2009 Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival
New Element: "I just want to learn from these guys," says Tao.
Joe Carberry
As I slip my skirt over my borrowed Valley Rush surf kayak, I notice I’m not quite outfitted like the rest of the blokes in my heat. Most sport tighter profile helmets with adjustable visors and form-fitting life jackets. I look like I’m ready to tackle the local whitewater run.
I pull through the sand and paddle around the vertical cliff walls into the heart of “Steamer’s.” The waves can be epic on this piece of ocean with the cliffs blocking all but the most powerful winds. A beautiful right-hander peels, then rolls more than 150 yards. The swell gets so big here some winters that board surfers sometimes have to be towed in with jet skis. Today, though, I’ve seen bigger waves in the hot tub after spilling my beer.
The horn sounds and I jump on my first wave just off the cliff face, cut down the glassy face and try to gain speed down the section. I cut back into the wave several times letting out a loud hoot as I exit the wave. “Hell yeah, I can do this,” I think.
Air Appeal: Judges want the boat to come off the water.
Dominick Lemarie, stormick.smugmug.com
I catch nearly a half dozen more waves before the horn sounds signaling the end of our heat.
I’m all about it. I’m going to tryout for the national team, quit my day job and focus on becoming a professional kayak surfer. But then the scores are posted and reality smacks me in the face: I end up with a 36. A 36? But I caught all those waves? And I was cutting hard? Tao Berman, who is entering the contest for the first time too, beats me with a 41. The high score is 48.
I’m determined to kick ass the next day, asking around about what scores well. “Do an exit move,” says one competitor. “Catch air and you're in,” says another, while all agree that doing anything dynamic in these conditions will be a tough task.
But I’m focused. My heat is at 8 am the next morning and it completely exhausts me. Just as the three other competitors and I get into position to start the day’s competition, officials announce over the loudspeaker that they’ve delayed the contest an hour to let the surf build. We’re stuck in no-man’s land, as the exit beach is a 15-minute paddle around the corner. So we sit and wait, surfing too much and wasting energy.
The future of paddlesports
Joe Carberry
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