The waves in Samoa are very powerful even when small. The water where the waves are breaking is usually very shallow and has razor sharp coral reef underneath it. The reef is alive and cuts can become infected very quickly. The waves are very consequential and a mistake when surfing can be punishing. The waves have been the most challenging I have surfed, yet great, great fun. I (John) have had some very memorable waves yet have come a cropper a few times. At Maninoa I tattooed my back side when I landed Bum first on the reef in the first week. Then in Aganoa after making a bottom turn on a left hander the lip of the wave caught me and sent me head first in to the reef, leaving a couple of juicy scratches on my head. Ruth squeezed a lemon on the cuts to kill the coral which hurt worse than in the first place. The final flogging was the best though. After wiping out on a wave I went to dive under the next one only to be taken round with the curl of the wave and well and truly slammed in to the reef back first, then dragged along. My board was gone and I was so stiff from the impact I found it tough to swim. Eventually I got going and managed to swim to my board and paddle in. I hat cut my calves and my back and had a slow hobble back to the Fale. The lady that ran the place took me to hospital to get cleaned up. They gave me Penicillin to fight off any infection. I have loved surfing here, it has been a real challenge, and I have realised that Samoan surfing demands respect.
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