Chapter 21 Section 21

The storm had passed two days ago, but the sea had not yet calmed down.When Johnny got closer and closer to the coast, he could already see the trees and houses on the shore, as well as the lush mountains deep in the mainland.But he also heard the roar of the waves ahead, echoing through the clouds.The monstrous white waves, from north to south, hit the coast with overwhelming momentum.The huge waves whipped up waves on the beach and rocks, and rushed back to the sea, falling more than a thousand feet away, and at the same time rolled up waves on the shore and filled the air with smoke. In front of Johnny, there is a wall formed by huge waves, the wall is as high as a mountain, surging and making loud noises.He wanted to find a breakthrough and break through the obstacles. However, he stood on the surfboard and looked around. He saw the long coastline stretched out in a word, without end or end. He couldn't see the harbor or the mouth of the river. .He could not reach the shore safely.Even looking for it is a waste of time.The only way is to rush up the huge waves, and rush up before he loses his courage!

He did have the right tools at his side for the big waves to wash him up on the beach, but he had never used them before.On Dolphin Island, the hard, flat coral reef clings to the shore, making surfing impossible.The coast has no gentle slope under the water, so that the waves splashed from the shore can climb up the land again along the slope.But Mick often talks about the so-called "wave riding" technique, and it sounds like it's not difficult to master. Wait for the wave to rise first, and when the big wave comes behind you, paddle hard.Then, just stick to the surfboard, don't fall off the board, and the big waves can push you forward.

"Catching the Wave" aka "Catching the Wave" sounds simple enough - but can Johnny do it?This reminded him of a silly joke: "Can you play the violin?" "I don't know—I've never played it." Just an ugly, out-of-key note.But here, if you don't "follow the trend" but try it, the consequences will be disastrous. Half a mile from land, he signaled Suzie to stop.He jumped off the surfboard himself and unhooked Suzie's head.He then cut the straps on the surfboard, which he did as a last resort because it would be dangerous to have these straps flying around him when the waves were carrying him at high speed, and the harness he used It took a lot of work to make it, and it would be a pity to throw it away.But he remembered Professor Kazan's words: "Equipment can be replaced." Now it was a mortal danger and had to be abandoned.

Two dolphins still swam by his side as he paddled toward shore.He kicked with flippers and propped the surfboard forward, but Suzie and Sputnik couldn't help much.Although dolphins are good swimmers, they may be intimidated by the turbulent, swirling waves ahead.Dolphins often get stranded on the beach in this situation, and Johnny certainly doesn't want Suzie and Sputnik to take that risk. This seemed like a good place to break: the splash was parallel to the shoreline, and there seemed to be no dangerous eddies in the return waves.Many people on the shore stood on the low pile of sand watching the waves.Maybe they've seen him.In any case, they will try to get him ashore.

He stood on the surfboard and flailed his arms wildly -- no easy feat on this little bouncing board.Ah, they did see him!The crowd in the distance suddenly became restless, and several people pointed in Johnny's direction with their hands. Then Johnny saw at least a dozen surfboards on the sand, some lying flat on the trailer behind the car, some stuck in the sand.All the surfboards are on the shore and no one is surfing in the ocean.Mick told him many times that Australians were the best swimmers and surfers in the world.But now, they also stand on the shore and wait and see, not daring to go into the sea.Johnny knew, and they knew best if they could go to sea.Seeing this scene, Johnny couldn't help feeling a little angry.Even the best surfer in the world is afraid to go into the sea, and he, a person who has never surfed before, wants to catch the tide in this rough sea. It's not easy!

He paddled slowly forward, the roar of the waves ahead getting louder and louder, until now, the waves rolling past him were fairly steady.Soon, the waves began to foam.About 100 yards in front of him, the wave began to climb and then fell to the beach with a thunderous bang.Johnny's current position is exactly in the safe zone between the sea and the back wave.In the vast Pacific Ocean, the waves are unobstructed and unstoppable, rolling forward until they meet the obstruction of the land.They hit the coast with a thunderous force, and then they were exhausted. Johnny was on the outer edge of the backsplash, rising and falling with the waves, watching for a long time the behavior of the waves, studying where they began to wash up on the sand.He can imagine its overwhelming power without yielding to its lustful power.Once or twice, he tried to rush forward with the tide, but instinct and prudence prevented him.He knew—he could judge by the sense of his eyes and ears, and once he caught the wave, success or failure was the only thing!

