Originally written on 25 March 2023

There’s seemingly no limit to what I’ve learned after taking up surfing. Every session is new in its own way, and always challenging. And while I’ve learned so much about the sea and all it can do; I’ve also learned more about myself… about what gets me going, about what scares me, and about what I love.

Apparently, I love adrenaline. I crave the adrenaline only found careening across the face of a wave, feeling the splash of whitewater across my face. Or, more often than not, the adrenaline of falling over a wave, tumbling under water, and hoping to God the board doesn’t smack me in the head.  If I don’t get in for a few days, my mood changes and I get fidgety. If the forecast says flat conditions, I still get in. I get salty. Otherwise I stay cranky.

This morning, the conditions are flat. Not a wave in sight, but I’m determined to get in anyway. Instead of hauling my gear over to Manasquan, I shoot straight up Bridge Avenue into Bay Head. The beach here is different than Manasquan. It’s often narrower because the ocean swallows the sand and pushes right up to the dunes. There are few jetties and most of the breaks that I’ve seen occur because of sandbars. But it can be fun and it’s close to home.

Today though, since it’s flat, I stand-up paddle – or SUP. I’m a bit off because it’s the first time I’m on the SUP since the fall. Different muscles are required. I feel off balance and find it hard to hold the paddle’s handle with my thick gloves on. Even though the water is flat, a chilly wind blows from the south and pushes me a bit. I decide I’m just going to paddle a few blocks, turn around, and keep doing loops until I’m tired.

I’m out alone, which I promised my wife I’d never do. I broke a rib wiping out and smashing my chest against the rail of the board. Luckily, I was out with the group and one of the guys pulled me out of the water. I hit so hard that I saw a bright flash of red and couldn’t breathe. Ever since then, my wife makes sure I’m surfing with a group. But I’m not surfing this morning. I’m just putzing around. I’m paddling and putting some muscle into it, and I often find myself singing, usually the song I heard as I turned off the truck. This morning I’m singing Trenchtown Rock. It’s a quiet morning except for the occasional seagull laugh, the light rumble of the small surf hitting the beach, and my own voice. It’s relaxing. Just myself, my thoughts, and a seal.

Yup a seal. Her head pokes through the ocean’s surface and she looks at me. She bobs there for a second and then she dives back under. Then she pops up again, further away. She checks me out and then dives. She does this a few times until she’s gone. I’m excited that I saw her and can’t wait to tell my kids. On my way into shore, I see a small swell and so I paddle hard and get into it and ride it all the way to the beach. A rogue peeler taking me home closes the session.

To celebrate the seal sighting and catching a peeler, I treat myself to one of my favorite local breakfast sandwiches from Divi Tree. There’s no shortage of good breakfast sandwich in Point Pleasant and many an opinion on which is “The Best”.

To start off, Divi is a little family run and owned coffee shop on Bridge Avenue. It sits next to a barbershop and shares a tiny parking lot with the other business. It’s light and airy inside, taking on the vibe of being on a tropical island, as if walking through the door transports you to Aruba, the island for which it’s named. The coffee is delicious. I stick to the drip coffees… mainly because I lack the patience for a pour-over. I usually drink the Sumatra, a dark and intense brew, or the House, which is a blend and has a medium but tropical taste.

Back to the sandwich. Yes, a coffee shop has the best sausage egg and cheese. Hands down. Why?

Two reasons. One, size matters. Their breakfast sandwich is the perfect size and sits in the goldilocks zone of breakfast sandwich size. Many joints around here also have great options, but they compete on how many pounds of meat they can squeeze between two slices of bagel. The first half is good, but it’s impossible to finish the second half.

The second reason is Divi uses a sweet role. Once again, most other establishments in Point Pleasant use a bagel or a hard roll as the carb vessel. Divi’s sweet role breaks that long-running expectation. The combination of savory from the egg with the sweet from the roll is like riding the perfect wave.

So, I guess I crave two things – a good session and a good breakfast sandwich. This morning satisfied both.