Surf Lesson with Jono

Our Aussie friend Jono decided he wanted to take us out surfing last Friday morning. In Australia the waves are always the best early morning. We were picked up around 5:30 by Liam in a car that looked like it belonged in the show "the Jetsons." We went to Miami Beach, a surfer's hot spot (even at 6 in the morning.) The waves looked intimidating, but we couldn't wait to get our Australian surfing careers started. Jono only had two surfboards, so he took me out first. I started off on the small waves close to the shore to get my balance and timing down. After catching a few waves Jono convinced me that I was ready for the BIG waves that were further out in the deeper water.... In order to get out there I had to master the "eskimo roll", which involves firmly holding the board to your body while rolling right before the massive wave breaks over you. After some hard paddling and a few eskimo rolls through violent waves, I made it out to the clam ocean. Just talking with Jono while sitting on the surfboard and waiting for the good waves on the beautiful blue water was well worth waking up at 5 am. Jono reminded me that it's extremely important that I always keep my eyes looking out toward the ocean... Unfortunately I found out the hard way why this is the surfer's #1 rule. At one point during my conversation with Jono, I wasn't paying any attention to the ocean at all. He stoped in the middle of our convo and yelled "CJ!" I quickly turned around, only to see half of the ocean in the form of a wave towering over me. It swallowed me up to the top of it, and I suddenly fell from the top of the wave to the bottom of the ocean, throwing me into all sorts of flips and somersaults. When I finally got some air, I heard Jono yelling at me again, and another massive waves bulldozed over me, sending me flying toward the shore. All Jono and I could do was laugh our heads off about how badly the wave destroyed me. He said it was one of the worst "smashes" he's ever seen.

Then it was time for Molly's lesson. Jono took Molly out to the same small waves that I started on. I was put to shame when we watched her get up on her second and third try. We decided that she was a natural.

Molly and I are officially surfers!