Photographer & Model: Leanne Morrison
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Overhead, in a clear azure sky, a
flock of seagulls soar on the ocean thermals, their cries mingling with the rustle
of the swaying palm trees that fringe the powdery beach. As the sun starts to
set, turning the foamy waves that lap the shore a rosy hue – suddenly – the
tropical tranquillity is broken by the roar of seawater, as out on the horizon,
a huge wave breaks against the reef and thunders towards the shore…
Every time I visit this idyllic
beach here at Surfer’s Bay, a saying by
real life surfing legend, Buzzy Trent, flashes through my mind: "Waves are
not measured in feet and inches,” he said, “they are measured in increments of
fear." And it was here and on that very wave that breaks hard before
ripping diagonally across the sim, that I met – and eventually conquered – my
own SL surfing fears, because after starting SL surfing way back in 2008, I
thought I had pretty much seen and surfed all types of wave. But I was wrong…
From the now outdated (but still
fun) prim tubes that threatened to swallow you whole before dragging you into
the watery depths, to duckdiving in deep lag to reach far out fluffies, to negotiating
beaches with imposing rocky outcrops just to experience a few seconds of pure
surfing bliss on the lip of a mellow mesh wave, I have made it my mission to
ride as many waves in SL as possible over the years. But then I discovered
Surfer’s Bay and the wave that was to become at first, my surfing nemesis and
eventually, the best wave that I have ever surfed inworld.
Rising from deep water on the
westerly side of the sim, the Maoli Tahiti wave here runs right towards the beach
diagonally. At first glance, you might think that the distance between shore
and surf isn’t long enough for a truly satisfying ride, but actually, this
positioning provides a great uninterrupted surf run, as you can turn your board
on the flats a few times, letting you ride along it at speed; or hit it frontside
for some fancy moves that really make you feel at one with the wave.
But it’s surfing the crest and
executing aerials where the fun really happens, because staying on a straight
line on top of a diagonally moving wave is not as easy as it looks. It took me
a lot of attempts, many whiteouts and a serious dent in my surfing pride before
I managed to run the crest perfectly; but when I did? I was amped. “I rezzed the wave here
diagonally towards the shoreline to give visiting surfers a realistic feeling
of surfing a big wave,” explains Duncan Blackburn, co-owner of Surfer’s Bay.
And he has definitely achieved that.
For surfers that do visit the
sim, they will often find that they are alone out there in the blue – which I
personally love. There’s nothing better than a SL dawn patrol here: grabbing a
coffee, setting down my C-3 and paddling out to the wave in peace while the sun
rises in real life and on sim. But you do also find other diehard surfers here
too, and the sense of camaraderie is very genuine between those that ride at
Surfer’s Bay. We paddle out together: laughing, showing off, encouraging each
other to go faster, faster, faster… and no one drops in on your wave. The
respect and mutual love of surfing is very real here.
Post surf – exhilarated and
exhausted – we head back to the shore and sit in the shallows listening to
birdsong or the tracks streaming from one of the many resident DJ’s that are
famed for throwing spontaneous beach parties here. And don’t be surprised if
you ever get messages asking to take your photo either: Surfer’s Bay has a
strong community of loyal visitors and many are brilliant SL photographers who
love posting pictures in the sim’s very active Flickr group.
That unique sense of community also
pervades other parts of Surfer’s Bay too. From the lively and amiable group
chat, to seasonal events and parties, to just hanging out and talking in local
with sim regulars from across the world – the vibe here is truly communal and
good natured. But if you aren’t feeling social, the sim’s landscaping and
densely planted trees, secluded coves and secret areas are the perfect places
to just drop out and stare out to sea: before that huge wave beckons you out
once more…
Surfer’s Bay is an adult rated sim with adult
activities – so please be aware of this before you visit. Beachwear or nudity
only and human avatars only. There is a group membership fee of L$300 which
allows you to rezz your board anywhere on sim with no auto return. C-3 and Maoli
rezzers are also available.
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