Fourteenth Log Entry 10/1/04

Saturday and Monday we were at RJs due to the high tides and small swells. After the previous week's monster monday and tuesday sessions, it was a bit of a relief to have some ho-hum 2-4 sets rolling in lazily. It hearkened back to the early summer days when we had extreme low tides and the sandbar was still out there so you could literally walk out to the break. That was before I learned about stingrays. Large sea creatures scare the hell out of me. Even the friendly ones. It has never been a problem when I am underwater, I used to SCUBA quite a bit, but when I am sitting on top I think about it constantly. When the dolphins come by I am certain one is going to bite my ankle, even though I have never heard of a dolphin ever hurting a surfer. Sea lions freak me out because big sharks eat them therefore there must be a big shark nearby. I remember one time surfing in Carpenteria with little sharks swarming under me. They were all less than 2 ft, but that is big enough to bite a toe. I paddled out anyway, but kept my feet out of the water. Today I saw dolphins. They are common along the southern California coast. I see them a lot, still my heart leaps into my throat whenever that fin first breaks through the water.



Today was day 99 for Travis, day 86 for me. Of those days, I have been in the water everyday since 8/11/04 (52 days) . Two of those days I did not get to surf. Once because I cracked open my board before I ever caught a wave and once because my leash broke before I caught a wave. Travis has an unusual problem. His streak has gone on so long that he may never again have this many consecutive days. Consequently, he has incremental milestones that are easily achievable now, but will be tough to ever make again. Tomorrow is day 100, and it is light enough to surf by 6:25. We may make it through October (Off of daylight savings time), so it may be the rain that stops him in November, or he may go all the way into the darkness of December. Stay tuned to find out.



P.S. The Angels are tied with Oakland with 3 games to go... All against Oakland. Go Angels.