The people on the shore became more and more excited.Some people waved their arms, signaling him to go back.Johnny felt that they were being foolish.Where did they want him to go?But then he understood that they were trying to help him—they were warning him that there were waves he couldn't ride.Once, when he had just started paddling, people in the distance beckoned him desperately to catch the wave, and at the last moment he lost his courage.When he saw the tide he had missed rolling on the sand smoothly, he knew, whether to rush or not, he should listen to them, they were experienced and knew the coast here.Next time he will do as they wish.

He pointed the surfboard at land while looking back at the rolling waves.At this time, a wave had begun to splash, and white foam was flying on the top of the wave. Johnny looked ashore quickly, and saw people waving desperately to him.Yes, it is this wave, catch up! Regardless of everything else, he paddled hard in a dog-like swimming posture, pushing the surfboard forward at the fastest speed.But the surfboard didn't seem to move, as if he was just crawling on the water himself.He didn't dare to look back, but he knew that the waves were rising rapidly behind him, because he could hear the roar of the waves getting closer and louder behind him.

Then the wave caught hold of the surfboard, and despite his strenuous efforts to paddle, it was neither useless nor necessary under the pounding of the waves.The huge waves are unstoppable, and his efforts are really insignificant. They can neither increase its power nor stop its advancement; he can only catch up with the waves and be a veritable "wave-rider". He was surprisingly calm when he was caught in the waves.The surfboard moves smoothly, as if gliding on rails.Of course, this is just an illusion.Moreover, even though the waves behind him were still roaring, he felt very calm on the top of the waves.The only sound he could hear was the "hiss" of foam splashing around him.The waves rushed at him, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.He seemed to be galloping forward on a bareback horse whose mane brushed against his face so that he could not see anything clearly.

The board was well designed and Johnny kept his balance throughout, his instincts helped him stay on top of the waves.He keeps adjusting his position back and forth on the board to keep the board balanced.Soon, he found that he could see the coast ahead again.The foam receded to the back, his head and shoulders out of the sizzling spray, and only the wind was on his face. He was probably traveling at 30 to 40 knots.This kind of speed, not only Suzie and Sputnik, but also Xuemei can't compare with it.He could hardly believe it himself that he could keep his balance on a wave of immense power.As he glanced down the trough of the waves, he felt dizzy.

At this time, he was only 100 yards from the beach, and the waves began to roll on the sand. It only took a few seconds for the waves to rush to the beach.Johnny knew that this was the most dangerous moment.If the waves came upon him, he would be smashed to pieces on the sand. He felt the surfboard beneath him start to bob up and down—the front of the board was in the water, and if it hit the beach with the wave it would shatter.That's all over.At this time, the wave he caught was more terrifying than any siren.Unless he can stop the downswing, he will slide down the slope and into the trough.At this time, the waves were getting bigger and bigger, covering the sky and covering him head-on. Carefully, he moved slightly toward the back of the board, and the front of the board finally lifted.But he didn't dare to move back too much, otherwise, he knew, he would slide backwards from the shoulder of the waves, and the huge waves that caught up behind him would also smash him to pieces!He must maintain his balance on the top of this foamy wave, although this balance is precarious and may be broken at any time. As the mountainous waves began to descend beneath him, he sank with them and continued to hold the board steady; the mountains turned into hills and finally foam;In the whirling foam, the surfboard slides forward like an arrow off the string by its inertia.Then, with a jerk, the surfboard began to zigzag forward—and at this moment, Johnny realized that what he saw when he looked down was no longer the moving sea, but the still sand. Almost at the same time, two strong hands grabbed him and pulled him to his feet.There was a lot of people around, but the roar of the sea was deafening, and he could only hear some intermittent voices. "What a crazy little fool—lucky he's alive—not one of our local kids." "I'm fine," he whispered, shaking his hands away from his captors. Johnny turned to look back at the sea, to see if there were still shadows of Sputnik and Suzie in the sea.In the crisis just now, he had completely forgotten about them. He saw a huge wave, surging and splashing, rushing towards him.For the first time, he realized the power of the wave he was riding, and he was really afraid.It was an experience no one would want to try a second time; what luck that he survived! Thinking of this, his legs are weak.He sits down and grabs the dirt with both hands - Australia welcomes him!