Secret blog

Hello all,

I didn't even tell people bout this blog on fb cause i did one 2 days ago so i guess its like a bonus one. Haha.

Yesterday was completely epic! For some of the team, it was the last day that they would be in Aragum Bay because today we head to a place called Ella. Ella apparently is amazing, but I'll talk about that another time. So because it was the last day they'de be here, we decided to do something special and take a few a the local boys to a distance surf spot and then take em out to lunch afterwards. They don't get to surf many other places than the point because it costs like $20 for the tok tok (small car) ride. Off we went to Ocannda. Super rad wave! To get there you travel along a series of dirt roads which pretty much is in the jungle, like sometimes you'll have to stop to wait for an elephant to get off the track. Elephants can do serious damage to a small tok tok so you don't try overtake. The landscape along the way is full of massive rocks which look like someone's just thrown them half in the ground. But when you get to Ocannda there's the biggest rock of all, and the Hindu's believe it has some kind of significance.

Was interesting and sad to see that along the way there was all these Hindu's walking alongside the road with heavy objects on their heads. The tok tok driver told us that they're walking to the big rock to worship I guess. Some of the people come from all parts of Sri Lanka and walk for 3 or 4 months to get there in July for a big festival.

Anyways, once we got there, we walked along this sandy track which opened out onto the beach to see an epic right hand point with no one on it. Felt just like the movie Endless Summer. Well there was actually 2 people already on there, they overtook us on the way, but none the less it still felt like an epic surf adventure. If you don't like surfing you can switch off for the next few sentences while I describe the break. So there's one big rock out the back and then another little one half way down the line. You can really take off right in front of the rock out the back because it breaks directly onto the oyster infested rock, but it kind of slopes down into the water like a big wedge. So it absolutely barrels super heavy out the back and once it starts to break on a little bit of water on the wedge you can get slotted for about 2 or 3 second, but its so scary because its about 30cm deep and it completely covered with oysters. A few of the guys got cut up pretty bad (which thinned out the crowd to just us)! Then after it blows out you do a few turns on big open face, and get as deep as you can in front of the second rock to try get barrelled again.

Was a super fun day. The boys really enjoyed it.

Keeping up with the keeffer

Hello everyone,

After being here a couple of days I'm truly amazed at the great impact that Surfing the Nations is having here. 

Its very encouraging to see the work that the Carothers family and Pontus and Andy have been doing. As a team over the next month of two we will be an extension of what they are doing. So.... they have sooooooo many relationships with the locals, especially the young kids, they absolutely love them. All I have to do is paddle out in the lineup at the point and say to one of the locals that I'm Cody's friend to which they all respond, “oh, me Cody best friends”. Its always good to see the practical blessing that these guys have been. ie. Like how to manage personal finances, build, cook, health, fix surfboards. Simple things like treating a wound.

So what have I been doing. Well pretty much the first day I was here, Zack, Johanna and I made friends with a local tok tok driver and he invited us to his home for dinner. Was a truly amazing experience. Its amazing the preconceived ideas one can have about a people race that I know nothing about. Everyone there was very welcoming, friendly and super excited to see us. It was an amazing night, they even took us canoeing on the lake to see the elephants close up. Was so rad! Oh and the meal portions are huge. But the weirdest part was the family didn't eat with us. They watched us eat and then waited till we left before they ate.

Aside from this the surf pumps here. For all the readers who surf.... the waves at Aragum bay are sooooo fun. It barrels off the take off, races for a bit and then opens up like Nationals at Noosa. And if anyone tells you the crowds are bad here, they're absolutely dreaming. No one even sits on the take off spot.

For those who donated boards, please pray that the kids will look after the boards. They have no idea how to look after a board. I saw a kid go left this morning at a right hand point break. I've been here about four days so far the locals have snapped 2 of their own boards, broken fins, and dinged others. Its ridiculous.

Oh one more thing if anyone has seen how awkward I am about physical affection then you would have laughed so hard watching me squirm the other day. In Sri Lankan culture its not unusual to see two men holding hands walking down the street and so when you introduce yourself and shake a guys hand they continue to hold it until the end of the conversation. ITS WEIRDING ME OUT SO MUCH!!

Anyway I'm absolutely loving this experience and loving the people. Miss you all!