, just paddling out can be an ordeal.

Since I got to Cape Hatteras in February, the ocean has intimidated me. In all three of the tri-sports, as I call them, kiting, surfing and standup paddle boarding, I had taken my beatings in the ocean. And of course, my imagination is always running wild about what lurks below my feet. Today, after paddling out, as I sat on my board to catch my breadth, a dolphin breached within 15 feet of me. But it takes a half of one second for your mind to register DOLPHIN and not MAN EATING SHARK. Needless to say I was very relieved a half a second later.

They’re beautiful when they’re that close and at eye level with you. This fear or intimidation that plagues me actually subsides after spotting sea life. To see fish below your feet and dolphins breaching makes you realize that you CAN coexist in the ocean with all of the sea creatures around you. No reason to fear.

Without that fear, your body relaxes and confidence returns as you acknowledge the fact that it’s just water. Attack that wave! Paddle hard! Feel the board accelerate! Get on your feet! What a tremendous feeling of confidence to surf a wave.

The ocean water here in Cape Hatteras is so clear and so clean that you feel refreshed enough to not require a shower after your session. But it’s also cleansing to the soul. To enter the ocean feeling so small and exit, after your session, feeling larger than life. I was immediately reminded of why I’m here and why I came to this place. I’ll sleep like a baby tonight in my board shorts. I don’t want to shower just yet. I’m going to let the salt linger on my skin until the morning.