From Boston to Sri Lanka: Surf Photos
by: Grant Gary
In the summer of 2018, about 2 years after I learned to surf in Boston, I spent a month in Sri Lanka hunting down remote point breaks from the quintessential surf town of Arugam Bay. Sri Lanka is one of those magical places on earth: Elephants, Jungle, Mountains, Ocean. The whole place feels like a dreamscape. 3 weeks into my trip a massive swell arrived. I paddled out at sunrise and had the session of my life….
I’d gotten used to waking up at 5AM, waving down a Tuk Tuk and heading to the best surf spots in the world before anyone else had arrived. Paddling out into the warm Indian Ocean waters as first light touched the earth was always an ethereal experience. It was just me and the universe, and any new friends who also had the hunger to get out there for first light.
Sunrise was always reliable because there are no tides in Sri Lanka. I know it sounds unbelievable, I didn’t believe it at first, but there are actually spots on earth that have no tides because of their unique position on the planet: there is a tidal difference of a few inches, thus you can surf anytime the waves are good.
This particular morning, the Indian Ocean was throwing bombs, and I paddled out at my favortie spot: Elephant Rock. Elephant Rock is the kind of surf spot you dream of. A right hand, sand bottom point break that deposits you on the sand after every wave, allowing you to get out, run back to the top of the point, jump in and get right back into position. It’s the closest thing I’ve ever found to an amusement park ride in the ocean. Almost no effort is required to surf wave after wave.
This particular day was a little bit different. An overhead swell had moved in, which was unusual for this place, it tends to be small. The takeoff zone had such an intense current that it took all of my energy just to stay in place. Within 30 minutes of paddling out, the place was a zoo. Probably 50 surfers in the water. Within another 30 minutes it was back down to about 4 surfers. All the others had gotten exhausted or scared and had paddled in. And that’s when it happened…
I was still an improving beginner, but during that session something clicked. Every time I jumped out at the point, I would catch a wave within 30 seconds. I’d developed both the strength and wave knowledge to know exactly where to position myself and where to paddle. I caught wave after wave, each one the best ride of my life. I was going down the line, catching waves that were running hundreds of yards right to the beach. I just kept catching waves, running back to the point, and catching more. I was completely possessed. There were lots of people on shore but I paid exactly zero attention to all of them, I was completely in sync with the ocean. That’s when the wave of the day arrived.
I’d just jumped off the point when I saw an outside set approach. I paddled hard to the outside and slightly towards the shoulder, as I was initially far too deep to catch it. I swung my board around and angled it down the line just as the wave started to break. I paddled for my life and miraculously caught the wave. I stood up and immediately accelerated to speeds I didn’t know were possible on a surfboard. I was flying down the line carving up and down the wall of water that just kept forming over and over in front of me. And when the first section ended, the next formed, and the next and the next. I caught 5 different sections and rode so far down the beach that I couldn’t even see any of the people at the takeoff. At the end of the wave I got out, put my board under my arm, and started jogging towards the point with my head down, focused on every step. Suddenly I heard someone shout my name. It was my friend Sam, who I had paddled out with and then lost. British, he said “MATE!! I just got the greatest photo of you”. And he was right. He took a quick snap with his iphone and to this date it remains the best photo anyone has ever taken of me surfing.