After yesterday’s aborted attempt at a surfing lesson, our instructor remembered today and collected us, a bit late and took us off to Playa Cocles. I had been careful of my sore arm for the past day or two, and besides the sea was very still so it was easy to catch the current out to the surfing spot. It was not very exciting for a proper surfer, I’m sure, but I did enjoy not battling the waves and feeling my arm go numb just to get out into the water. I did a couple of good attempts, including one where I managed to steer side to side and really felt myself click with the force of the water. A few less successful ones, including one where my surfboard flew off and hit someone else, a young American who apologised profusely. Later he hit our instructor with his board and apologised profusely again, so maybe he was Canadian. After about 45 minutes my arm started going numb so I stopped before the pain started and went for a swim, practicing diving through incoming waves. This, unfortunately, tipped the sore arm over the edge so I had to leave the water.
Meanwhile the Gentleman Friend continued, and seems to have the trick of catching a wave himself (I still need someone to kick me off), and did one excellent bit of surfing where he and another fellow caught a wave together and surfed to the shore, twisting and turning in unison. Unfortunately our instructor forgot to bring rashguards this time, so the GF got a burnt back and an abraded front. I have my own which I obtained in Malaysia so I could go snorkelling without attacking the corals with sunscreen.
I sat on the beach watching the surfing, then eventually the GF joined me. A young woman wandered over selling little desserts so we shared one: two crispy biscuits sandwiching some dolce de leche and covered in mango and coconut. Very nice, we should have brought two. Then we shared a plate of salt fish and ackee from the Jamaican sellers — unfortunately they were out of rice and beans, so it was just a plate of that. Then we walked back, hoping to find a cafe in town but they were all shut, so we returned to our shack to make an early dinner, for me to finish and send off the work I have been doing over the weekend.