I was really fortunate to get to see a pro surf comp at Pipeline in Hawaii, and while I'm not big on crowds at the beach, it was amazing to see pro surfers at this particular break. What was also incredible was the sheer energy of the wave, which I could feel from where I was sitting on the sand.

I love swimming in the ocean and I'm not a surfer, but I love surf watching. Surfing is a great metaphor for life, and generally for feeling alive. Setting my novel Chasing Light at a fictitious beach was a great way to get one of my characters to surf!

Here’s a quote from one of the ‘masters’ of Pipe, Gerry Lopez, from his book, Surf is Where You Find It (2008) that I love and sums up his approach to surfing:

“Surfing is whatever one wants to make it. With the fluid stage and the cast of characters, anything goes is usually the rule...actually there aren't any rules. This is what makes surfing so appealing, But in my almost 50 years of surfing, I've made a few rules for myself [...]The fifth and final Lopez rule: The best surfer in the water is the guy having the most fun. I try to remember that one.”