shark bait!...and the latest

well, the summer's been good fun on the south side! tide's been high in the afternoons making the waves a little softer and robbing them of a lot of their power. but i'm not complaining!=) it's been consistantly 1-3 feet on the south shore, with frequent bumps every few days. as of late, the spot of choice has been marine land. if you catch the right at shallows at the right tide with an easterly swell, it's good enough to rival renneks. and the lefts at marineland are always good fun...if you're a longboarder!!=) the crowd has been extremely fun. with UH out of session the regulars have become very regular. ...like, everyday you see the same people. you talk story...you get to know them...you celebrate their waves with them...and they celebrate yours with you!! laughter and hoots echo accross the water! nothing beats it!

yesterday was no different. i paddled out with sandi. jason was out. we were soon joined by travis (without any of his 6 kids) and chris. the wind was up a bit, but it soon died and the waves began to pick up! kelly and jackie joined us, as did uncle loyd and leah. leah had just bought her shortboard and she was testing 'um out! ...very happy girl!! way to go leah!=)

another solid set was apporaching...solid 3's lining up nicely. ...light offshore winds by now. travis got the first one. but there was another behind it. i paddled to the sweet spot, turned, and began to paddle in. as i paddled, travis began yelling something at me. he was about 40 feet on the inside of me. somehow, it seemed more urgent than the usual cheering going on. ...but i couldn't make out what he was saying. so, i kept going. i paddled in easily. the left was about shoulder high...nice and long. i was stoked.

as i paddled back out travis called to me, giving very cautious and searching looks to his right and left. "you saw dat, or what??" he said with a half smile on his face.

"what?" i replied, with no idea as to what he was talking about.

"brah, had one 6 foot shark chasing you on dat wave!"

"what??!" i asked again, as i paddled up to him.

"yeah, was chasing you while you was paddling and as soon as you dropped in it just took off."

whoa...talk about a humbling experience. i'm glad i had no idea i was being chased by a shark! and i thank GOD for protecting me from the shark. i told sandi that we ALWAYS pray before we get into the water, and God ALWAYS protects us. and it's true!

well, the shark sighting wasn't enough to send the masses heading for shore. (...too bad!!=) only one girl, a longboarder, took off for shore after the she saw the shark. soon, sandi and i had to go too. it was just a study break for sandi. on the paddle in i was thinking about how close i had been to loosing a leg or two. life would definitely be different. when we got out of the water i asked sandi if she would still marry me if i was a stump. she said she would. wow...that's love!! da real kine!!=)