Surfing on the Straits

Even though I was still feeling like a late start and a leisurely day, my friends convinced me last night that I should come surfing on the waves that form on the Menai Straits. The snag was, that in order to catch the tide at the right moment, we'd have to be on the water just after 7am.

It was a blurry eyed Ian that arrived under the grand arches of Menai Bridge as the sun was coming up. 

Having climbed straight out of bed and into my drysuit, I was pretty much ready to go, once I'd pulled my kayak out of the back of the van and donned a helmet.

Despite the protests from a tired body, it was invigorating to be up and out so early and the water was glassy and warm. We paddled up the eddies to the chutes where the waves form and spent an hour or so surfing the waves as the water poured through the gaps in the rocks. Unlike a river wave, the flow was constantly changing so the wave could go from big to small in a few moments - even while you were on it. Looking upstream at the glassy smooth green water was mesmerizing as the water flowed under our boats and we were held in balance by the water

I was home by 10am and joined Clare for a walk down to the river before a coffee in the sunshine while sorting wet kit.

In the afternoon, once we'd both finished some online work, we went down to the lake for a swim as the hazy skies cleared up.