brindleblog'n

I remember in the 80's a clean crisp february morning in huntington beach, very much like today, not a cloud in the sky and you could see the snow on big bear through the big smoke stacks on Newland street. The sea was a maximum of 5 feet high close out sets with cleaner smaller ones, a calm sea surface and no wind. The movement of the waves made its own offshore plume which makes anyone smile. Friends of 5 all having an awesome day. Maybe 7 other people to share the waves with our gang. We dominated the peak sections all day long together egging each other on with hoots and hollers. Eventually our pack of buddies cleared out the other guys and we had a section all to ourselves. As the day warmed up we got in the rythm of catching a wave and paddling as fast as you could back out to catch another one. Almost like a rotation.

I believe there is nothing quite as cool as to be paddling out and see your friend on a wave coming right toward you with a huge smile on his face as he sets up for a big cut back right in front of you to power water in your face. I gladly except this joust and await my turn for payback. Payback is a bitch they say and payback shall be mine today on you broh later. All in good fun.

I paddle over a little to set up for the big payback on my unfortunate victim. I let him catch a wave in to set him up and here comes a wave. The sweet taste of revenge is mine now, I've passed up better waves in order to time this one out. I charge the wave, pick up speed on it to hook a huge round house of a cut back and drown the bastard with my spray. Assessing the wave at the last possible second I decide to pull off a huge fly away.

A fly away to familiarize those whom need to know is hitting the lip of the wave and catapulting yourself skyward by jumping off of your surfboard. If you time it just right you can launch upwards of 12 feet or more in the air depending on the size of your wave and your speed.

So the wave was setting up more for a classic fly away than a cut back. I laugh remembering the panic on the guys face seeing me charging so hard and fast at him wondering how the payback will unflod or if he would get run over. I hit the lip hard and very fast and launched off of my surfboard. It was the largest fly away I'd ever had. I felt like I was 20 feet in the air. My surfboard leashed yanked the board behind me on my flight toward the skies. I decided since I had so much airtime to extend one arm like superman and I let out an adrenaline scream. The landing was awkward as it almost always is.

I hear later that there had been a lull in the waves so all my friends were watching me on the wave for a second.
When I surfaced from my epic flight all my friends paddled over to me laughing their asses off. Saying they had never seen such hieght in a fly away ever........You could hear them still laughing in the line up 1/2 hour later. Fucking brindley, you're a crazy man

We all got out, went to georges health food store when it was still over by 17th street, muched on some killer grindage and slurped the smoothies. What an awesome surfing memory.