My heartbeat slowed to the pace of the turquoise ripples running under my new surfboard. Each second that passed brought a newly formed wave, foamy at the top left corner and beginning to crumble. Unlike any I had seen, the crests on these seemed to curl into a perfect coil.
At the time, I was merely eleven years old and having only ridden a body board before, I struggled to manage this seven foot long piece of fiberglass. It didn't help that I was wearing a 2 inch thick life vest which barely allowed for any movement of my upper body. I wasn't going to let this stop me though, It was time to catch a wave.

The first one was coming closer. I could feel the wind pushing me as if it were saying “This is the one.”. My dad was watching from the shore as if I were to uncover a hidden talent and become one of those child prodigies you may have read about. As it came closer, it grew in size. Its rapid growth made me hesitate. What if I couldn't handle it? Would I let my dad down? Would I get hurt? I spent the few remaining milliseconds frozen, like a deer in headlights until I made a split decision and dove straight under the wave letting it pass me by. Damn! I missed the perfect wave.

The next wave formed far back, closer to the fishing boats. It slowly grew in size and by the time it was near me it didn't seem very threatening. Although it was not of ideal size, it seemed to have a nice curl to it which I thought would be perfect to shoot me across the water. I turned my board thirty degrees facing away from the crest and began to paddle without looking back. Little did I know, I made a big mistake. I had taken my eye off it for a split second and didn't realize that the wave I was about to ride was not the same one that had begun to form by the fishing boats.

As I paddled, a shadow came over my board. The wave I assumed I would be riding had been engulfed by the larger one behind it, turning it into a massive body of water that was about to collapse on me. I knew the process, I had experienced it before but not with a surfboard. First, my legs would begin to elevate. Second, I would start being dragged backwards off my board. Lastly, my stomach would be jammed by the piece of fiberglass, knocking the wind out of me. I would be sent tumbling forwards getting smacked around between the board and the ocean floor. Images of foam and the feeling of helplessness flashed through my mind as I took my last breath before I would be completely submerged and disoriented.

That is exactly what happened. Surprisingly, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. The worst part was the anticipation. As I stepped out onto the shore, coming out water, I saw my dad. He was smiling, I didn't know why. I had failed. I remember thinking that perhaps I didn't need to come out of the water as a world class surfer, what was important was that I learned from a mistake. My dad was happy because he saw that I took a hit and knew that I would learn from it. My dad’s approval gave me a wave of confidence and I began treading the water once more.