A drive to the picturesque town of Dingle and a surf at Inch Strand 🌊
My First Surf in Years
It was such a buzz getting in the water again after a few years with no surfing... Ya, it'd been a few years since I last surfed. Then I started thinking how many years had it been? Had I surfed since my eldest boy was born 5 years ago.. I had a little think and it the last time was in Lahinch Co. Clare when my wife was pregnant with our eldest, so over five years ago..
Christ on a bike!! Where does the time go?
So, here I was many grey hairs later, and a bit more rotund around the middle, and it was time to conquer a few waves again, The whole way down in the car, I was buzzing. Now, it was a four drive, so that was a bit of a slog, but when I got there, most of the other guys were there already.. After a quick catch up, it was
Wetsuits on, and let's hit the waves
We rented boards from these guys - I brought my own wetsuit, but opted to leave my board at home and just rent one.. As the noise for 4 hours would have done my head in.. You see as you approach 100Km the ratchet straps I use to hold my board onto the roof of car starts to make a sound exactly like Chewbacca from star wars!
Imagine that for four hours.... No Spotify playlist is going to block that out, not Axyl Rose, not Tupac, not even Johhny Cash himself...
So, rent a board I did..
How did I go after 5 year hiatus
I won't lie to you, I was pretty horrific to start with! I actually forgot how tiring it can be to get out and then try and catch some waves, and I made a dogs dinner of the first few, but then I got some rhythm and started to catch a few nice ones! The feeling when you do catch them is incredible, such an Adrenalin rush, but thinking I was still in my twenties, I tried a few things beyond me and ended up pulling my groin, so had to retire a little early..
So off to the beach I limped and sat on my board and waited for the others to finish... It was actually lovely sitting there with just the sound of the waves, wind in my hair and mountains all around.. The scenery around Inch beach is breath taking, and my pictures don't do it any justice.. Here are a few shots..
Tom Crean's Pub
Once the lads came out, we all got dried off and as per the guys tradition, we made a move for the nearby North Pole in or Tom Crean's as it is also known. It is in the village of Anascaul.
Tom was a famous Irish explorer and you can read about here if you wish.. He was a horse of a man as the expression goes..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Crean_(explorer)
My first time
It was actually my first time down here and on the ten minute drive from Inch to Anascaul, I pulled in 3 times to soak in the view, it was savage! Here are a few snaps..
Panoramic
I even tried one of these panoramic shots to try and show the mountain behind me and the sea on front..
A fine class of a thirst!
So after soaking in the scenery and feeling weary from the surf, It was time to soak in something for which Tom Crean's is famous for...
Lovely creamy pints of Guinness!
This one disappeared fairly quick, and I had lamb shank as well, which was just the tonic after a dip in the icy Atlantic!
Well, thanks for reading. Catch you later.
Peace Out
Ablaze 🔥
#/media/File:TomCreanPortrait.jpeg){kind=link}
I know exactly how you feel. I tried surfing again 15 years and 30 pounds later, it was super rough, but I guess it's like riding a bike or mowing a lawn. If you still have you confidence, it'll work out fine.
Ya it was tough, but you know what, I can't wait to get out again, I just hope it doesn't take another 5 years!! Thanks for taking the time to read my post..
This post has received a 8.5 % upvote from @boomerang.
Thank you for sharing this. It's great to see far away surf spots.
I wanted to let you know about a surf shot photo contest put on by @intrepidsurfer There's not a lot of surf stuff on steemit so the contest is really small but the prizes aren't! Anyway check it out if you like
https://steemit.com/intrepidsurfer/@intrepidsurfer/steem-surf-photo-giveaway-week-5-4-prizes-worth-7-sbd
Hey thanks a lot for sharing that info man.. Much appreciated, hopefully I don't have to wait another 5 years for the next surf... :o)
When i started shooting surf photos again i stopped surfing! i'm so out of shape i dread going back out
Don't give up on it yet man, plenty of fuel in that tank yet, just give it a go in calm conditions and ride a couple of small waves to get the buzz back...
So true. I've been making excuses to myself and just dragging it out
We all do that @rossfletcher, sometimes the hardest thing is the first step, after that we often lament "what was I so worried about"
Go for it!
Disclaimer: If you fall and break your face, you cannot blame Ablaze ;o)
Congratulations! Your post has been selected as a daily Steemit truffle! It is listed on rank 16 of all contributions awarded today. You can find the TOP DAILY TRUFFLE PICKS HERE.
I upvoted your contribution because to my mind your post is at least 36 SBD worth and should receive 89 votes. It's now up to the lovely Steemit community to make this come true.
I am
TrufflePig, an Artificial Intelligence Bot that helps minnows and content curators using Machine Learning. If you are curious how I select content, you can find an explanation here!Have a nice day and sincerely yours,
TrufflePigCool @trufflepig Thanks for the shoutout 👍
I was reading and reading and waiting to see that beer shot! A well-deserved pint of Guinness! I can only imagine how the feeling of being again in the water and surfing after such a long break :)
It was pure bliss, well right up until I injured myself... But the Guinness made up for that! Can't wait to get out surfing again... Plan to do a trip to the west coast with the family in the next few months, maybe see if my eldest son wants to give it a go, he's only 5, so will prob just get him a little buggy board..
Surfing along with your son would be great fun, I imagine :) I hope he likes it.
Ya, I have a funny feeling my 5 year old will hate it, but my two year old will love it, he's a little dare devil :o)
Well done. You captured the beauty nicely...of the beer. Oh yes, the surfing and ocean too. :-)) I have wondered about the surfing on the Irish coast. I'm glad to see it turned out well, meaning, you didn't drown. Sorry about the groin tho. Are you planning any return trips soon? And...was it all you were thinking it would be? Cheers!
Hey man, the Guinness was delightful!! To be honest the waves were small on the day, but it was probably just as well, as even with the small waves, it was tiring getting out, but I had a real blast, and it felt so good to be back in the water and I was with 8 or 9 buddies I hadn't seen in a while, so that made it all the better.. Def going to plan another surf trip this summer, but bring wife and kids this time, and maybe my sister and her kids as my sister surfs too.. As for Ireland's west coast, there are some serious spots along the coast..
The video below has 40 foot waves, it's off Mullaghmore in County Sligo... I shit you not :o)
Damn, that looks dangerous. Was there a storm out in the Atlantic? Or is this normal?
It's good to get together with old friends like that. It sounds like a fun summer outing...and your sister surfs too. Very cool. I only tried surfing a couple of times and got my thigh impaled on the back of a surfboard when it hit the ground. Decided to take up motocross - much safer. :-)) Cheers!
Ya there must have been a big swell - conditions like this are unusual enough, but it does usually happen a few times a year, and is only for serious expert surfers... They are pulled into the wave via a jet ski, as that is the only way to generate enough speed to ride the wave... Imagine that 40 foot wave crashing down on you.... Ouch... But the buzz of surfing it must be off the scale.... Pity about your first surf ending badly - it obviously soured your taste for it, but Motocross as a substitute is class!! That must be serious fun..