Scribe survives second lesson

It’s much easier to surf when you haven’t spent an hour paddling laps

as a warmup.

It’s not as easy when there’s a certain fear in the back of your

mind about the abundance of jellyfish.

Luckily, I caught the end of last week’s infiltration of the

reddish-purple cnidarians, and I survived Day 2 of the Saturday Surf

Class with Scott Morlan, held just north of Newport Beach Pier.

Morlan, however, was absent due to a long-planned vacation.

Filling in the main instruction slots were brothers Dave and Tim

Northup.

And filling in the main student-who-needed-the-most-help slot was

myself. Actually, I fared pretty well, according to Dave Northup.

“You were up and turning,” Northup told me after the lesson, which

is apparently the next step after learning how not to fall

immediately on your face upon standing.

I did manage some form of a bottom turn -- the term for riding

along, almost parallel, with the wave -- but the nine-foot foam canoe

I was using was adamant on making it difficult.

My ultimate goal is to thrash (see, I’m already picking up on the

lingo) on a short board on large, gnarly (how about that one?) waves,

but that’s probably millenniums away from happening. I figure,

though, if Keanu Reeves can do it, so can I.

The sport of surfing, apparently, is an attraction for people from

other parts of the country -- at least for Dana Fugett it is.

Fugett’s interest in surfing peaked when she moved from Chicago to

Newport Beach in April. Now, she is enrolled in the same surfing

class and seems to be pretty decent at it. She even purchased her own

board.

“I’ve gone out [surfing] with some of my friends, but I didn’t

really know what I was doing,” said the 25-year-old, who moved to

Newport for job purposes. “With the instruction, I don’t get as

nervous.”

Another aspect that has helped in the nervous department is the

fact that we’ve only seen midget waves. I assume it would be rather

interesting if we were out there during large sets.

Tim Northup, 23, who lives in Corona del Mar, said he has taught

lessons in overhead conditions. He confirmed my thoughts that it

would be interesting.

“Some of the people go out and try it, and take some thrashing,”

he said, “and some stay in closer and ride the whitewash.”

I could see myself out there in double-overhead conditions, but

I’d probably need a lifejacket, floaties, a snorkel and a scuba tank.

In fact, I’d probably just leave the board on the shore.

The second class, in a series offered by the city of Newport Beach

at a cost of $100 for five two-hour sessions, was much better than

the first: it was actually sunny, we didn’t have to consume so much

energy learning how to paddle and I had a better understanding and

more experience on how to stand up.

I also managed to not drown for the second week in a row, an added

bonus.

The next lesson will involve more turning, and I’m supposed to do

a homework assignment (I thought the point of finishing school was so

you didn’t have to do that). I have to do 500 pop-ups in my kitchen

-- lie face down on the floor and leap to a standing position -- in

order to have more practice for the water. Don’t tell the

instructors, though, I might just do 400.

And so the countdown has begun -- just two more weeks until I turn

pro. Anybody want to sponsor me?