Florida Dave
I think he came from around the Great Lakes, a competitive skim boarder
that was captured by surfing, palm trees, and the ocean, on the east
coast of Florida. When he was done with
Florida, (or maybe Florida was done with him) he moved back north to the
Great Lakes and kept surfing. Eventually, to escape the cold, he joined
the great migration west and landed on Vancouver Island. He lives with
few amenities, in an old trailer just off the beach and surfs every day.
I picked up a couple of my boards that Dave had just repaired and dropped
off some resin and hardener for him. "Wanna go out?" "Of course" I replied
and we packed up his dog and stick and were off.
 We knew it would be Spot N
today, the way the wind was blowing and the look of the other spots as we
traveled along the coast. When we got there the waves were clean, 10kt offshore
and hip to head high. Fun waves! Easy to get out. Easy to catch. I appreciate
these conditions more and more as I concede to the grip of middle age.
Dave's suit is threadbare, he wears no hood, and has these webbed swamp
monster gloves that make his 6'6" Nev paddle with the speed of a longboard.
Dave is a stoke monger. He deals it out with every word and action. He sees
the world as bigger and better than most. Dave has seventeen plans in the
works at all times and all of them have something to do with surfing or enabling
him to surf. I always liked hanging out with dreamers. They aren't all ground
down by day to day living. They follow their passions, and they live free.
advertisement
|