Senior Moments
They lurk in many of the coastal homes along the shore and occasionally in the homes on the mainland. They may be found in garages, crawl spaces or even bedrooms of some of the homes sometimes only seeing the light of day when conditions are perfect and this past Monday, conditions were perfect.
What am I talking about? Surfboards. Although it has been a few years since I hoisted my body which is now more prone to breaking than bending onto a surfboard, I can’t help but imagining myself carving across the face of a clean wave as I watched from the beach. Sure, there were days I went out when the conditions were “blown out” not in pursuit of a great ride but just to keep my paddling muscles in tune for the “Big Day.” Not too many riders were out in the water on days like that but chose to wait for clean, glassier conditions. Some days, storm waves rose up on their haunches challenging only the more experienced riders.
But on Monday in Ventnor and I imagine at many other locales along the shore, it was a rare July day. At a time in the season when the oceans are usually flat, on this day, sets of clean 4-6 footers marched consistently to the shore. They were breaking “outside” meaning on a sandbar before reforming again into a crunching shore break. These outside breaks were always my favorite as I didn’t have to worry about wiping out and being driven headfirst into only a foot of water. It seemed like everyone from young “grommies” to shall we say, surfing veterans were out on the water. Longboarders could be seen waiting for their waves with the noses of their boards angled up towards the sky and shortboarders were sitting on their submerged surfboards. It seemed like if it floated, it was in the ocean that day including boogie boards and stand up paddle boards. Between the sets of larger waves were smaller, playful waves so it was a fun ocean for all that day.
Standing on the beach at Ventnor Pier and seeing all the surfers in the water, I had to wonder; if they took a census in the shore towns of how many surfboards there were, what would be that number. I have three boards, each corresponding to my different age and experience levels and I imagine many others have more than one. Would that number be in the hundreds or even thousands? Monday was a rare day for those who played with Mother Ocean. I am sure many slept well that night and while others had that familiar muscle soreness that comes with extended, joyful play.
I must admit, I did grab the boogie board we bought for family visiting with us and rode some nice shore break. I had a blast and made a mental note. If I grab my fins, I could carve some of those paths across the face of the waves I always imagine. But first, a little stretching.
Charles Eberson has been in the newspaper business for over 25 years. He has worked as a writer, advertising executive, circulation manager and photographer. His photography can be viewed at charles-eberson. fineartamerica.com
