[caption id="attachment_542" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Surf City USA"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Surfs-Up-011.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-542" title="Surf's Up 011" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Surfs-Up-011-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>[/caption]

Some months back, when I was still wearing my Fat Boy clothes, I wrote a couple of blogs about how I was going to learn to surf.

Now I'm ready.

I went to Huntington Beach today to scope out the situation, and it was a very interesting time to visit <a title="Surf City" href="http://www.surfcityusa.com/" target="_self">Surf City</a>. Starting next Saturday and running for nine days, Huntington Beach will play host to the <a title="Surfing" href="http://www.usopenofsurfing.com/" target="_self">U.S. Open of Surfing</a>, which will bring together all the top surfers for a massive competition.

The facilities -- mostly some pretty massive grandstands -- are going up fast, and there were plenty of wet suits in the water today as folks appeared to be practicing their tricks.

Me, I checked out the cost of surfboards -- most of the new ones were $600 and up and even the used ones were $300 or so. So I went on line later and found a Ventura company that sold me one for $105. It should arrive sometime next week, and soon after that, I'll try to find a place to learn how to use it.

<em>Gee, I hope it isn't made out of styrofoam.</em>

I ordered a paperback book from Amazon, and I picked up a <a title="Corky Carroll" href="http://www.corkycarroll.com/" target="_self">Corky Carroll</a> video on "Learn to Surf: The Safe, Fast and Easy Way."

[caption id="attachment_544" align="alignleft" width="132" caption="Corky Carroll"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/corky.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-544" title="corky" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/corky.jpg" alt="" width="132" height="99" /></a>[/caption]

"Easy is good," says legendary surfer Carroll.

Heck, he's two years older than I am, although he has been surfing for about the last 50 years.

I don't have any illusions about this being easy. The last thing I taught myself to do was play golf, and even after about 15 years, I'm still not all that good at the game.

I don't expect to be able to do a lot of tricks, and I doubt I'll be driving up and down the coast looking for the biggest waves. I just want to be able to paddle out, turn around and raise. Heck, that's all there is to the coastline craze.

Then if I can stay up and ride a wave in, I'll be a happy man.