Well I have now been surfing (bodyboarding) for about 15 years. Its a strange old sport unlike any other, what other sport out there do you play on a moving and constantly changing arena/playing field.
I have been far and wide in the search of surf, france, spain, canary islands, cali and indo and its all very differant, temperature being on big factor. I have gone from snow on a beach int he middle of a welsh winter to a see that was so hot when I put my foot in I quickly pulled it back out like it was a bath that had been run to hot.
So why do us "surfers" go to such lengths to ride some stupid waves?

I usally use this skate boarding analogy. Say you have a local indoor mini ramp, you wake up this morning and want to go for a skate, as long as the place is open off you go. You get there open the door and theres your same as it was yesterday ramp, only real variable being that it could be busy or quiet with other skaters.
Ok now lets look at surfing I wake up in the morning and want to go for a surf, I'll take it back to the skateboard ramp for the examples. This day we go to the ramp and open the door and the ramps not there (surfs flat). Next day open the door and there a huge very ramp, but its all buckled and beat up (surfs big, unshore wind). One day sun, next day snow, and there are loads of variables in between.

What I think I am trying to get round to saying is that becuase you can just go and surf the perfect wave everyday and mother nature realy is the of you then there a tipicalemotion of human nature to want what you cant have, so some of us poor sole get addicted to watching weather charts (surf predicting) to score and enjoy thouse few "perfect" days

I started this blog because yesterday 24th dec 2006 I rode what I fell to be my first perfect barrel. I was surprised as this was at a home break, and I have traveled far trying to get this perfect ride.

The wave in question was about what we call in surfing terms 3ft, in lamens terms from the front that would look about 6ft high, Non of this big wave shit.
I have become angry that in recent years of surfing becoming mainstream mediaized that it has formed a focus on bigger is better (and we all know that is true "ladies")
Anyway I dropped on to this wave and as I turned and began to surf along it face the wave's lip threw cleanly and far over my head, I was encapsulated in a round watery tube, I was far enough back on the wave that I was 100% inside it (a spectator from dead ahead could not have seen any of me) Ihad a clear view out of the tube and non of the lip was hitting me.
There was as allways a moment of panic as there usually is trying to react to anything that could mess this up (like when your going fast in a car and suddenly see enter a corner and find your going to fast) Well this time there was no crashing and burning, the wave did its thing so perfectly that just staying as I was was good enough for me to stay there, it then as it slowed and I shoot out of the open mouth of the barrel cleanly and without any contact with the lip.

I have had many barrels before, but never as deep and unmessy and as perfectly escaped as this one, this whole ride was probably less than 5 seconds and its what ihave been surfing for for 14 years,but the starange thing is as soone as youhave rode it with a small hoot as to kick of the wave and a quck brag to buddies about how good it was, it gone. You padel back out and try to get another one.

The reast of the surf there got pregrassivly worse and cold, so within the confine of the condictions to happyness of the wave soon disapeared, soi wrote this blog to prolong its few seconds of joy a little longer.

So after the perfect wave what do Ido, just go and find more.