Balboa Island: 27.april.2004

Hey wussup ? You like like watersport? ...

Balboa Island. Okay are you ready my friends, put you re seat back, turn the "Beach Boys" music on, put your glasse and follow the flow. I drive with my bike to Balboa Island. Arround me some beautifull american cars from the 50-60 are shining in the sun like diamont. The chrome here is a must and reflect a lifestyle, be seen, be cool. The wooden made houses are not more than 1 floor high and look one different to the other but seems to be all old. They provide an cheap way to construct an habitation and is flexible than beton in case of earthquake (For those who don t know, California gets each day earthquakes). Its also a good level to let the sun shine in the town. Here its common to put the USA flag on the house, I saw that also in Florida and seems to be like that in all the country. I mention that because its something that you don t see in Europe where the country flag are only by the "mairie"..

I put my bike on the ferry to reach Balboa Peninsula the main attraction. Close to the pier all the young girls lie on the sand with their bikini. What are they doing just here on this part of the beach ? Well they are watching the boys doing bodysurf. I wish I had a board to surf with them, I wish also to be a teeni because of the "biddies" (surfspeak for girls) ;-). I go on the pear and watch this guys going 2-4 meters up with a wave until they scratch into the water....waaaaow. Want to do that. But the water here is cold and a swimswit is needed + palm. I shot some fotos and speak with an senior who s living here. He tell me to go to the next spot of surfer at the south where the peninsula ends, "there are the real surfer!".
I took my bike, trying to figure out what he means by "real surfer", I mean this guys I was looking on the pier were very good. I arrive to the "Wedge" that s how they call this spot. I lock my bike and go direction sea. A crowd was there crying sounds of surprise (the WAOOW sound) and sometimes clatching in the hands. I pass the crowd-wall that was looking to the see and suddendly I understand what this guy was saying few minutes ago. The Wedge is a spot where an incoming wave approaches from outside, it washes up against the groin and washes back down, causing a "side wave" that connects with another incoming wave to form a peak. That produce short very fast ride on the waves. And believe me that looks scary from outside.

Out of the water the bodyboarder look totaly ridicul with they body-swits and the paddeling-fins on the feet, they get this ducky walk ( ehehe ) not so cool, but as soon as they get to the water, this duckies transform into dolphins. They get the sence to get the wright wave, some of the waves are bigger than 2 Shreks put one on the other. You have to be couragous or crazy to get inside the water. And I will not talk about the dangerous current. Its not just the size thats amazing but also the sound they produce as they brutaly break down.
All arround me the photographer with big zoom are waiting THE big wave and the crazy guy who will defie it. I sit down and let the show begun.
This guys seems to be insect in a big pool, I mean when the wave are coming they are so little. Sometime a serie of giant waves (min 6 m) appear, coming from nowhere. Some of the guys take it for few seconds, on the top of wave they give a little kick to start, then when the wave is curving they fall down, its not swimming its flying, some can get enough power to go with the wave until the water recover the full body, they are going fast letting a white line behind them. Then most of the time the trip finish with beeing squatched and crushed by the wave, take a breath and go under the water until the force of the wave liverate you. We outside can just see the men disappear in the white moos and the board jumping up into the air without his proprietary. But it happend miraclely that the guy unexpectly come out of the tube or breaking wave, he jump out of the water like a delphin. And when this happen we just applause, RESPECT MEN !

Incredible. Wicked, just to cool ...I wish I will be an inside the water men!
The crowd is fascinated. Kids, young guys but also old people come here to see this show. Most of them have this typical surfer look, the long short and T-shirt from a wellknow surfer compagnie, the black rounded sunglasses, some tattoe of course and the curved haircut, not to long not to short but just looking like they didn t get to the coiffeur.
Hours are passing enjoying the water accrobatic. But suddently, the lifeguards order to all the people to get out of the water. They are crying loud with the speaker as a danger will arrive. No shark, no dead men in the water so what ??? In few second everybody realize what happen, a fog coming from the see will hide everything arround us. In a breath everybody will be in danger. Did you see the Moomie, the shot where the sand cover all the desert in a place where you can t see more than 5 meters? The same happend here with the grey fog. The surfer in the water will not see the big wave, the lifeguards will have no possibility to rescue anybody in case of problems. This cold fog is charged with cold water drops, the temperature litteraly go 5 degree down in few second. All the people are living, so me. My glass are covered with the little drops and let everything appear blury.

Until I go home I m thinking all the time about this feeling it should be to be in the water, surrounded by the big waves and go with them. I have to try it! Does someone want to follow me ?