24/07/2020 – Surf’s up!

Yes, yes we’ve heard you…

To all those smug faces behind fingers that wag, admonishers that.. admonish and overnight “Prophets” whom only a matter of weeks prior were labelled “Doomsayers”….

You told us it would be so.

And you were right!

The second wave is upon us.

On the subject of waves, even if you have a limited experience of surfing, the concept of “sets” may be unfamiliar.

Please do not confuse the oceanic phenomenon with these smart twin sets from the 70’s….

In surfing parlance, a “set” describes the natural phenomenon whereby, a given sequence of 3-10 waves within a group (swell) increases in height until the highest wave passes and the cycle repeats.

Interestingly, the greater the distance travelled, the more ordered the group becomes. Similar to cruise ship passengers really..

..But then, that’s the arc of this message..

A “gun” surfer can read the frequency and period of sets and estimate when the largest waves are approaching thereby, identifying which waves are likely to yield the steepest (best) “ride”.

For mine, (being the pragmatic surfer wannabe), I just called it as I saw it. The tallest wave could be seen “out the back”, towering over those before it.

That was the signal for me to catch the next one and “Get out of Dodge” before the giant was upon me….

After a number of such harrowing experiences I gave up surfing (or paddling around on a surfboard) and took up professional Office Chair Racing.

There is a view that the famous “Michel de Nostredame” (Latinised to become “Nostradamus“) based the accuracy of his stock-in-trade prophesies for the entertainment (and reward) of the French aristocracy, on the observation that human and natural history exhibited patterns and hence, a tendency toward repetition.

This was also complimented by a notoriously vague narrative which made interpretation a global, historical pastime!

Interesting fact: “Mic” studied briefly at the University of Avignon but was forced to leave after just over a year when the university closed due to an outbreak of the plague!

I wonder if he “saw” THAT coming?….

Natural patterns exist regardless (and sometimes despite) human influence.

Could there be a hidden perspective that exists in the parallel patterns of natural phenomena that extends beyond being merely analogous?

And if so, what stories would it tell…?

There’s an UNPRECEDENTED* storm brewing 600km out in the Southern Ocean.

*Runner-up “Word Of The Year 2020”.

The swell will make Huge Saturday 1981 look like….

.. a much smaller version of itself.

Here’s my plan:

I’ll get online and order up 6 weeks’ worth of baked beans, pasta and tissues.

Then, I’m going to lock up my toilet paper, don my 3-layered washable face mask and “made in China” “Hawaiian” board shorts and fill a bath with a 70/30 mix of iso-propyl alcohol.

Finally I’ll crank the heating to a balmy 26 Deg (for extra protection of course!) loop my fave surf tracks, dial up “surf cam” on the ‘Tube, “hang loose” in the tub and watch those waves roll on through….

Have a great weekend!