A DIVE INTO THE
WATER By: Jared Brimer
T
he first time I ever saw wake surfing was at lake powell with my friends. It looked so fun and I couldn’t wait to try it. The water was so smooth, it almost seemed like the person out on the board was sort of just flying to an invisible rhythm that only they knew and felt. Everyone went before I did and they all made it look so easy, almost like they were professionals and that was their life’s calling. Even though everyone was good at it, they all had their own way they rode the wave and their own surfboard. So, it was finally my turn. The plan was simple: go out, just be myself and have fun. I wish this was a story of me having the time of my life, but sadly it is not. I could not get up on that board if my life depended on it! I tried countless times. Everyone who was having too much fun earlier was now frustrated because they had to watch me. I was like a fish out of water, or in this case a boy who had no idea what he was doing in the water. I would like to say that my failures taught me several ways of how to not get up and I finally found one that worked, but if I said that I would be lying. I got out of the water and ventured to the house boat. I told myself, out of frustration and defeat, that I would never do that again. I can’t be the only one who doesn’t know how to wake surf. My new plan was even simpler, just not go, saving myself some embarrassment, if you will. I believe one
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of the boat drivers there caught on to my master plan and set out to make it his mission to get me wake surfing by the end of the trip. We went out everyday that week, trying and failing over and over again. Finally the last day rolls around and we go out one final time. I had swallowed so much water, I probably lowered the lake a few inches. Like I said, his mission was to get me surfing. So one final time I strapped on my life vest, grabbed the board and rope, and leaped into the water. After doing so, I could feel someone jump in after me. He was coming out to help me in the water. So I got situated and went, my first try with someone in the water was a … failure, what a surprise. We went a few more times and still had no luck on getting up. He then sat in the water right behind me and basically pushed me up on my next run.
I finally did it. Now that I was up, I had what felt like a million thoughts going through my mind. One of them being that I had never gotten this far before and I had no clue on what to do. It felt like I was up there for at least five minutes then I crashed. I came up smiling only to hear that I had only been up for six seconds. After that, I never had trouble getting up. I will forever be grateful that someone else was willing to make it their mission to help me so I could experience it with everyone.
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