What is the the best story you have of surfing a new wave for the first time - good bad and ugly experiences.

I reckon surfing new wave is one of the best things about surfing.

Dont be shy!

I'm old surfed a heap over the years,but for me surfing with Lacey every weekend is GOLD,surfed with him 30 years back,reconnected,his scare and most of all the joy he gets from Longboarding unbelievable.

First time I surfed a reef up this way - good 20 + min paddle off the beach. Looked about 4-6ft tops so I paddled out early one morning pretty excited. Got myself into what seemed like the idea position - was only two others out and this set came through that was significantly bigger than 6ft! It was massive. I took 5 on the head and thought I was going to drown. They were like 2 story buildings coming at me. I paddled in with out catching a wave absolutely terrified !!!

Here it is on a nicer day a few weeks back Just imagine being in the impact zone right where its breaking but bigger and stuck there for 5 waves. That was me

Out at an island chain about 40 nauticle miles of the coast of WA at about 14/15 years of age. On a surf trip on the old mans boat me and 5 mates, my old man and uncle. We had been driving around looking for a wave and we find a place that looks amazing scene of a pretty famous shipwreck. It's standing up in a big triangle peak and then just barrelling its tits of for a couple of hundred meters before backing of a bit as the reef bends and then firing up again and racing off into the distance. Its pretty hard to judge size from the deck of the boat but we are thinking maybe 6-8 foot heavy water, being teenagers we are absolutely going nuts trying to the first one out there, board bags an wetsuits are flying, anyway I end up first into the lineup by a miracle an am sort of scratching around looking for lineups in the middle of the ocean when I see one starting to feather down the line I paddle out a bit and this thing is just sucking water off the reef and I have got the arms windmilling thinking that there is no ****ing way I want to miss this. It jacks and it jacks ****ing hard on the reef and I'm off, to this day I am still not sure how I made it, I still remember the inside rail and fin holding on the face on the way down before grabbing mid face and starting to hold. I'm now half way down the face of easily the biggest wave I have ever caught and realise that the lip is right up my ass and I have to race this thing so I'm speed pumping a 6'3 on a wave my uncle later says was triple over head when I was half way down. I make it fair look at the massive section about to swallow me and hit the eject button. I sort of make it over the back without eating to much **** look up and there is another one steaming at my so I employ the windmill arms plus prayer technique for the horizon and make it over. I look out at the boat which and see my Dad and Uncle pointing up the point and yelling, I look up where the other blokes are and see them get mowed by a 3 wave set each bigger than the last and easily 15 foot. The old boys later describe how they were counting heads, working out how to get 60 foot of crayboat into the lineup and what to tell the mums if anyone didn't come back up...

Cracker story Tux!

First time I surfed Yals was one of the best times I have had for a first time. It was pretty solid (for me!) on the trusty fireball.

Was buzzing the whole time from when I paddled across the lagoon to the reef where I managed to pick a gap in the sets and sneak out. Watched a few go through and was just blown away by how big the drop looked and how good the surfing was. This was no beachbreak or metro reefy..

It was crowded but a very forgiving crowd, when a good one swung through I put my head down and paddled hard, a few on the shoulder gave the "Yew" which spurred me on to paddle harder, the wave picked me up and before I knew it the moment of truth had arrived

As I took off the view was amazing, well overhead glassy wall that looked like it was going forever, made the steep take off and let the single fin guide the way on the face. After I kicked out and was shaking, having never really ridden a wave that long at that size it was a bit surreal and totally understood the addiction that people had with that wave.

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Souwester said..

Cracker story Tux!

First time I surfed Yals was one of the best times I have had for a first time. It was pretty solid (for me!) on the trusty fireball.

Was buzzing the whole time from when I paddled across the lagoon to the reef where I managed to pick a gap in the sets and sneak out. Watched a few go through and was just blown away by how big the drop looked and how good the surfing was. This was no beachbreak or metro reefy..

It was crowded but a very forgiving crowd, when a good one swung through I put my head down and paddled hard, a few on the shoulder gave the "Yew" which spurred me on to paddle harder, the wave picked me up and before I knew it the moment of truth had arrived

As I took off the view was amazing, well overhead glassy wall that looked like it was going forever, made the steep take off and let the single fin guide the way on the face. After I kicked out and was shaking, having never really ridden a wave that long at that size it was a bit surreal and totally understood the addiction that people had with that wave.

I love that place bro....I used to take RDO's in the middle of winter and go down there by myself...surfed it by myself heaps of times mid-week in the 90's