Now for the really hard part: what will I wear?

I admit it - I so wanted some hip surf clothes.

But, despite my best efforts, here is what I ordered - just about the most boring surf clothes you could find. The more I look at these shorts, the more I see Florida retirees on a golf course. And yes, the two pieces don't even go together that well.  But trust me, in the youthful world of surf clothes, it was the best I could do.




The average age of a female surfer must be around 15 because the fun board shorts and cool patterned rash guards are mostly in sizes 4, 6 and 8. Most of the shorts are very, very short, hip hugging, tight and teenagery.  For those of us needing double digit sizes and some coverage, it's slim pickings.




I've already struck out with size "L," (sweet and very supportive Mother's Day gifts from my family that I could barely squeeze into). I was relieved to even find these shorts and this top in XL.

It's probably for the best that this is all I could find. It's age appropriate, that's for sure.

66 miles between me and the sharks

I saw a National Geographic special issue magazine on sharks in the grocery store yesterday. It was published to coincide with their "Shark Week" on t.v. I won't be tuning in to that; watching it would most definitely not contribute to the mellow surfer attitude I'm trying to cultivate. But I couldn't resist paging through the magazine and, holy crap, sharks are terrifying.

In a recent chat with my friend Jarka, I said that to fight off a shark you punch them on the head (I think I was just winging that answer). She astutely  pointed out "What head!? They're all  mouth and rows of big, sharp teeth." The photos in the magazine certainly did confirm her observation.

I didn't have time, or the stomach, to peruse the entire magazine. But I couldn't resist the section on "Deadly Waters." I learned that there are a number of places where one could run into a big, big shark while surfing or swimming: Hawaii, South Africa, Brazil and New Zealand were all worth a special mention. But the deadliest spot is the Red Triangle which goes from San Francisco to Monterey and out to sea for about 30 miles. This is the likeliest spot on earth for a human to be attacked by a great white shark. A hundred or more great whites converge there in late summer every year for the seals, their favorite food, who migrate to the beaches and the surrounding waters.

Man, am I glad I'm not going to surf camp in the Red Triangle! I have a list of places I'd like to surf. I now have a list of places I don't want to surf.

And what about Florida? More specifically the Atlantic coast where I will be surfing? Volusia county, a 47-mile stretch on the central coast, is dubbed the Shark Attack Capital of the World (at least by National Geographic, and they capitalized those first letters, not me). It's the site of  21 percent of the world's shark attacks on humans. Sounds bad, right? Well, considering all the people who swim there (Daytona Beach is in the county) that percentage isn't all that surprising. And all the fishermen don't help - they throw a lot of bait into those waters. But the good news is that the shark attacks are generally minor bites coming from spinners and blacktips, sharks that are rarely longer than seven feet. It's hard to believe that you can put the words "seven foot shark" and "minor bite" in the same sentence but I'm sure glad they did.

I'll be surfing in Brevard county,  66 loooong miles from Volusia county.  So, no worries, right? Right??  Let's go with that.  

They make it look so easy!

Here's a link to a short and sweet video of women, aged 36-66, on a surf trip in Mexico. No giant waves, no aggressive shredding or daredevil antics, just fun surfing with friends. I smile everytime I see it. 

8 Women, 8 Days. Take 2. A Graciegirl surf video clip featuring Jeannette, Robin, Linda, Mary, Brenda, Zeuf, Nancy & Heather.