On surfing safari

We’ll all be gone for the summer

We’re on safari to stay.

Tell the teacher we’re surfin’

Surfin’ U.S.A.

– “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” The Beach Boys, 1963

A trip to find surf away from the home break is a surfing safari, a term popularized by the 1960s song by the Beach Boys.

It is simply a surf trip. Well, not so simply, since it always involves at least one surfboard, and unless solo, other people. The complexity of the journey increases exponentially with the addition of the family and each additional traveler.

Traveling with a longboard has changed over the years. In the ’70s it only had to be carried to the airport. The airlines were most accommodating. Early in the decade on my first trip, the stick was a bit of a novelty to the gate agent.

“Oh, you are a surfer and you are going to Hawaii. No problem, we will get your board there.” Later in the decade the cost and difficulty of transport increased, but it still was not much of a hassle.

A trip to Africa with 9-foot 6-inch Weber Performer in 1980 presented every problem with travel except loss. I showed up at O’Hare on a cold January night with a wife, a suitcase, and an unpackaged board. The agent cheerfully took the surfboard and we were on our way to Mombasa, Kenya, via London. Arriving in Kenya, there was no luggage and no board – and Air Kenya had no idea where either was. Two days later the luggage arrived, and the next day we went to the airport to retrieve the board. Air Kenya gave us a voucher for a steak dinner at the airport restaurant for our trouble. The voucher value was the equivalent of a month’s wages for the average Kenyan citizen. Then Air Kenya threatened to charge 1 percent of the first-class fare per kilo to get my “swimming” board back to the United States. I rejected the offer and flew back on British Air. Wife, board and I made it back safely.

The objective of the Africa trip was twofold. First there was a four-minute total solar eclipse. Then there was the prospect of Indian Ocean surf on the equator. Boy, was the trip worth it. Every morning and evening there were waist- to chest-high warm waves. Noontime sessions were banned because of the high sun angle and risk of sunburn, plus it was just too hot. No sharks and no other surfers were seen during the entire two-week safari. The eclipse was stunning.

On another safari we arrived in Barbados, but the boards did not. The family was going for two weeks, arriving on Christmas Eve. My younger daughter, Joanna, was 14 and eager to sample some reef surf away from the home break. Apparently the boards did not fit on the prop flight from San Juan to Barbados, so they had to go back to Miami, then get on a larger aircraft for the trip south. They arrived three days later just as the swell began to build. Joanna paddled right out into reef surf and a crowd, held her own, and she has not looked back since.

My wife always contended that it was easier to travel with toddlers than with a surfboard. For trips to Hawaii, we took both of the girls and my board. On one trip we landed in Lihue on Kauai on the tail end of a tropical storm. The approach to the small island airport was rough and scary, and then the problems began: transporting my wife, daughters and surfboard to the hotel with winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour. Clothesline secured the board to the roof of the rental car. Several stops were made for readjustment, but we made it safely.

Of course, our honeymoon was Hawaii. Before boarding, my bride, Joanne, excused herself to go to the ladies room. She did not return to get on the plane. Where was she? My board was already on the aircraft. What a dilemma: leave my bride in Philadelphia and travel with my board, or miss the flight. Thinking about what her father would say, I missed the flight, paged her and found her at another gate waiting patiently. The agents were very helpful; we boarded another Chicago-bound flight and caught up with my board and the Hawaii-bound plane. We checked in at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for two days of luxury before moving to more surf-friendly accommodations. Canoes at Waikiki in front of the hotel was a beautiful little wave. Not crunchy or scary, it had long smooth swells. On the inside was a fun squirt left not far from the beach.

We then moved to the Polynesian Culture Center just around the corner from Sunset and the North Shore Breaks. It was the basic motel. Joanne would come to the beach with me and sit and read while I surfed the North Shore. It was a spectacular honeymoon.

Transporting a longboard on a rental car without racks required planning and some trial and error. After much experimenting I found a method. I secured the board with clothesline fin-first from the front bumper to the rear bumper. Next I tied the line around the board and fished it through the front doors. This arrangement allowed stability front to back and side to side. The method worked well, and I never lost a board going down an unfamiliar road.

Another solution to longboard transport involved renting an expensive SUV rather than a sedan. The board could be squeezed in the passenger compartment by sliding it forward with the nose between the front seats. My wife sitting shotgun was severely cramped, but the board was safe. On one trip to Kauai we rented a station wagon with some metal on top, which greatly simplified the transport to the break.

The excitement of safari involved unfamiliar breaks and unfamiliar surfers. Before launching I would do a thorough examination of the beach and break. Where is the crowd and the take-off point? What currents are around? Is there a paddling channel? If it was the first session at an unknown wave, I would sit on the beach, watch and drink a cup of coffee. This time taken for familiarization with the water was most helpful. Everything looks different out in the water.

Movies frequently portray out-of-control surfers partying into the night. The reality of a safari is just the opposite, at least in my experience. After a full day of waves, one is bone tired and in bed early. The full night of sleep insures a dawn patrol session the next morning.

Two sessions per day on safari provided just the right amount of surf. A dawn session before the crowd came out and an evening go was the best arrangement. The midday sun in the tropics is dangerous for pale skin and can result in a horrific back sunburn. I learned that lesson painfully early in my career at Marias in Rincon. It is best to get out of the water at midday, have lunch, take a nap and return for the evening session.

What is the dollar cost of a safari? On one trip to Hawaii, I took the price of the trip and divided it by the number of waves I rode. It worked out to $5 per wave. Well worth it, I’d say.

   Fred Weber is a goofyfoot who lives in Ocean City. For suggestions or to comment email wavelengths.fw@gmail.com.