Locals
I didn't get to surf this past weekend cause I flew over to Guam on a last minute basis for work. I figured I'd have the weekends to catch some surf in crystal clear water over there. Shows you what I know. The locals were pretty tight lipped about their surf spots and since I didn't want to cough up the money to ship a board over, I'd have to stick to body surfing. They had surf shops, but I didn't come across any place that loaned out boards. One guy at the local surf shop said that they send all the tourists to some beach break, in the far (1 hour drive) south. The whole time I was there, the trade winds were howling like mad. I could see the surf, but they were breaking over the reef that surrounds the whole island.
So, in the internet age or information age, I use the internet, hit up a site called Wannasurf.com in order to see what's been posted about Guam. Well, lo and behold, there are some world class reef breaks, but you have to bribe the locals with some bud (both the beer and the herbal kind) and beg like a madman. Or, you find these spots, surf as much as you can as fast as you can, then get the hell out of there before some locals come over and either A.) Come over and slug you in the water, B.) Cut your leash and take your board to sell it off, C.) Wait for you outside and thrash you on the street, D.) Flatten your tires, E.) Or all of the above.
I got chummy with one of the locals who worked at the hotel. He said that his cousin surfs most of those breaks and the locals don't mind thrashing people in the water. He actually told me about some marines who got the great welcome treatment for surfing their break without the herbal (medicinal of course; glaucoma is a huge problem on the island probably due to the crystal clear waters and tropical weather) sacrificial offerings. Well, kind of spoiled my weekend. Why go in the water, even if it looks like a natural swimming pool, when you can't catch any waves? In all honesty, I would have probably died after I wiped out on a wave. Never surfed a reef before and it doesn't sound like fun if you wipe out.
So, in the internet age or information age, I use the internet, hit up a site called Wannasurf.com in order to see what's been posted about Guam. Well, lo and behold, there are some world class reef breaks, but you have to bribe the locals with some bud (both the beer and the herbal kind) and beg like a madman. Or, you find these spots, surf as much as you can as fast as you can, then get the hell out of there before some locals come over and either A.) Come over and slug you in the water, B.) Cut your leash and take your board to sell it off, C.) Wait for you outside and thrash you on the street, D.) Flatten your tires, E.) Or all of the above.
I got chummy with one of the locals who worked at the hotel. He said that his cousin surfs most of those breaks and the locals don't mind thrashing people in the water. He actually told me about some marines who got the great welcome treatment for surfing their break without the herbal (medicinal of course; glaucoma is a huge problem on the island probably due to the crystal clear waters and tropical weather) sacrificial offerings. Well, kind of spoiled my weekend. Why go in the water, even if it looks like a natural swimming pool, when you can't catch any waves? In all honesty, I would have probably died after I wiped out on a wave. Never surfed a reef before and it doesn't sound like fun if you wipe out.
posted by Dan at 10:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home