There’s a big step to take when you start surfing the backline when you’re only used to surfing the foamys on the inside. I have to say that as much as I get wacked around in those big barrelling waves, thrown over the top and pulled under them, I’m still loving the idea of being out back. It’s a challenge, one I can literally tackle, and I spend nearly every breathing moment thinking about those smooth rolling waves, obsessing over the next time the waters going to be good so I can go back out there again.
The biggest challenge I find, is actually getting out to the back, because just when you think you’ve got an opening and are about to paddle out, the biggest set of the day lands on your head, and you’re all of a sudden back on the shore, wondering why the world cursed you and made you start from the beginning again. All you’ve got to do is persevere and you’ll eventually find your way through the waves, it just takes a lot of energy and really strong arms to get there, so it’s a total question of general fitness and strength. The funniest thing about getting out back is when people already out there watch you trying to get through the breakers, usually laughing as you get continuously pounded- such supportive surf buddies, I know right…
Other than the general pain you feel in your body the next day, or the extreme amounts of water that finds its way into your nasal passage, its all worth it for that killer wave that you end up catching.
The Water Walking Vagabond 