Report from South Kona

Mondays can be plenty of fun . After a mellow morning and early afternoon of work . With a cooling smoothie stop at midday before finishing off our stops . Ute and I pulled up to a warm and clear ocean down at Kahaluu beach park . Small waves broke softly with their white foam over the reef . After a summer of either no waves or too rough of waves , Ute and I went out for her first time surfing . Ute on the Slick a 9 foot long board with three fins in back , this board has been around almost 15 years . One of the classic boards made by the Slickermeyer a super cool old time Big island board maker . I went out on my black body board . Entering the ocean in a small channel thru the lava rock with its fresh cold spring water coming up in the warm water of the sea . With a little push out we paddled , Ute getting right on the board for her first time . Voyaging out toward the breaking waves with her first strokes pushing her out to warmer waters . Once out about midway we stopped for a little lesson in sitting on the board , Ute with her Horse back ridding experience just sat right up and balanced just right . Floating around a little we moved just inside the break after not getting any waves breaking where we had been . Now as the first ones came I had Ute lay down and paddle , but at the last minute I pulled her back worried about a wipe out . LOL I shouldn’t have , the next wave off she paddled and with a push she caught the wave and sped away . Riding along till the wave rolled up on the inside , her first wave . Back out right away we went just a bit farther out and caught a little bigger wave . Ute ridding cleanly right along again 50 or more yards right to the inside . Now the Slick is not the perfect learning board , one of those big foam one that float so much and are super stable are , anyone can ride those . Ute tuned right into the board and rode a total of 7 nice waves , the biggest one I thought for sure I would see her flipping and the board go flying . But off she went just the back of the wave visible , speeding in a long ride about a 75 yard cruise toward shore . Inside , right in line with the ride a tourist and a surf instructor sat catching the smaller inside waves . Ute unseen from the back was being propelled right toward them . The reason this was apparent was the instructors eyes slowly got wider and wider . Oh no , it looked like Ute was going to run right over them , realizing that there was no brakes on a surf board . At the last second she pulled a perfect turn right out of the wave . laughing away as the instructor asked if she was alright , Ute paddled right back out thru two breaking waves to ride some more . It was such a classic wave for the first time surfing that we laughed for several minutes , rode a couple more and headed in surfed out , happy and hungry . Just the way to be after a reat afternoon in the water . Now I don’t know if I ever will get the Slick back , I think I will have to drop her off tomorrow while I go work . lol

What a fun afternoon , Steve & Ute