From Thursday.
When I was packing my things in Philadelphia three and a half months ago, I almost opted to leave my full wetsuit behind. My suitcase space was growing dear, and I thought Hainan would never get could enough to warrant anything beyond my spring wetsuit. The water is still in the low 20s, but it's been gloomy out my last few sessions, and the full wetsuit has been an absolute necessity.
Last Sunday at Longlou was another great thick and chunky head-high day. That spot reminds me a lot of Loch Arbour, my favorite spot in New Jersey. I spent the night and surfed a few hours Monday morning before heading back to Haikou.
I was hoping for massive surf on Thursday from the tropical storm. There was a ton of energy in the water, but it wasn't breaking all that well. The period was ridiculously short - about three seconds. It was quite clean from a mild offshore, but mostly just dumping on the shore. I only got about ten rides during my two hours in the water. I took a few poundings, including the above clip, which was one of my milder beatings.
A few people have mentioned that they would like to see more video and pictures on here. The problem is that I usually head out to the beach by myself. But tomorrow I believe Carrie will be joining me, so I'll make her the photographer for the day. I plan to purchase a proper video camera within a few months.
In other news, it looks like I will be able to find all the equipment and ingredients I need to start making beer. I got into homebrewing over the past few years in America, making about thirty different batches. Most Chinese beer tastes the same, and it's all pretty much piss. Sipping on an Indian Pale Ale or a Belgian trippel would be divine. I bought a few glass carboys yesterday. It looks like I can order malt extract and hops from a company out in Xinjiang, and will have a bunch of brewer's yeast shipped over from California. A little diligence, and I could be savoring a Piraat clone come my birthday mid-March. It really is the little things, isn't it!
I'm going to take a nap and then head over to Simon's for the Liverpool v Charlton Athletic match. We paid fifteen pounds to download this program that lets us stream Premiership fixtures live. Worth every penny.