Uncrowded, clear green water, offshore and sun. Doesn't get much better, except a deep channel would have been nice. Always tricky on a beachy. Only 3 of us out, the rest were half a kilometre up the beach getting hammered by the sets. But it was shallow in places and there were regular head-high closeouts where we were (well I am 5' 4" tall). The waves weren't the best but I got lots of smaller ones on the inside on my Campbell Cornish 6' 10''. My version of a small board. It's nice to get back on it.
My conversion to the body board has been revelatory. We have been taking them out as an alternative when the waves are just too crap for a hard board. It has taught me to tuck right in under the lip. Yesterday my foot slipped on a take-off and I had to stay kneeling, one leg partially up and pulled in tight. I am getting ready for that barrel - in 8 years of surfing I have missed out a couple of times because I see the lip and straighten out too much. There is so much about surfing that is just contra-intuitive. You have to train yourself to go against your instincts in order to do it. Humans are bizarre creatures.
