Old guys post 5

Something happened to me in the water several months ago that has stuck in my memory. Curious that the great rides are etched in our memory as well sometimes the bad experiences too.

I was paddling back to the line up when a set was coming through. A guy was coming down the line racing along on the nose hanging five. I saw the line he was taking and started to paddle to the left in an effort to stay out of his way. Just as I determined my path another guy… that looked like he didn’t know what he was doing, started to paddle for the wave and would have ultimately dropped in on the guy coming down the line at the same time blocking my path to get out of the way of the guy coming down the line.

The guy paddling for the wave sort of stood up and fell, I had to avoid him so paddled straight up the wave face. I guess the guy coming down the line hanging five didn’t want to let go of his position, even though he could have back peddled and turned around me, he instead came right at me. I slipped off my board and turned it side ways as the guy hanging five went by me within inches and then fell.

The three of us, me, the kook and the guy hanging five almost collided… but didn’t. After the wave pasted I climbed up on my board and looked over at the guy that had fell after just missing me while hanging five. He had some words for me, but couldn’t hear what he said. I smiled and asked if he was ok then heard what he had to say…. “ Why don’t you get out of the way… you should paddle to the left” With rude tone. I thought What? Then said “ don’t talk to me like that, I was paddling to the left” I was immediately pissed and told him off as he paddled away… honestly out of character for me.

A couple guys that had seen what happened confirmed that guy was being an ass. But still stuff like that can really mess the atmosphere in the water.

This past week there was this stand up paddle guy being aggressive in the water that had something to say to one of the local guys in the water after the local guy attempted to drop in at the inside section. But the stand up guy made it under the section then had words for the local guy.

The standup guy was older, I’d guess in his fifties. Well built and knew how to surf and what he was doing. He would not let up on the younger local guy, cussing him and telling him he’d kick his ass, and that riding a stand up was way harder than long boarding… yelling how he should get some respect… on and on for 3 or 4 minutes.

The casual after noon surf turned into a time of tension… for what? I may or may not have been justified in what I said to the guy that almost ran my over. I’m sure the stand up paddle guy thought he was justified in what he had to say. But to go on and on made the older guy look like a total jerk. And to threaten the younger guy made it even worse.

There’s no sense in older guys being aggressive. The older guys that get aggressive only look stupid. And may make the rest of us look stupid too.

D.R.