I get asked a lot where my favorite spots are in Baja. It’s an easy answer; the East Cape.
The surf report looked excellent so I went out to Fortuna for a few days to get sun fucked and salty. 
When the waves finally showed up they showed up. By afternoon it was double overhead. Inside the bay was the safest way out, but also a lot of paddle work. Duck diving my 7’6″ is close to impossible for a 145lb knucklehead. So I opted to thread the needle from the point.
Playing jump rope with the ocean isn’t easy. I went over the game plan in my head: wait for the window, don’t hesitate, commit and paddle hard. If I got caught on the inside there would be trouble with the rocks.
“1, 2, 3,”, I tossed the board in, hoped on my belly and dug deep. A few seconds in I asked myself, “What are you doing and why are you doing it?”
“Hey Baron, you made it out!”
I met Ben while watching the worst boxing match ever the night before.
“Barely”, I said.
I sat on my 7′ 6″ for a few minutes collecting my thoughts. A couple of us were on the outside waiting for the bigger sets to come through.
The horizon began to lift and Ben yelled out, “Alright, this one’s you!”
The giant wave was taking shape behind me as I peeked over my left shoulder. The bottom sucked down and the reef poked out in two spots ahead. “What am I doing and why am I doing it?”
I made the drop and a feeling I can never describe took over. Like no other drug I’ve done before. The proof was in the grin plastered all over my face as I glided down the line. Living in the moment had never made any sense until now.
I took the wave all the way in, ejected off the lip and subconsciously belted out a load “WAHOO!”, thanking the wave for the ride of my life. I felt like the luckiest son of a bitch alive. Pure gratitude.
