I've had some pretty crazy dreams, probably coz I watch too many horror movies. But occasionally I get lucky & have a surfing dream. Sometimes they push way beyond the realms of reality...& my abilities

I couldn't do airs to save my life, but a couple of weeks ago. Not only was I doing all kinds of airs, I was surfing down the street launching off grassy embankments on the side of the road. It was so much fun & basically skating on a surfboard on anything ramp shaped.

But last night was the most awesome dream I can remember having...I went up for a backhand snap & fell off as I was swinging back down. You know how you can sometimes body surf the wave when you fall off on certain parts of the wave. Well I did only I turned & the wave barrelled over me. I was in deep & able to control my speed with little adjustments that kept me in this barrel for a good amount of time. Then I'd come out of a section & do these rolls onto my back & onto my stomach again...& the wave would barrel over me again & I'm adjusting my speed to stay in lol This pattern happened for like 3 barrel sections. Best feeling ever

Then the session ended & I'm having a beer on a lounge with a glass coffee table in front of me. I had to get another beer & for some reason I stood on the middle of this glass table to get across to where I was sitting. The damn table shatters & I fall down on my left hand totally skinning it cleanly. I also get like glass shrapnel in my stomach & I'm picking it out & marvelling at how cleanly I'd skinned my left hand. Luckiliy I didn't feel any pain & I was apologising for breaking the table, saying I'd clean up the mess as soon as I'd got all the glass shrapnel out. But people were telling me I'd better go to the hospital for some skin grafts.

Trust me to finish such an awesome dream with something crazy happening.....so how about you guys, ever have any awesome surfing dreams

I go to sleep every night thinking of my happy places. One involves things not likely to be discussed here. The other involves riding barrels at different waves, doing big hacks, and picturing myself dropping into big waves. Sometimes I relive one of those pivotal waves seared into my memory - latest one was a cavernous barrel south of lefties on the fourth or fifth wave on my 8 footer where I had so much room I adjusted my line in the tube so as not to spear a guy paddling over the shoulder and I went around him in the tube. It wasn't a monster wave, just a very hollow five footer. That's worth reliving every now and then as I drift off to lala land, hey?

Hell yeah, always cool to relive things which actually happened in real life too...but hey

Well they then become the fantasy dreams I have in that first gloaming of sleep.

Ok real life barrel stories then

Up until the early 90's there was a camping spot at the end of Wyadup. Its amazing how well the bush has reclaimed it today, place looks virgin. Mate borrowed his big brothers good old Holden panelvan & three of us bailed down in the middle of winter, probably about this time of year to camp there for 5 weekdays. First couple of days are fully 20-30knt straight onshore. We're just stuffing around, smoking/drinking & sliding down big sand dunes on the nose of our boards hanging on to the leggy. Put some great channels up the front of our boards lol But it was heaps of fun.

By the end of the 2nd day the wind dropped, surf cleaned up & it was pretty big. We'd paddle out from the South end at the base of the big dune, catch a wave, walk around & do it again. Most of the time you were just dodging big closeouts, but occasionally a nice wave would come in from the right direction & you'd get a long barrel before it shut down on the inside. Only saw 1 other person that morning & we had about 4 hours that arvo to ourselves.

Had a great session at the next bay to the South on the North side the next day, triple overhead sets & got drilled the first 3 waves. That session really taught me if you were going to paddle for waves like that you had to seriously commit & paddle your ass off or go over the falls like I did the first 3 times. Especially on a 6'2 x 18.5 x 2.5 board.

But anyway, that afternoon cleaned up with no wind & a building swell. Our jaws dropped as we drove round the curve into Yallingup to see massive waves peeling in. We went out & it didn't seem to matter how far out you paddled, there would be a wave. I think the tide & lack of wind made the waves really easy to paddle into & definitely a lot easier after the wave we'd surfed in the morning....On one of my last waves as the sun was getting near the horizon I was determined to catch one from right out the back. Just blew me away how I could be so far offshore & these waves were still steaming through, it was really consistent & helped with positioning...One of the biggest waves came through, I don't know how big, I was only 18, I guess divide my memory by 1/2 & it was probably about double overhead & a 1/2 (20 foot face)...I took off, simply turned & I was surprised (****ting myself) at how much it sucked up. This thing through over & gifted a beautiful barrel, I was just gunning for the shoulder without any thought of positioning for what was only a few seconds in this huge barrel. Couple of guys hooting from the side as I shot out still gunning for the shoulder before I realized I was in deep flat water lol

My first big barrel experience

So when was your first memorable barrel experience guys

Do (androids)surfers dream of electric (sheep) peaks ?


damn strike through!

Robots/Sheep...without the assistance of tone its easy to take textual 5hit the wrong way...(edit:oh book reference still don't get it, but the book looks interesting ; )

I won't because I know the answer to the next question...that question is, are you a creator or a consumer

Intermission

Bright Guitar

Dark Guitar

Select to expand quote

Prawnhead said...
Do (androids)surfers dream of electric (sheep) peaks ?


damn strike through!

Ooo eerrrr. A Dick fan. I love his books.

I learned to ride the barrel at Inji and the biggest barrel I have ever seen was there with blokes paddling out from the dunes. Only two blokes went out and the car park was absolutely chockers, so that probably gives you an idea. I would say 12-15. I have never seen it that big before or since. And only one wave got ridden. He got a monster barrel came out, had his escape route, but pulled into the closeout. Kudos to Moe.

My personal biggest barrel was from a wave I caught on the peak way out the back of Mamas as I came into the channel of Babies and Mamas the wave ledge across Babies and for some reason I just hooked high and gunned it. I called off blokes who were paddling into it from Babies and got barrelled just after the outside take off spot at Babies all the way to the channel where I got spat out about a metre from a bloke who had caught the previous wave at Babies. When he told he me it was a nice wave I played it cool, but I see I was giggling like a fourteen year school girl with her first kiss. Like yours, it was sheet glass without a drop out of place.

Personally, knowing the spots you are talking about, I would suggest you are talking that wave down at Yallingup. The joint can hold some serious size. Double overhead ain't a particularly big day there. How about we don't halve your 18 year old memory?

One of my worst moments was at big Yals.

haha nah just under 30ft face on the peak maybe, but it wouldn't have been 40

That sounds like an epic wave you had.....so ok, 1st longest barrel story when I'm in a typing mood. It involved a drive across the Nullabor