Hello all, Tony here…..Question to our fellow surfing pals: Do you remember those times, either in the recent past or several years ago sitting in a classroom bored out of your mind? If you’re like me, you’ve had countless daydreaming sessions sketching perfectly peeling waves in some far off distant land on the back of a notebook imagining being there. Well, that notebook sketch became an agonizing reality for me yesterday. Yes, an AGONIZING reality for me….

To my surfing pals back home who would love to be here with me chasing waves around the world, yesterday was a day that I would have rather been home with you….I’ve had a pulled back muscle the last 2 weeks and mostly been out of the water, missing fun surf at best, so didn’t feel like I was missing much in the way of surf. After spending the night in total pain, I woke up yesterday and decided it was time to see a doctor. Eddie and Sal dropped me off and I was told I shouldn’t surf for at least a few days longer and my back was in too much pain to surf anyway, so I was resigned to being sidelined and just taking pictures.

This is where the agony and horror story begins: Everyone needs to understand Eddie and I have been traveling Australia for 3 months and have had numerous really fun days, and a handful of good days….On with the horror….In Raglan, you’re about a 10 minute drive from Indicators and Whale Bay which are two of the main breaks. As you leave town you go up the side of the point and can check the various left handers on the way out to Indicators’ surf break. As we rounded the first turn all I could see were solid swell lines (corduroy horizon) marching in. At that moment, I don’t think I have ever been in a more severe state of envy, than I was for my two friends, Eddie and Sal. Eddie and Sal were doing what they could to hold back their excitement, in light of my current state, but they were STOKED, as they should be.

The boys proceeded to paddle out and immediately slide into some perfectly peeling left hand walls and I took photos. Almost in tears and certainly in a pure state of depression, I repeatedly asked myself what it was that I must have done to deserve this horrible torture? I really could not handle watching these consistent, solid 5-8 ft. lines march in and after an hour, I decided it was time to test my threshold for pain…..I HAD to paddle out!!!

By far the most physically painful session I‘ve ever endured, I did manage to pick off one set wave and 2 fun ones before I couldn’t handle the pain any longer. A small consolation prize at best……

My imagination will be forever scarred by the session that could have been…….good for you, Eddie and Sal…..certainly an epic day that we all dream of…….