A Barney in Bali--Day 7, 14JUNE2011 TUE

We pulled off of the highway to meet Daz and saw this. 

Surf Celeb:


     I wake up a bit late, 0621. I spring up from bed, and my brother’s already been up since 0500. I guess I didn’t rest that well. Last night when we returned, there was a power outage. It wasn’t until about a quarter to midnight that we were able to shower off remnants from the evening’s session. Also, it was pretty hot, and it was rough sleeping without the fan.

     The wind is still dead in the morning, so we attempt to gamble on Sanur. We meet Daz on the main highway. Daz has spent the last week in Lombok to chase that swell that was supposed to hit. Unfortunately, the forecast was off, so he didn’t get what he set out for. Daz tells us that he’s heard that Sanur’s been blown out the last few days. We part ways. We figure that it’s not worth the drive if the spot’s blown out. We ride to Dhyana Pura to see what the swell’s doing. The tide is high, there’s not much size, it’s crowded, and there isn’t much shape. It looks mooshy all around.

     We go back home to do a couple things before we head out again. So far, the morning’s not looking too good for surf. The wind is picking up, so we stick to Canggu. He tells me that Uluwatu is probably the only area protected by the wind, but it’s always crowded, and it’s not worth it without the right swell. Canggu is a good wave, and I still need my practice to prepare for the big swells to come anyhow.

     We pull into our parking spot by the cows, and there’s a black truck parked there already. The guy in the truck is by himself, wearing shades, is dark, and has long hair. I wave, as I would greet any stranger out here. He waves back. I already know who it is the second that I see him; it’s Mikala Jones.

     My brother parks and walks up to him. They’ve already been communicating via e-mail because they have a mutual friend from Hawaii. They start off on small talk about the waves, and then Randy lets him know that he’s the “Randy” from the e-mails. They immediately hit it off and discuss business that they’ve already been communicating about. Randy introduces me, and I shake Mikala’s hand.

     My brother gave me his collection of surf porn a long time ago. The first time I saw Mikala surf was from the movie “Snapt 2.” More recently, his surfing is also on the extras from “Castles in the Sky,” and he has a surf sequence on “Innersections.”

     Their conversation moves on to the local surf, and Mikala fills my brother in on some local knowledge. I want to chime in some kind of tidbit to add to the conversation, but everything that crosses my mind would make me sound like an idiot. I just nod my head in approval to whatever the hell they are talking about, and keep my mouth closed.

     Randy says that we’re gonna go and paddle out. They shake hands, but I can’t let the opportunity pass.
I say, “Hey, is it cool if I get a picture with you?”
“Yeah, sure,” says Mikala.

     I hand the camera to Randy, and he suggests we move into better lighting. We both throw up shakas, as the camera clicks.

     I tell him, “Cool, man, thanks.” Then I say too much: “I liked your sequence in Innersections. Cool song by the way. I was thinking of it this morning.”

     “Oh yeah?” He replies.

Totarry Rawsome!

 
     One more goodbye, Randy and I change, and then we throw him one more shaka for the road. Damn, I can’t help but think about how stupid I must’ve sounded, but I’m not ashamed of it. It’s not everyday I meet a pro surfer or free surfer. They guy’s surfing is awesome, and I really do dig his part from “Innersections,” I wasn’t just saying it.

     There’s a couple pulses in the water, but they’re not consistently rolling in. The crowd is thinner than yesterday morning, but the peak in front of the resort, Sand Bar, and the River Mouth still have a lot of heads. We walk to The Burger again; there’s only three guys out.

     I think about my brother’s surfing advice that he gave me last night, and I want to take this opportunity to surf harder. The tide’s sucking back out, and it’s happening fast.

     “This is gonna have to be a fast one,” says Randy.

     With the lack of swell, side shore wind, and draining tide, we have a one hour window before the break shuts down.

     Surfing harder doesn’t come as easy as planned. I try to duckdive a set wave and get tossed underwater. I kick my feet while paddling into waves, but my rhythm is still broken. Despite all that, I still get two nice lefts to start the session. I attempted a cut back on one wave, but it’s fast, so I just pump on down the line. For the second wave, I take a page out of my friend Klaude’s book, and concentrate on surfing with my back foot. The small crowd is mellow, and we strike a conversation with one of the Aussies in the water. Not too long after, the break starts to shut down. The sets become more inconsistent, the water’s now choppier, and the wind is still howling. I catch a couple rights that bog out towards the inside. After that, I get a “turkey” on my next three waves, meaning that I eat shit on all of them. Randy is paddling out as he sees me do a dump rider special on a right. I stick the drop, but there’s too much momentum, and I fall backwards. I get pitched over on the next left. On my last wave, my board purls. I did my best not to touch the bottom, especially with the tide going out so fast; I didn’t want another sea urchin mishap. At this point, we both struggle to catch our last waves. I get a right which gives me one top turn before it bogs out on the inside. Randy spends another five minutes trying to catch something in, but the spot has turned off.

The river mouth

     Today’s session was a short one. I’m hoping that the conditions clean up and that there’ll be some lulls in the wind. Either way, I got to meet Mikala Jones. Mikala fuckin’ Jones . . . awesome.