The roar of the waves sound like a jet engine heading down the runway at breakneck speed to take off into the air. Cascades of white foam waterfalls form as the waves crest and breaks. Lines of foam bubbles speed towards shore and knock down anything in their way.
Dark Grey Ocean meet grey clouds at the horizon. The sun shines out over the beach burning my skin. I want to get into the ocean but I don’t need the red flag warning flying over the access to know that these waters and currents will knock me over and toss me around. Finally a cool breeze settles over me.
Appearing and Disappearing bobbing heads of surfers lost between the six feet waves sprinkle the ocean. The paddleboarders are paddling between the waves and riding them. The surfers wait, watch and carefully choose a wave to paddle their board and catch the cascading tip.
I am excited each time one of them catches the wave just right. He is like a dancer on the board moving his body forward, back, and side to side hanging on for the ride. His feet must stay firmly grounded on the board while it goes up and down. I hold my breath as they get eaten up by the wave waiting to see their head bob up from underneath the water.
I feel surges of exhilaration as I watch the surfers ride the waves into shore. I ride the wave from shore feeling all their motions and movements. I feel like jumping for joy when a surfer holds on and hangs the wave all the way in.
I wish I could surf but I can’t manage to get from the knees to standing up on land never mind trying to do it on a moving surfboard! This feeling of exhilaration is what I feel when I am on a boat riding the waves. I feel the same excitement running through my veins when I am on a ship cruising through rough seas. It is definitely not the same but it is the closest I can come to that feeling of being and moving on the ocean waves. That feel the fluid water shifting beneath you and trying to stay stable yet flexible enough to move with the cresting wave.
Maybe that’s why I stand her jumping up and down, in excitement as the surfer catches a wave, remains stable on his feet yet dances with the movement of the shifting sea beneath him.
The tide has been coming in as I have been engrossed in the actions of the ocean and the ocean dancers. It is engulfing more and more of the beach and displacing the people who have been sitting in beach chairs either reading or watching the action as I am.
With the ocean now extending to the dunes, it’s time to head over the access, change and enjoy a glass of wine.
It is high hurricane season. September brings with it the potential for rough seas and storms. Right now there are five storm systems roaming the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Surfers and Ocean Lovers love the roar of the waves and the building of the seas-as long as they stay out to sea. Islanders are very aware of the dangers that the ocean and storms can bring upon the shores. So we respect the ocean and admire her at the same time. It feels me with energy and exhilaration when I wake and can see the waves cresting from my bed. We are still under a red flag warning though the waves have come down in size today (I wrote this yesterday as I sat on the beach) still the currents are strong enough to pull you under and out. Island life keeps us attuned to the sea, her movements, her currents, and her interaction with the weather in the sky.
