The girls are back in town! After a 4:30am wake-up, we rushed to make it to the airport in time for the first flight out on our annual surf trip to Oahu. I say annual to manifest this and not go three years between trips like we did this time around. First up, a (long) session at the temple, which was packed that morning. I loved hearing the changes to the session and attending with friends.
We picked up North Shore Tacos for lunch and met Nikki and her sister Didi at Melekahana for our first surf session where we surfed for three hours before finally popping out of the water to warm up. It was breezy and the Marriott hot tub was calling for us.
Didi lives on Oahu and had all the local connections. She contacted her friend who got us access to Kawelas for a sunset surf session. We shimmied down the rocks with our boards and had the bay to ourselves for two hours. Just after the sun set, a couple guys joined us and the waves improved. The waves all day were smaller than we would have preferred, but as they picked up, we had long, fast rides. Hilary and I stayed out until only tiny traces of shadow could be seen on the water, and suddenly ran into the issue of not remembering which access point we used to get in. We paddled around a cove, noticing a sea creature 100 feet away. At this point in the evening, it is easy to envision a shark attack (even crocodiles do not seem out of the question when you are in dark water), and we were both feeling a little jumpy. We squealed when it was suddenly 10 feet away and we cooked it out of the water. We looked after getting out and it was definitely an animal--maybe a monk seal? Getting out at the wrong point was a painful mistake as we hobbled clear around the property in bare feet, but like Hilary said, "There is no way I am getting back in the water with that sea monster."
We picked up Thai curry at 9:30pm and ate it in the hotel room. I love that Oahu stays awake after 7pm. Our curry truck in Koloa closes at 6:30pm right now.
We had a grim surf forecast for the north shore the next morning--blown out, windy, and big conditions. It was a mess, and we were disappointed that Turtle Bay was not an option. Didi and Nikki called with a surf forecast for the west side, telling us to hurry down because conditions were perfect at White Sands/Barbers. We checked out, grabbed an açaí bowl, and landed at the surf spot of my dreams: overhead, clean rides with plenty to go around in clear, gorgeous water. There were three levels of break, and Hilary and I spent a solid 5 hours paddling clear out to the furthest break for wave after wave. Apparently the conditions were especially ideal that day because all the locals out there had something to say about the clean, long drops. They were the longest rides of my life and when I finally got out of the water, it was because I could not surf five minutes longer.
Didi's boyfriend has a boat docked at Ko Olina, so gratefully tagged along with her to see the boat, the harbor, package up our boards for the airplane, and watch a sunset from the hot tub overlooking the spectacular grounds. We cut it close with time, but managed to squeeze in dinner at Longboard's between a few groups of drunk Girls Night Out groups.
I remember when we moved here feeling like I did not have girlfriends who wanted to adventure. This past year surfing with Hilary and Nikki has been one of the best of my life. Those couple hours a week make all the difference in how I feel, and having them to laugh, chat and text with rejuvenates me. So, so grateful for adventure girlfriends.
No comments:
Post a Comment