Page 13 - Issue 3

PADDLING

OUT

TO A NEW MAT

The afternoon sky is showing off. The waves are
glassy and peeling out of the southwest at shoulder-to-
head high. They suck off the exposed reef, which causes a
nice hollow wave. I was told I lucked out getting surf this
good in the Gili Islands.

I sit on the outside and enjoyed watching the locals
getting stoked after every barrel or aerial they pulled off.
I let the locals catch as many waves as they liked, as this
is “their house”.

Just then, I see a wave coming my way. I paddle and
drop into a bottom turn. I do a few turns and kick out
before the wave closed-out on me. The locals hoot and
holler in excitement. Adrenaline starts pumping through
my veins. I feel like I’ve been accepted into the pack.

I notice a new face in the lineup while paddling back
out. Another foreigner. I’m not surprised. This part of
Indonesia is full of foreigners.

I see the next round of sets coming. The long blond-
haired foreigner starts to paddle. The locals are stroke-
for-stroke with him, but he beats them in the paddle
battle and takes off on the wave. The energy in the water
has shifted.

Written By:
ROME LYTTON

11

Credit:@e_z_e0611