Right after I got this shot, I got bruised

Date: November 9, 2003
Time: 0645 -- 0900
Spot(s): Rocky Rights
Conditions: Increasing side-offshores, lots of groms and girls
Swell: Somewhat northerly
Surf: 2-3' Haw'n

Words: Woke up late, but wasn't too concerned since the swell hadn't arrived yet. I knew I was probably going to miss it, so I just cruised to the beach.

Waves were mostly shoulder-high, some bigger, some smaller. It was inconsistent, but at least conditions were pretty nice.

Early on, I was paddling back out near Rocky Lefts and saw a photo op. Took the shot, but got this sharp pain in my calve. Figured out that my photo subject accidentally railed my leg. Hazards of surf photography.

Didn't get as many waves as I hoped, but got a few fun ones. Most memorable was this right that just dredged and walled on the takeoff. Did a few pumps and had pretty good speed but I knew I wouldn't make it. Put both hands up, claiming and conceding at the same time while standing semi-bolt upright with camera dangling from my teeth. Had to bail/punch through, but not without getting a big rush.

There were a surprising amount of girls in the water, maybe for the Triple Crown or maybe because of the Blue Crush syndrome. In any case, I was a bit bummed because they surfed better than me. Bruised my ego.

Came out of the water a bit early, nearly hitting a rock in the process. When I hit the sand, I found that my calf was more tender than expected. Bruises can come in many ways.

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