The Dangers Of The Deep Blue Sea - Southsea

One experience I had was when I went to the Legendary "King Of Concrete" Contest, at Southsea Skatepark in Portsmouth with the Bearwood BMX team. On this journey when we was in Southsea some of us bought inflatable lilos to use as make shift bedding, and to be comfortable for the night time sleep and the sweet dreams. I'm not sure who or why it happened but someone suggested we all go on the sea with the lilos, there was a few of us, so we all said yeah "Let's Do It Why Not" so off we go lilos tucked under our arms. I'm sure someones lilo popped while pumping it up but not sure who's it was?? All of us then went down to the beach at Southsea, so the lilo owners went to set up, me being one of them, whilst the other boy's stayed out the water and watched our clothes, belongings Etc. I remember clearly that everyone has got their own space on the sea while setting up, then off we go just paddling out to sea having a laugh, I then start doing my own thing and staying a few feet back and to the left from the group because from previous experiences i knew this was not going to be normal in any way whatsoever. I was paddling for a while and after a little while I seen these 2 elderly gentlemen just out at sea in the distance, so by now we are quite a way from the beach, to me it looked like they were treading water, so I paddle over to them to see, when I got there I start chatting to them to see what the deal was. It happens that they was standing on this ledge (Wall) that was there out at sea, they explained it was not too big at all and what not else, and that it is a local knowledge thing, I can see why. So me being me I thought i'm going to have a go, I started to get off the lilo and tried to stand on this WALL, whilst i'm half off and half on the lilo trying to feel for this ledge with my one foot, the gents start shouting saying NO NO NO and start explaining the ledge is too small and that it only fits the 2 of them and also its very deep water here. I panic and I start to scramble back onto my lilo which was a task and a half considering there flimsy and it was trying to overturn, I was kind of thinking Oh Oh what if there is any sharks at the same time and PANIC. With the grace of God I got back on to the lilo,said my fairwell's to them and went to catch the group up who where ahead of me in the distance. When you go forward you don't look back at times, and this is one of them moments, LORD HAVE MERCY when I started to paddle towards the group, right then just up ahead in the distance this boat goes flying past, the wave off the boat rocked my lilo proper, and I was thinking at the time how mad is that, that they let the boats come this close to the shore?? It's then I thought how FAR ARE WE from the beach, turned and looked, Low and Behold the rest of the Bearwood rider's that are on the beach looked like little specs. We had ventured a little too far and beyond the limits I think, By this time the rest of the group were heading back now towards where I was. I think their lilos were rocked more than mine from that boat because they was closer to France than I was. I started to paddle back to the beach and funnily enough I then bump into Bearwood Tom, who was part of the group just doing his thing, he starts a conversation and we are chatting away and after a while I can feel my lilo has started to lose air?? What Bearwood Tom had done was whilst we was deep in conversation, he unplugged my air valve, so now I am sinking in the middle with both ends stuck up in the air like a V shape. Trying to re seal the plug and trying to get hold of him before he paddles off but I manage to grab hold of his lilo and unplug the valve just in time, now that is TEAMWORK. It turned out that was his party trick out at sea with some of the others. You could see who hadn't escaped his party trick, V shaped lilos bobbing about. Now were heading back to the beach and slowly you start too see the figures get bigger and bigger, we are now getting closer and closer, Thank You Lord. Only to be met with flying stones, rocks Etc Etc Etc from the boys on the beach, I reached the beach first after a little diversion, with them near misses I was lucky because the rest of the group when coming in to shore, they had too dodge all sorts of flying objects. They all reached the beach safe and sound in true Bearwood BMX fashion. Letting the air out of the lilos became a thing over the weekend. It seemed to be that if you went to sleep on a lilo full of air, only for it to be deflated in the morning with the valve plug open. Even though it became scary at times at sea, it was a great experience never to be done again. Once Was Enough Thank You. :) Much Peace And Blessings To Each And All BEARBMX