A little later I thought I was outside the breakline, when one of those large sets that come only every few hours came in, and I suddenly found myself on the inside, unable to go out or in for safety. The first wave was a lot bigger than I wanted to ride, and if I dropped in on it, I was going to be late and have it break on me before I could maneuver down the shoulder. But behind it was an even bigger wave that was going to break on me and really pound. The only way out of there was to ride that first wave.

Joe was way inside and saw the whole thing. He said he knew it was going to be interesting to watch when he saw my long bow hanging high off the top of the wave just before I dropped down into it. I dropped into the wave thinking that my bow was going to plow under, but I was able to lean back far enough to prevent it from happening. I had a quick ride down the face of the wave, and then like usual on a steep wave in a sea kayak, I began to broach. As I broached I looked up and saw the wave breaking and coming down on me. I threw my paddle blade and head into the face of the wave and turned the bottom of my kayak towards the beach. Joe said that I was buried in the whitewash. The pounding wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and I was able to brace back up after about five seconds. The larger wave behind me broke outside, and I was able to punch the whitewash from it.

It's always nice to come out of those scary moments unscathed.

    Duane Strosaker Pirate Sea Kayaker