I consider myself a really honest guy - I don't cheat on my wife or my taxes - nothing, really - and I work in a field where my word and integrity are my greatest currency. But man, when it comes to surfing, I become a total conniving cheating liar. Until today the worst I'd ever really done was show up late to my father in law's wake because, well, there was good surf and I couldn't get out of the water. I told the family it was traffic. But today, well, this may be the worst. I was supposed to be the visiting parent in my daughter's pre-k class, talking to the kids and reading books, etc. But when I brought her to school I totally weaseled out of it with a story to the teacher because I knew there were some fun waves to be had. I'm going to make it up tomorrow but I feel pretty guilty about it. Actually, I feel horrible about it. I caught a few fun ones, though. I'm sure there's some good lying-cheating-stealing to surf stories out there.
A year ago, i went to OBX with my best friend, knowing that my family and i were taking my grandma out for her 90th Birthday at 7:30 that night. My buddy and i got up at 2am, and drove down to a spot, which was about a 3 hour drive from my house in VB. We got there a little before dawn, and checked the surf only to find 4 ft. clean, beautiful almond barrels with about a 70 degree air temp, bringing a perfect sunrise. We surfed all day and planned on being out of the water and homeward bound by 2:30ish. Well we all know, it's very very easy to let time slide when your getting slotted in perfect surf at a defendably world class spot. By the time we got out of the water, it was 4:30, and i had 4 missed calls from my mom and pop wondering where i was on the road. we ended up not getting home until 8sih and i had my friend drop me off at the restaurant. I used the excuse that there was a road block with a few miles worth of traffic. It worked with my parents, but my grandma called me out because i had sand in my ears. thankfully she wasn't pissed and was just happy that i made it home safely
I ended up having to completely BS at one of my first jobs in San Diego during a summer surf trip down in Baja. We were there for 3 days, and the swell picked up and was pefect. Empty. Just me, two buddies and our ladies on the beach. No one fore miles. We had been camping out... I stayed 3 extra days and made up a huge story about how our buddy was detained in a mexican prison and that we cannot leave without him! 3 days later we returned. Salty and sunburned...
college graduation,hot,traffic,kept driving past the college down the parkway,surfed my brains out,problem was, my sunburned ass had to go back home to mom and dad,their only son to graduate college,and they're like 'you weren't there! you went surfing!'
Last year I got a following too closely ticket in a traffic accident. I was told to go to court with pics of the incident and it would get dropped. Only problem, it was the friday that Hurricane Earl swell showed up, so I said f*ck it and went surfing all day! That session cost me $175.... worth it.
i think its always the balance , of is this "worth it"... And, most of us, put a high value on good surf.
Late summer 1988 was my "Orientation Week" at college. Met all the people in my group and my counselor on the first morning.......was in the water by afternoon,.....almost missed a week of good surf.......risk versus reward......."best move I ever did Clark"
Two Septembers ago, I was working a sunday in DC. My boss let me out at 2:30 pm. I drove 3+ hrs to OCMD. Surfed and surfed about an 1:45hrs/2 before it was too dark just to drive 3+ hrs back to the city. and like dude above said it was worth it. unfortunately no lying involved
I am a surfing gigantopithicus. For reals. I can't wait to shred the gnar at the Jersey shore mike the sitch I ll use snookie as a board. Gnarbombs
Depends how you define family, methinks. My wife and siblings, parents, etc understand what surfing means to me and my mental health - yes, I did tell my wife why I was a bit late to her dad's wake and she understood why I needed to clear my head during that horrible time. I never have to, and never would, like to those closest to me. But showing up late for some cousins' kids' first communion party? Brother in law's bachelor party? Hmmm. The kicker is that if people in your life understand how important surfing is (and how fickle the surf is on the east coast), you don't need to ever lie to them. They get it. But there's a whole mess of folks out there who don't. They're the ones you need to be a little conniving for. To follow up on my original post, I wound up going back and visiting the pre-k class the next day. All was well. I think I did a better job of reading Jack and the Beanstalk having had a good seshie.
