Back in the Surf: Constantine

With this winter being so wet I spent most of my free time in a kayak, enjoying all things whitewater on Dartmoor. But with the British whitewater paddling season over and done with for another year, my thoughts have turned else where. All the trail building and biking has been good, but I've been itching to get back on my surf board!
Loads of great winter swells have passed me by and my surfing gear has been getting dustier and dustier. But it was high time I did something about it. All this good weather and high pressure had killed off any surf for the last fortnight or so, but with a hint of low pressure back on the charts things were set to change. A fresh swell started to push in early this morning, and so I found myself, three surfboards, two wetsuits and a sausage roll, stood looking out over the waves at Constantine bay at 8am this morning!

Unknown surfers enjoying the reef at Constantine

Another empty hollow wall races over the reef

The expected 2 foot waves looked bigger in the morning light, and the reef looked great, but a bit much for me I thought! So I kitted up, and set off across the beach with a 6'8" swallow tail under my arm, thinking that it would be the weapon of choice. The waves were certainly good, but after a great deal of thrashing about on the short board, and only two waves under my belt, I was beginning to doubt my board choice. Then after loosing a contact lens, I decided that enough was enough, time to get out the real surf board, a mans board, none of this silly short board nonsense, wheres me Longboard. So with two lenses in, and my trusty 9'2" single fin under my arm it was back down the beach I went.

Another unknown surfer on the reef

Good waves and great conditions at Constantine

Oh what a difference! Easy and fast to paddle, so much easier to catch a wave, and fast down the line when it counted! The waves seemed to get bigger and bigger, helped along by the pushing tide, and soon I was dropping into chest to head high waves.
I got some good rides, I got some heinous wipeouts, and I enjoyed the calm serenity of sitting outback, in clear green-blue water. After a couple of hours my shoulders stopped acting like shoulders, and became merely bits of jelly holding my arms to my body! It was time to dry off, and find the camera.
I fired off a few pictures and finally slunk of home. Tired but grinning ear to ear. Next time I wont leave it so long. In fact with some luck I'll hit the waves again Sunday.