I missed the morning glass because I had to wait around for the surf shop to open so that I could buy a new leash. (The existing one has let me down far too many times now.) I was then further delayed fixing the results of the latest round of the ‘Who can put the biggest holes in Rob’s surfboard’ competition undertaken between airlines worldwide.
However I am lucky that there is a break right in front of my hotel called Mambo’s Place, and it is named after it. I have a great room overlooking the break, which is the big window you can see over my left shoulder on the first floor in this picture of me charging into the surf.
The first thing to mention about this surf was all the turtles. I stopped counting them after a while because there are so many in the water. I was afraid catching a wave would resemble a water based version of hopscotch!
I still caught my share though, even if my delays in getting started meant that it was very windy, resulting in the lumpy waves you see here and a ride like a bucking bronco.
This wave is a reef break consisting of a few rocks, but was nothing to worry about when compared to the cheese grating reefs of the Mentawai Islands which I have become used to. Sadly the waves were not in the same league as the perfection I have been enjoying over recent weeks either, but that was no real surprise.
There is a crowd watching from the shore sipping Lion beers and cocktails so you don’t want to look like too much of a kook with so many people looking on. Thankfully I did well, surfing so far in that I almost landed on sun loungers when I got off!
I did have a lot of fun for a couple of hours here before the winds chopped everything up and I got out. Firstly picking out the best right hand line through the waves, and then trying to work my may along it to the shore following the route I had spotted from the sand.
I got out happy to have bagged my first break in Sri Lanka less than ten hours after stepping off the plane.
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