Indonesia

It is a beautiful full bodied woman, In-doNEa-sheya.......it fills my dreams. That smell, the sounds, the air, thick with jasmine, moist, hot, that feeling, the taste. There is something very special about that place. It haunts my dreams.

I went to Indonesia for the first time last year, with a few mates and a few surfboards. I'd only been surfing for around 15 months consistantly, so I was pretty sure I'd be way out of my depth. I still had this feeling that I'd find some waves I'd feel comfortable in even if it meant surfing at Kuta Beach for weeks.

The first few days I was absolutely petrified. I remember being out at Kuta Reef just overawed by the sound as the wave broke. I was so relieved when a boat arrived to pick us up and take us to dry land. I paddled over without catching a wave.

It took a while to settle in to the waves but we found cruisy surf spots to the west and in Lombok and I started to become more comfortable in the water. The further east we headed, the more comfortable I felt and by the time we reached Sumbawa, I was happy enough to paddle out at Lakey Peak and take a few waves.

I feel that when you hear about the famous breaks around the world like Pipeline, Teahuapo, *insert famous wave here*, you hear about them on their penultimate day. But even the waves have their bad days, when the wind is not quite right and the swell is coming from a different direction. Its at this time, that nufty's like me can head out and have a play! At any rate, there is always a learner wave somewhere around the corner. The Hawaiians don't start surfing Pipe as soon as they can walk! I'm happy to find the fat, soft, mellow wave and have my fun. I'll leave waves like Pipe to the real heroes.

Why I Surf.....

I've always wanted to surf. I remember when I was 15 being in awe of the guys running down the steps, board in hand at the Cove. I even signed up to surf lessons with Mr Walker at school down at Leighton and conquered standing in the foam.

I've been in and out of the water for as long as I can remember at surf club and in swimming pools. My mum sent me off to swimming lessons every summer, so I'm a good swimmer and pretty competant at reading the surf. Rowing surf boats has given me the best education in how waves work, where they pick up, when to dig in and when to sit back and enjoy the ride.

I finally committed to surfing when I moved to Melbourne in 2006 and actually brought myself a board. A 7'2 minimal, custom designed by Dicko from Torquay! I met some crew through RMIT Outdoor club who were at the same level as I was and away we went. Weekends were spent at Philip Island at YCW with my crew Ivan, GP, Mickey and any others who came along for the ride. I was 28.

Its been a pretty hard journey, one step forward, two steps back. Everytime I feel like I'm getting somewhere, I go out in a break that is way above my ability and lose my cool or I suck on a wave I know really well and get in everyones way. Its just surfing....the changing environment means that everyday is different. I wish I had started younger but I don't think I had the confidence to mix it with the boys out the back.

I always figure that every surf will teach me something. Whether its in perfect 3 - 4 foot waves in at a nice, cruisey break or 1 foot mash flattened by the Fremantle Dr! Its also a great sport to teach patience (which I really struggle with!). I've spent so much time bobbing around on my board, waiting for the perfect Bec size wave to come in and pick me up.

I'm having a great time checking out unfamiliar breaks in Western Australia where I am currently living. Last weekend, Nathe and I went to Muttonbird bay in Albany. I thought I knew most of the incredible places in this state but this spot took my breathe away. There was something special about beach breaks as far as the eye could see, a protected cove for young families and a nice-ish wave for Lplate long boarders.

Why I surf, I'm not sure.....catching a wave just feels so good.