A Barney in Bali--Day 4, 11JUNE2011 SAT

Prickly Little Bastards:


The plan was to wake up at 0500. I woke up and noticed light entering my room. I looked at my watch--0620. I jumped up, entered the living room, and saw my brother reading the swell forecast. He had tea ready. He said he expected that I’d fall into a coma sooner or later and that it’s normal from the travel. Also, he pointed outside to the windy conditions--not good. The only spot within reach, protected by the wind, was the world renowned Uluwatu. However, it being a Saturday, Randy said that the crowd factor would be ridiculous, not to mention the lack of swell. Once again, the call was Canggu.

By now, the rides on the back of the motorcycle are less of an “ass clencher.” Like dejavu, but in a bad way, the wind and waves were similar to yesterday evening. The size didn’t bother me, as 3-4 foot conditions could still be fun, but the wind, the wind was just fucking everything up again. Burgers was empty, and the crowds at River Mouth and the southern peak were similar as well. We see only two people paddle to The Burger. Decision made, and this time we didn’t forget any gear.

Randy said, “I’m not expecting anything from this session.” I wasn’t either, but all I needed was a couple good ones to make the session, and that’s always possible.

We paddled out and became separated. The rip pulled me past the line up, and I finally noticed Randy’s distance. The two guys that paddled out before us weren’t guys at all; they were two little Balinese brothers. One was elementary school age and the other could’ve been in sixth grade. There I was fighting the current, and these kids didn’t look troubled at all. Little local groms, the older brother had dark Balinese skin and was really cut. Also, the little kid ripped. He got a lot of waves and maneuvered down the line unleashing bits of spray here and there. The little brother was so small that he was being tossed in the surf as if his board was a leaf. He wasn’t as good, but he tried and paddled hard to get into some waves. Oh the irony. Decades older than these boys, the same thing was happening.

The surf was a bit choppy, and the rip current didn’t help. Regardless, I was still able to get some of the lefts that rolled through. Doing nothing crazy, I caught my first wave but took it too far in. I was having too much fun drawing a high line, pumping, and racing against the section. I was over the brown rocks again and jumped ship over a couple feet of water. I paddled back to warn Randy.

The rest of the my rides weren’t significant. The waves broke weird, like the wind was making them break early. It affected my timing. Some waves were too fast and others bogged because they were doubled up. And of course, there was my skill to blame first and foremost. Randy said that even the pros surf shitty waves, but they make them look good. Me? I can’t do that yet.

On my second to the last wave, I caught a fast left. The section was beginning to close, but I stayed committed to get a couple pumps out. It wasn’t even head high, but when the wave closed out it sucked me down with it. I wanted to hurry and get back to the surface, so I felt for the sand to see if I could push myself up. Wrong move. Instead, it felt like I touched a bed of rocks made out of sharp glass; I felt punctured. It was that deep sharp pain and in both feet. I yanked my feet away as fast as I could, but that deep, dull sensation was already there; the damage was done. I was pissed off paddling back. That could have been totally avoided. I knew I was going to pay for it later. I was more worried to see what the damage was, but I waited ‘til we were home. I felt for my right heel and pulled out part of a sea urchin needle that was sticking out. Right on cue, Randy said he was ready to paddle in.

While Randy and Jessica ate Christine’s home made cooking, I was digging out sea urchin from my feet with a needle. The thought of what was down there scared me. Could you imagine a bad wipe out on a big wave in the wrong place in that spot? There could be a whole bed of sea urchin down there, just waiting for you to get smashed on and roll around in. Fuck that! I’m going to be really cautious when riding left at that spot.
The wind never died, so we cruised around Seminyak instead of surfing again. I got to see what the market looks like, and we went to the local breach break to see if there were any pulses in the water. I hope that tomorrow’s conditions will be better. Just because it’s Bali doesn’t mean it’s perfect. The surf is still at mercy to many factors, like every surf break is in the world.

Dhyana Pura