Sunset (more details)

Walking out of the path from the small cul de sac, leads to a tree at the end of the path. It sits right on the fringe of the sand of the beach and the small dirt trail that leads to it. The roots of the tree have created steps that help with the changing grades. Two houses stand as sentries for the small thoroughfare. Someone at some point, placed a park bench under the shade of the tree, perhaps to enjoy a family picnic before going out to enjoy the warmth of the sun. No "Ez-Up" tents needed with that tree standing there for decades.

Looking out of the water towards the water, you can see the shallow reef off to the right. The whitewater continues to churn there, long after the waves pass through. The water is crystal clear, submerged rocks coloring the azure waters darker in some places.

The crowds were light as we paddle out, no more than seven people out in the water and it was considered a crowded day. With a reef or point break, crowds are never good. Any more people and it would have been downright ugly.

I am on a friend's 8' funboard that has seen quite a bit of action. It's a bit narrow, but easy to paddle with. That easy paddling is a bit deceptive as I had a hard time getting into waves. I turned and paddled for the first decent looking wave coming my way, but never quite generated enough speed to catch up to the wave. It just rolled right by me.

Being a reef break, it took a little while to paddle out to the outside, with no duck diving needed. Just had to go around to the side, the side away from the shallow reef. As windy as the day was, the water was still relatively calm.

I went out to the lineup on the outside while some friends stayed towards the inside. The waves broke in the same spot over and over again. The lulls weren't too bad, the longest being 10 minutes.

I finally caught a wave, just charged it. It was a bit close to the shallow reef, but I caught the wave and popped up, with this gigantic shoulder in front of me. Riding to the top and sliding back down made the wait well worth it.

I didn't catch much anything else after that as more people paddled out to catch a little bit more magic. They probably don't know how special it is because they were locals, accustomed to the waves out there, but it was different for me. I normally surf a beach break that shifts after each swell. There are no channels to ease the trek to the outside.

I paddled in after awhile, never catching another wave. I did try for a couple more, but wasn't able to duplicate my previous effort. My friends were already waiting on the beach, having had their fill of waves since they spent a majority of their time in Hawaii surfing numerous breaks. The small moment has inspired me to come back to try out some other hallowed waters and hope I can once again slide across the blue ocean.