Monkey's Uncle

I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle!

I was sick with the flu, and Rio, my old home beach was going off. It was late and gray and there was a slight wind chop on the surface of the water, but the swell was the perfect size and direction for this fickle beachbreak. Within a half mile there were no less than four outstanding breaks with channels that never closed out that evening. The only peak being surfed was a right that had a couple of great bowls.

At first I thought the waves were a couple of feet overhead judging by the 8-10 riders tearing these waves apart. After parking, feeling sorry for myself for not being out in the water, and fumbling for my camera, I realized this was a crew of mini-mites surfing waves only shoulder to head high. I've seen this crew around before. There are a couple of surfing dads who have youngsters in the 6-12 age range, and with their young friends they make up quite a troop. They are an odd assortment of grommets from 3-5 feet tall, with well seasoned boards and wetsuits both of which are a size or two small for them. These kids may be small but some of them already surf really well. More importantly, they are totally stoked!

So I'm watching these tiny rippers tailslide, cutback, throw airs, and tuck into barrel after barrel. Barrels of monkeys hooting and hollering with their friends, pushing each other to outperform one another, exceed their own personal limits, and celebrate life. It brought a smile to this old locals face as I remembered celebrating this spot with my young friends in exactly the same way thirty-five years ago, and I'm thinking, "Maybe in some way that makes me these monkeys uncle."

Photos are slow to load.

Photo 1: Stalking the inside bowl.

Photo 2: A Monkey in a barrel.

Photo 3: A respectable backside fan.

Photo 4: Dropping in while your buds hoot.

Photo 5: The empty waves to the south.

It got dark. The tiny shredders emerged from their liquid playground, chattering excitedly as they filed up to their dad's waiting vans. Finally, as the wetsuits peeled off, and the dry clothes were donned, they transformed back into the kids they must be for a little while yet.

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Last modified on 10/2/01.