Needless to say I was a bit freaked out about the water after this. One year later, I mustered up the courage to try it again. This time I was with two roommates, and still at Waikiki Beach. I started to swim out to the waves, and was tossed and toppled all over the place. I felt pinned under the water and panicked. I didn’t know which way was up and ended up swimming down, towards the sand. I finally swam up to the surface, got out of the water, and didn’t go back in for six years.
I developed an irrational fear of waves of any shape or size. I even had nightmares about waves! Yesterday I tried surfing again, and this time I loved it! I went with my boyfriend (who’s been surfing since he was five years old), and we surfed at Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica. I was very nervous at first so I practiced diving under waves for at least an hour. I found that even the largest waves out there could be avoided by simply going under them. We went out on Tim’s short board, since that’s all we had, and I caught several waves but never stood up. I loved it so much that I went again today, this time with a long board. I caught my own waves, stood up multiple times, and had a ton of fun!!
The major differences between my failed attempts at surfing and my final success were the environment, and Tim. The waves at Tamarindo Beach are very small, and close to shore. The bottom is sand, and it’s shallow enough to stand in the line-up. In Waikiki there’s reef and rocks to worry about. The line-up is far out from the beach, and the waves can be much stronger. The major difference, however, was my boyfriend. He was very patient and helpful. He understood my fear and did all he could to make me feel comfortable in the water. I have finally conquered my fear of waves, thank you Tim!!!
