"I ALMOST DIED!!!"
Recently Alan and I took up boogie boarding. It's something he's been trying to get me into since the last time he tried to drown me at it about 4 years ago. So, last weekend I gave it another shot after he bought me my very own wet suit. We headed out to Pacific Beach to enjoy the warm weather and some waves which were good, but intermittent. We both agreed it was a good time and we should do it again, so we did. Yesterday. However, yesterdays' story is one of a different sort...At about 12:30 we decided to check out the surf report (http://www.surfline.com) for Pacific Beach. The report read that the waves were waist to chest high and rated "poor to fair" due to all the white water. We figured we'd give it a shot anyway because I can go quite a ways out at Pacific Beach due to the shallowness of the water. What the surf report neglected to mention (though I suppose it's common knowledge or something) was that with the frequency of the waves the bottom of the ocean was a bit stirred up and there were really deep pockets if one wasn't paying attention. So I'd be walking along with the water at waist level and then I'd be up to my shoulders. It's a bit unnerving. However, we continued forward and got some great waves. The biggest problem with the water yesterday was the waves were SO frequent that one wave would catch up to the next and die out. But, we had some great fun. After about an hour of crashing around we decided to head in to get some water (fresh water; we had plenty of salt water to dry us out) and take a stroll down the beach. By now it was about 30C. The wet suits were mighty warm out there on the beach so we decided to take a second kick at the can.
Here's where the trouble begins. The waves are starting to get a bit bigger and I'm starting to feel a bit braver. So I head out deeper with Alan and catch a HUGE wave. By "huge" I mean it's about 4' over the level of the water (so 8' high 'cuz I'm standing in about 4' of water). However, I got ahead of the wave and got rolled. I did a somersault underwater, propelled by a big wave. Water straight up the nose, in my mouth, even sand in my eyes because I neglected to close my eyes. By some miracle I manged to keep both my contacts in. I decided a I needed a break so I headed in towards shore a bit, to a point where I could touch bottom and actually stand up the constant barrage of the waves.
After a few minutes of spitting like a baseball player and relaxing in the shallower water I decided to give it one more try. I now know that if I'm tired "one more try" is a really REALLY bad idea. First thing that happened when I got out there was a wave came in and pulled my feet out from under me. I didn't go under because I was holding on to the board but I could no longer touch the bottom. For me, despite being a strong swimmer, this is where panic sets in. I start flailing about trying to get towards shore and end up getting pulled out farther into the ocean. Now I'm really nervous. I had to call Alan out to come get me. I was sure I was going to drift out to sea and end up in the belly of a whale like some better known fictional characters of our time. However, Alan managed to push me in to a point where I could reach the bottom. Then it happened.
Alan is calling it a 10' wave. Which means for all intents and purposes I had a 5' wall of water above my head. I decided to risk it and try to catch the wave. So far so good, I'm on top "OH MY GOD!!!!" The wave pushed me forward and then crashed on top of me. It folded me in half, but not the right way. My feet went up over my head, backwards, so my bum was practically touching the back of my head. Then my face (MY FACE!!!) slammed into the ocean floor at a billion miles an hour. Thankfully this time I had the foresight to close my eyes so I didn't actually see it coming. All I could think was "you'll find the surface eventually". Apparently my board popped up straight out of the water and then two or three seconds alter I surfaced - screaming!
Some of you are thinking "Bah, two or three seconds, no big deal". Well, lemme tell ya! When you've just been rocked by a 10' wave, 2 or 3 seconds is a helluva a long time. And the screaming... it was a panicked reaction. I thought my nose was broken.
So here's the damage toll: 1 fat bottom lip with "sand burn" on the underside of my lip, 1 fat top lip, one swollen nose, one front tooth which felt like it was going to fall out, and a "sand burned" chin. The fat lips were pretty much back to normal by the time we got home an hour and half later. It looked worse because of the scuffed lower lip. My tooth ended up being fine but I think it tried to dig its way out of my mouth via my lower lip; it's a bit cut up inside. My chin is still relatively pink, as is my nose, which really got the brunt of everything. Somehow I came out of this without any black eyes but my nose is killing me! It's still swollen on the right side; I look like I have my grandfathers nose right now. And the worst part is that it hurts to blow my nose.
As for my back - well, we'll see in a day or so. It's really tight; I'm walking like an old lady with a stick up her "you know what". I'm having a very hard time sitting still. All in all, though, my boogie boarding days aren't over. I have a new found respect for mother nature and her ability to dole out the hurt when she feels it necessary but I also feel I have a bit of a vendetta to settle with the waves out at Pacific Beach. I've not been beat; only been given a strong desire to conquer the waves. Until next time, tire side down, green side up, and keep your damn face off the bottom of the ocean!
posted by Meg @ 12:06 PM
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