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How do you cry "HELP!"
in Indonesian
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by Peter Neely -
Indo Surf & Lingo
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 It
was then I realised I didn't even know how to cry "Help" in
Indonesian! I struggled to calm my thoughts as I prepared to
bail. I slid off the board, remembering the experienced advice
I'd been given by Surfing World's Bruce Channon just prior to
my first trip to Bali - aim the nose of the board straight for
the beach, creating the smallest possible target for the wave
to catch. The last thing I saw was the biggest, thickest, most
terrifying tube I'd ever seen, breaking top-to-bottom just 5
metres in front of me. As I dived down into the darkness, I
said a silent prayer and waited for the wrench on my legrope
to dislocate my leg. I tried to prepare my mind for the inevitable
disaster of being sucked back onto the razor-sharp coral reef.
Or maybe being held under until my lungs burst. Or worst of
all, snapping my legrope under the pressure of that giant wall
of surging whitewater, leaving me well and truly out to sea.
Honestly, I was terrified. |
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 Miraculously,
the first wave passed over smoothly and easily. I popped back
up to the surface, gratefully sucking in air in preparation
for the next horror wave. The advice had been invaluable - the
first wave passed straight over the tail of the board and didn't
catch or drag it at all. I repeated the procedure for the next
wave, pushing the board towards shore, diving deep and crossing
my fingers. I popped back up behind the wall of foam, scrambled
onto my board and managed to just scrape over the next wave.
Words can't express the relief I felt to see a flat ocean behind
that last wave. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry... Slowly
a ridiculous smile of relief beamed across my face as I realised
I had survived a major surfing milestone, handling the largest
closeout set I had ever faced till then. I said a loud "Thank
you" to Bruce who's advice had worked, and another to the anonymous
guy who invented the legrope. Whoever you are mate, the surfers
of the world owe you heaps! I only caught a few small inside
waves that day, still spooked by that terrifying closeout experience.
When I finally trudged back to shore hours later, Made was waiting
at the warung. He asked "How was the surf?" I suppose I should
have confessed to being totally freaked, but I chickened out,
trying to save face I guess. "Oh, OK I guess. Hopefully it'll
be better tomorrow." I couldn't look him in the eye though,
and I knew deep down he'd seen the same transparent bravado
a hundred times before.
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 I
slithered off to the furthest corner table, secretly glad
no-one had witnessed my panic out the back. Sipping my coffee,
I gradually came to the realisation that every surfer goes
through this same kind of gut-wrenching experience, facing
their fears and confronting the mental barriers. With the
right equipment, advice and attitude, anyone can progress,
little by little, into tackling bigger waves. Over the next
month I managed to surf Nusa Dua just a few more times...
but never too big and never alone - I'd learnt that lesson!
And I immediately started to learn the Indonesian language
- the first word on my list was "Help!"
PS. The
Indonesian word for help is "Tolong!"
©
Peter Neely, Author INDO
SURF & LINGO
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You can find everything
a surfer needs to know about Indonesian Surf Spots and Language
in Peter Neely's excellent guidebook "INDO SURF & LINGO" available
through his website www.indosurf.com.au.
The book includes over
$70 worth of Free Beer and Discount Vouchers for Bali restaurants
and surfshops, so you'll save more than the book costs
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