You wake up to the sound of surf on the southern Mexican coast. Your hair is heavy with salt from the day before and eyes hazy in the dawn. You’ve been here for a week and the surf continues to break clean all day and all night, so you’re not surprised by the waist-high waves peeling off the little rocky point just beyond your tent. You fall back onto your sleeping bag and look up through your mesh ceiling at the palms, leaning but perfectly still. The sky beyond is just the faintest shade of pink, sun still creeping up the backside of the mountains to the east. You don’t have long before it comes streaming down the foothills, gaining intensity until it’s almost too much to bear. Get up.

You fumble around at the edges of your tent, looking for bikini top and skirt. You pull your bare knees to your chest so you can slip the bottoms and skirt over your callused toes. Check them out while they are so close, crack a toe or two, then drop them to push up your butt, and pull on that skirt. Use a knee to pull yourself up to the sitting position and round your back in a stretch, easing the stiffness out. Slip the top on and reach for your zipper. No shoes outside. No shoes ever. One. Two. Three. Up. Pull that skirt down on your hips, rub your eyes and run your fingers through your hair just enough to get it tied back. Reach out, spreading those arms and fingers, feeling every bit of your body from this life of surf and coconuts and tacos…. Reeeeach and turn.

Your dad is waiting for you on the tailgate of his truck, one banana in his hand, half eaten, the other sitting beside him, waiting for you. He doesn’t say anything, just looks at the banana and then the surf. You better get moving, girl is written all over his face. You think to yourself, I’m only behind a half a banana, thank you. You take your spot beside him on the tailgate and pull at those thin bits of banana skin — unlike any banana skin back at home — then take a bite. You chew slowly, letting the banana change the flavor of your mouth.

It’s only a minute before your dad drops off the tailgate, grabs his surfboard and hands you yours. You stuff the last bit of banana in and follow. The tiny pebbles feel good under your feet, cold from the night. You meet your dad at the ocean’s edge and you set your boards down for a moment and strap your leashes to your right feet. You look way down the beach and then out to the point. You’re a long way from much of anything besides palms and pelicans.

You both pick up your boards and step into the water. It’s warm as water goes, but cool on your legs anyway. You wade out until it gets almost waist deep then grab the rails of your board and push it out in front of you. While hanging on, you ease your stomach down onto the gliding board. The water slips by your sides and your body tightens against it.

The first wave comes in perpendicular and you straighten your arms to avoid taking it in the face. The saltwater foam splashes around your hips and legs, pulling at your skirt a bit. Then it’s a series of waves, getting bigger as you head out. Your dad is already out there, eyeing the next set of waves to catch. By the time you get there, he’s spinning his board to paddle hard for the next wave, just starting to build out beyond him. He gives you a smile then takes three strong strokes as the wave comes up underneath him. He stands and takes off into the first rays of sun. All you can see is his head and shoulders above the white lip of breaking wave.

Then there you sit, out there beyond the waves all alone in the perfectly glassy morning. You feel the tail end of the set of waves that your dad left on as they roll under your board and dangling legs. It feels as if you’re sitting on the pulse of the sea. You can’t see the bottom even though the water is a perfectly clear emerald green. Before the next set of waves, you have a chance to scan the coastline, that tumbling green onto golden beach. The first inkling of the sun is catching on the tops of the waves so you can see right through them.

As your dad approaches, he gives you a nod and you turn to see the next set coming in. You’re in just the right spot for the biggest wave, building just beyond where you sit. A quick turn and you’re stroking hard to gain momentum enough to catch the wave. You feel it lift under you and your board starts to glide down the face just as you grab your rails and let your feet fall under you. Staying low, you wait to ride to the bottom of the wave face before standing full up. Then, arching your back and spreading your arms you adjust your balance. Your skirt settles down your thighs and your speed pulls it out behind you. You can feel the wind and water moving across your body and between your legs until your wave peters out and you fall backwards into the frothy water before the air bubbles have a chance to subside. You come up, with head back to pull your hair out of your face, and reach for your board.

Bliss…

SARAHLEE LAWRENCE is a river rafting guide and experiential educator who lives an adventurous life running rivers, researching riparian environments, training horses, farming and writing... {more»}

Related Chi: Do It In a Skirt: Rescue a Damsel in Distress Synchronized Surfing Learn to Surf Without Fear Do It in a Skirt: Sea Kayaking in Thailand Baby on Board