The Word B

i went for a surf this afternoon at Dee Why. really there is not much to comment about on the conditions. there was maybe a swell height of 1 foot, the water temperature about 16C, with a strong off shore wind. the best part was due to these conditions, there were only about 6 other people out in the water, spread up and down the beach. usually, i would not bother to put on a wet suit and paddle out when things are like this, but i was overdue for a surf, so went anyway. like i always am after getting into the ocean, i felt great straight away. this feeling lasted all of about 3 minutes, until the very first person i said "hello" to, attempted to stare me down before turning around to ignore me. i was shocked. it was not as if there were 38 people in the line up, jockeying for position, waiting to paddle on to a giant wave. i looked around me, there were only 4 other people in the water, the nearest about 200 meters away. this sort of attitude i find to be typical in Sydney. not only do people behave just as rude in the water, but in passing along the streets as well. rather than getting upset about this latest episode in the surf, and believe me i see it all the time, i just paddled to a different sand bar where i had small but consistent left-handers all to myself for the rest of the afternoon. in the end, i was stoked to be out there, goofing around on the small waves. i had a few decent rides, but ended up just laughing at myself more often because of the ridiculous things i tried to pull off. it was certainly a good reminder on how awesome it is to be alive.