The crisp cool air caressed my cheek. The birds in the bushes beside me began to stir. All else was silent. Only the waves breaking on the sandbar broke the stillness.
I gazed down at the beach. I could see a lone fisherman, rubbing his eyes, forcing them to adjust to the changing light. He had the beach to himself, unaware of me following his every move from above.
A clean left began to form. The wave peeled and shaped into a smooth face.
That was enough encouragement for me. I shed my layers and made my way down the cliff, board underarm.
The fisherman nodded a greeting as I passed. I had alerted him to the waking world and he began to pack up his gear.
I reached the empty line-up and could feel someone watching me. I peered up at my perch on the cliff and saw a solitary figure watching the waves.
With the sun rising rapidly another clean set rolled in and I took the first wave. As I paddled back out, the solitary figure had left from the cliff, but soon joined me in the water.
We greeted in silence as if any noise may shatter the moment completely.
Between us we shared the waves. Others began to dribble out of their homes and into the surf.
Immersed in peace and tranquillity. We left the growing crowds as the first day trippers trickled onto the sand. We parted ways, still without a single word passing between us as if we shared a secret. One that will revisit us both tomorrow.
How do you avoid the summer beach crowds?
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