Jan 4 – First session of the year (SUP day, unexpectedly)

January 4th. First time hitting the ocean this year.

It had only been a few days since the new year started, and I headed to my usual spot, Enoshima Yacht Club. The winter air was crisp, and the ocean felt calm—almost like it was quietly testing me.

But… there was almost no wind.

Clearly not enough for wing foiling. The moment I arrived, I thought, “This might be a tough day.”
It was a bit disappointing, especially since it was my first session of the year—but that’s the ocean. You don’t get to choose.

Then my instructor said,
“Let’s do some SUP surfing today.”

From the shore, the waves didn’t look promising at all. Honestly, I doubted it would even be surfable. The surface looked almost too calm.

But once I paddled out… everything changed.

There was actually a nice rhythm in the swell. Nothing flashy, but clean, smooth, and super rideable. That quiet but high-quality winter ocean feel.

With my instructor, I went back to basics:

• How to read the waves
• Where to position myself
• When to paddle
• What angle to take off

Breaking everything down step by step.

Instead of just “trying to ride,” I focused on connecting theory and feeling.
And that moment when the wave picks you up and the board starts gliding forward—it never gets old. Still gives me that rush every time.

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Perfect conditions… at first

The wave size that day was honestly perfect.

Not too big to scare you.
Not too small to be boring.

And a lot of waves had nice long rides, which made it ideal for practicing trimming and riding across the wave.

At one point, I thought:

“I’m actually improving.”

You can feel it—
Better takeoff success, more stability after standing, better line of sight.

Still a beginner, no doubt.
But definitely moving forward.

And that feeling? That’s everything.

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Reality check

But the ocean doesn’t stay nice forever.

Later on, things started changing with the tide.
The timing got tricky.
The push weakened.
Waves became inconsistent.

When conditions were good, I could ride.
But as soon as they changed—even slightly—it got way harder.

That hit me.

“I’ve still got a long way to go.”

That was a real moment.

Because in the end, it’s not about riding perfect waves.
It’s about handling imperfect ones.

That’s where the real skill is.

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Why this matters

My goal is to ride waves with a wing foil.

And for that, I need:

• Solid wave reading
• Clean takeoffs
• Strong board control

SUP surfing is basically the foundation of all that.

So even without wind, this wasn’t a “bad day” at all.

It was actually a really important training day.

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Looking ahead

It wasn’t flashy.
No big highlights.

But it was calm, focused, and meaningful.

I could feel myself getting better.

From now on:

• Windy days → Wing foiling
• No wind → SUP surfing

Just working with nature, not against it.

One step at a time.