Yet Another LEFT

There's been no shortage of great waves, but I'm going to go nuts if I don't go right sooner or later.  With the exception of 1 day where I got 3 or 4 rights and another knee high day, I haven't been right in months.  I literally don't remember the last time.

Plan B is often required in India.

This river mouth gets fully closed off at times and opens up at others making this otherwise good break a bit fickle.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  Note how on my first trip down the "rapids," my board is not in the video.  On the next trip, it's on the edge, and on the last trip, you don't see it again.  The outlet was widening at about 3ft./min.  On my last run, everything got sent out to sea.  I was stuck on the south side of the rip with no way to swim across.  My Firewire was heading out to sea on the north half of the rip.  Knowing its value, my wife went after it.  I eventually got in and went back out to help retrieve the board and the 2 floats.  This was quite the source of stress for our 7-year-old and our driver who lives in a land where no women swim.  We both got plenty of exercise.  This next pic is me coming back with everything in tow.  Finally, you have to endure a bunch of Indians telling you, "very dangerous."

My New Favorite Place

Fakin' It with the Camera

So, almost all of my photos come from paused video thanks to my friend and driver, Hareesh, who is happy to film while he waits.  This sequence proves that pictures do lie.  In reality, this was more of a closed eyes, 1/10 of a second head dip.  However, with enough frames, you can make it look like I got legit little tube.  The truth is backhand barrels are a weakness of mine (among many).  Surfers better than myself (or the same level but goofyfooted) would have been tubed over and over this day.  I'm hoping you're never too old to learn, because I'll be returning to this spot to try for some more.

Best Local Transportation = Hareesh

1 more wave from the same swell

New Spot

OK, I fell on that one.

Ed Templeton (see soulandsurf.com) put me on to this Jetty not too far from Trivandrum.  Our sand moves around here a lot from season to season and evidently year to year.  A number of the go-to breaks aren't working at the moment, but this place sure is.  It's a great left.  To access it from my side of the river, I have to paddle across.  Otherwise, about 45 min. gets added to the trip if I go around.  I ride on the back of my friend's motercycle most of the times I surf.  An hour and a half of that with a board in drizzling rain after a 3 hour surf in Indian traffic will about do you in.