The new swell started arriving two days ago here in Bocas del Toro, Panama, where we have lived for the last eighteen years. I took my boat that I keep in town, a 24 ft. fiberglass panga, out to Carenero Island the first two days to surf. On the northeast side of Carenero there are six surf spots that are all world-class when the waves are pumping. Those two previous days I ended up surfing the right at Black Rock because the other five breaks had people at them and I prefer to surf alone. The waves were excellent both days with yesterday being much bigger than the first day. Both days I rode my 6’8” squashtail that Courtney Parks, who owns Tropix Surfboards here in Bocas, shaped for me as an all-around board that works well in all kinds of surf. It is my go-to board nearly always. This morning my wife Allene and I were awakened at 5:30 by a vicious storm with radical lightning and thunder, strong winds and torrential rains that lasted until about 1:30 in the afternoon. When it finally started letting up, the wind shifted out of the west which is straight offshore for Carenero and I told Allene I was gonna go surf. I drove to town and loaded my squashtail along with the other board that I always take out there as well. The first spot I came to was Black Rock, with the waves being way bigger than the day before, but because it faces more to the south, the wind was side-shore there and kind of blown out. I proceeded on to Old Man’s but it had ten or twelve people there. So I kept going up to the next spot called Big Rock, but it also was crowded. From there, I headed up towards the last three breaks which are the inside section called G-Land, the Point, and the Outside. I could see more than thirty people at the Point and quite a few at the Outside but lo and behold, there was no one at G-Land. That has been my favorite spot to surf in Bocas since I’ve lived here as the waves are very hollow and powerful, but it has gotten crowded in the last few years so lately I usually bypass it for Big Rock or Black Rock where I can often surf alone. Today I anchored just outside the break and paddled in on the board that Courtney shaped for me strictly for the wave at G-Land. It’s a 6’10” pintail thruster and I have to tell you … it’s a magical board for that wave. The waves were big and powerful today and just paddling in to the lineup from the boat got my adrenalin pumping. When the first good wave came I went on it without hesitation and got a screaming ride down the reef with a few pumps on the face in order to make the wave. When I paddled back out to the take-off spot, I saw my friend Michelle take off on a massive wave at the Point and rip the wave to shreds, doing several sharp bottom turns, going straight up and smashing top turns off of the lip until she kicked out close to where I was sitting. She came over and we visited awhile and then we saw our mutual friend Chapo take off on another good wave and really work it over. When he finished his ride he saw us and paddled over to say hello too. While we were talking and not paying much attention, all of a sudden a big wave was right on top of us and Chapo and Michelle both looked at me like, “It’s yours, Clay!” So I spun around and went. The takeoff was late and as I popped to my feet the fins came out and I freefell down the face. But that has happened to me lots of times over the years at that spot, on that board, so instinct took over and I knew just what to do. I stayed in a crouch and grabbed the outside rail and sure enough, the fins stuck three quarters of the way down. I was in the barrel for a few seconds and came flying out, making a few pumps down the wave before straightening out in the shorebreak. I shouted out a couple of yahoos on the paddle back to the lineup. With my confidence up (which can be a mistake if it’s overconfidence), another big wave appeared and even though I knew I was a little too far inside, instead of letting the wave pass, I went on it anyway. I went over the falls before I could get to my feet and was thoroughly thrashed, with my leash breaking before the beating was over. It was a long swim in through heavy waves and then a crawl over the reef where it gets very shallow before reaching the shore. I got my board, rested a moment while waiting for a lull and then started paddling back out. I got through the shorebreak fairly easily and thought I had it made (overconfidence again), then suddenly saw a huge cleanup set on the horizon. I sprint-paddled as hard as I could but to no avail. The first wave crushed me and then I took the next eight waves on the head which washed me back inside as the cross-current was pulling me towards the rocks at Big Rock. Upon getting dangerously close to the rocks, I made the decision to turn around and ride the whitewater to shore. From there I walked way down the beach towards the Point and when I finally saw another lull, I started to paddle out again. This time I got lucky and made it back outside almost without getting my hair wet. By this time I realized I was pretty spent and it was getting late so I paddled back to the boat, pulled myself and my board in and motored back to town. After parking the boat in our slip, I stashed my boards in the bodega, showered off with a gallon jug of water, got dressed and went to the truck. Before making the hour-long drive back to our side of the island I stopped at the gas station on the way out of town to pick up a couple of Heinekens to celebrate on the way home.
I was elated about my surf session. Big beautiful waves, two good rides, one short barrel, an epic wipeout. But I was still alive, with no injuries, no reef rash and grinning from ear to ear. I felt very blessed and was thankful for the day. And at the age of 71, I’m still just as stoked as I was on the day I caught my first wave in Galveston, Texas when I was twelve years old.
Never Stop Surfing.