So you ask. What does retirement look like? Well in my case there are no work deadlines to meet. No faculty meetings or practice plans. No game nights. And of course when that really nice swell arrives with offshore winds grooming it I can go. I can plan the best time to be at the best location for the best surf for my enjoyment. This was the case last Tuesday March 22, 2022. The swell was large out of the south east and the front came through early that morning. The winds were not too strong at first so I chose to arrive at the beach around 10:30 and surf from 11 to 3. This would give the wind time to groom the large disorganized swell.
When I pulled up on Beach Drive I thought that the road had been closed, as I saw a city truck with flashing lights ahead of me and no other vehicles on the road. Normally on a swell this big it would be hard to find a parking spot on Beach Drive. As I drove and observed the huge mass of white water being created by this swell I soon realized that the majority of people had chosen to enter the water by the jetty and ride the rip current out to the line up. When I reached the Jetty Park parking lot I noticed that there were not that many people there and that the lineup would be less crowded to start the day. I didn’t even check the surf. I threw on my wetsuit and waxed up my board and headed to the water. Riding the rip out to the lineup I noticed the wind was cleaning up some head high sets on the outside. One wave after another came through with some nice size and power. I think the cleanest and most workable waves were about even with the sand bar that lines up with the weather station in the channel. I positioned myself there and proceeded to have a really fun session from 11-3. After four hours my arms were drained from so many paddles back into the lineup. I rode my last wave in and grabbed my camera to shoot some still shots from the jetty. By now the winds had really picked up out of the Northwest. Many people were struggling to get into the waves due to the strong winds in their face and the lift it created under their boards. Several times the wind gusts pushed my upper body forward as I struggled to hold the camera still.
About five o’clock I decided to drive to Galveston and see if the 91st street pier was still holding the swell. I found a parking spot on the east side and noticed the current was making it difficult for those who attempted to surf on the west side. All the surfers were on the east side just inside the t-head. The bowl about midway out the pier on that side was pitching nicely. I set up on the pier to shoot some still shots on that section. I managed to get some nice shots of some surfer’s getting a small cover up both front and backside. I put some sequences in the video along with some nice cutbacks and lip bashes. As always if you know any of these surfer’s let them know that if they contact me I will send them the RAW file of their pic.
I hope you got to enjoy the cool sunny Tuesday outside doing whatever makes you happy. I am so grateful that I get to take the time to enjoy the many blessings that God has given me. 1 Corinthians 1:4 says “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus.” Take the time to hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel.
God bless you and thanks for reading my blog. Enjoy the video!
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy-Outdoors.net
YouTube: Legacy-outdoors
Instagram: @tlump10
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