I am sitting on a boat just outside Hout Bay and I am thinking hard. It is the Rebel Sessions Big Wave competition at Dungeons and I am there to take photos, but something does not feel right inside me. On the boat and in several other boats around me are more photographers who are all basically going to get the same shots which they are going to post and get an "ooh" and an "aah" from everyone that bothers to comment. Not because it is a great shot, but because it is a shot of something great. A shot of big waves and guys with big balls....or was it boards? Yes, big waves and big boards...and that's an "ooh" and an "aah" worth.
I have always said that I prefer to be a participant and not a spectator and clearly that has not changed. I want to be part of the action and not the dude in the boat taking pictures of guys having fun. I want to surf Dungeons. I am just wondering what it is going to take to get myself to that point? No, I don't want to take part in a Big Wave competition, I just want to surf Dungeons. So let's see where I stand right now...
On the down side I am on the wrong side of 50, maybe a pound or two overweight, very unfit and with the lung capacity of a tiny bumblebee bat. On the up side I can surf, I still have a heartbeat and I have balls. Maybe not big enough right now, but I am sure I can grow them larger with the right head shift and plenty of exercise.
I am only speculating but I have looked at the waves at Dungeons and I am sure they are doable for anyone with surfing experience and a long breath. The sharks feeding on the local seal population is something I can cope with. I will not attempt the traditional paddle from the foot of The Sentinel through shark infested waters to get to Dungeons. At my age I will be excused, or should be excused. Most of the surfers take the boats out anyway. I'm not there to prove anything, I am there because I want to feel the rush of catching a wave that size and not capture a wave that size. But there's the problem with water, lots of water. How long must one be able to hold your breath? 10 seconds, 20 seconds...a minute? Two minutes? I don't have the facts, so I need support from someone with experience.
I am sure that we have seen the last sets for 2017 breaking at Dungeons, and the next swells will only be winter 2018. That gives me 8-10 months to train. Get fit, loose the belly and expand my lung capacity. While doing this I can gradually work my way up on larger boards until I get the chance to paddle for my first wave at Dungeons. All I need is someone to train me or keep me on a training program.
Are there any Dungeon surfers out there who wants to take on this task? We can record my progress, make videos, get sponsors (I can't afford another surfboard) and surf as much as possible for a year. I need to do this because I won't be wasting my time in a boat taking pictures at Dungeons ever again......
