Surfing Assateague Island
Dawn patrol, horses, and the sand between my teeth
It’s early. 6:00 a.m or so. I’m tired from last night, but I love the idea of getting to surf with my future brother-in-law’s favorite break in Maryland. I may not get the chance to surf with him again for a year. Plus he says it’s a national park and they have wild horses.
He wasn’t kidding. You can smell the horse shit from a mile away, but there they were—dozens of them. Wild, free, and beautiful. It makes me think about zoos. It makes me think about change.
The waves are small but we paddle out. It’s east coast surfing in September so it’s not warm, but it’s bearable. There are about two dozen guys out—they’re stoked there’s anything to ride at all. East coast surfers are far more motivated, they have to be.
We take turns on the longboard since we only have one. The other board is so small it might as well have been a toilet seat cover. To be honest, that would have been a more practical purchase. This potato chip is useless under all two hundred of my individual pounds. Still, on the right waves, the longboard is fun.
This was very different than Hawaii or California. The wave is spitting distance from the beach. I can’t get used to bailing before I get pummeled on the sand, it’s just too quick a ride. My mouth and hair are filled with sand—I can’t help it but laugh every time.
That’s my future brother-in-law—Tim. He went bananas after catching this one. Nothing fires him up like a good wave. I’m pretty sure he still talks about it today. This one alone was worth the trip.
It’s sessions like these that remind me how truly peaceful and perfect surfing can be. When you lose all the competitive testosterone that floats with you in the waves. Some guys are trying to make a magazine cover—while others are just trying to enjoy their time in the sea. It provides a balance between the mind and the body that I can’t explain—but I’ve yet to find its equal.
Small waves, wild horses, and a few key memories to hold on to. Thanks Tim. Let’s do it again soon.
— Dan
