Catching a Wave

"There are a lot of bluebottles out today, so surf on the other side of the beach where there are less of them" the man behind the counter tells me immediately after taking my money at the surf shop. 

I'm a bit incredulous that this man waited till after he had my money to alert me of the fact that there has been a friendly invasion of killer jellyfish at Bondi Beach. I know I used a coupon, but this seems like a cruel way to pay me back for being cheap.

Okay, so I am a bit melodramatic, bluebottles in fact are not killer jellyfish. They are blue jellyfish who have tentacles that can reach up to 1 metre (3.26 feet). As I waddle down the beach, dragging an eight and a half foot long surfboard behind me, I try to avoid the bluebottles littering the beach.  Their tentacles, which are the color of techaylit, are supposedly extremely incredibly painful when they make contact with skin because the jellyfish sometimes cling.  I tentatively wade into the water after Flora, my surf buddy, taunts me till I HAVE to prove I am not a chicken. 

Did I mention that the sky is completely leaden, looks extremely unfriendly, and it is drizzling in this scenerio? 

I wade into the water, trying not to get knocked over by the relentless waves which are stirred up by the wind.  Instead of the calm and well spaced waves I experienced yesterday at Bondi beach, the waves seem to be feeding off of each other and coming continuously. To make it better, the wind is driving some waves sideways, so waves are crashing into each other at 45 degree angles. 

I follow Flora into the water and hope I don't die. 

Needless to say, this story does not end tragically.  

I surfed for two hours and even managed to catch a few waves. I have been finding it frustrating that I am not immediately good at it but am trying to be patient. Patience is over rated by the way.