Freezing… the water rushing onto my toes sent shivers down my spine. The smell of the ocean was strong; salt, seaweed, fish, and the tar pit near by. The sound of the waves crashing when meeting the shore. Birds flying through the morning overcast . You can see the mountains on the horizon peeping through the clouds.

 There were 5 other kids with me. Ready to get started. Some wearing wetsuits, some not. Lily the girl I just met less than two hours ago already felt like a best friend. She was sweet, kind, and funny. I hear her feet walking in the sand by me. She was carrying my surfboard and her own.

The Instructor Nick who was just 25 had been surfing since he was 12 years old. He grew up on this beach, he knew these waters. Nick lived here his whole life. One by one he taught us the strokes and the basic movements of surfing. Paddling and paddling trying to get farther and farther away from the sand.

The water splashing into my face is almost refreshing. Getting farther and farther from the beach I feel more in touch with myself. I can hear the sound of water hitting the surfboard; it sounds peaceful… calming. Looking at the horizon I see everything. The oil rigs are miles and miles away, they look like battle ships from my point of view.

I hear Lily paddling up next to me. She’s waiting just like me. Waiting for a great first wave. One starts to form behind me but I was waiting for another one, a better one. It starts far away and slowly doubles in size. Paddling, paddling, paddling. My board is facing the shore as I paddle; I feel the wave start to lift me. I try to gain my balance and stand. As I get to my feet and fully extend my legs it feels like I’m on top of the world. The wind flowing through my hair and blowing on my face as I’m riding the wave makes me feel like I’m flying.

Falling. As I drop into the water I awaken back to reality. I only was on the wave for a few seconds but it felt like forever. Even when falling off my board I still felt like I was in a dream. It wasn’t until I hit the water. That’s when everything went back to reality, and I wasn’t flying above the water anymore.