You might think professional horse riders would make excellent surfers. Well, that’s definitely not the case for Callie and Andrea. But no matter the wipeout, that doesn’t stop them from getting back on their boards. Their dogs also share their love for water, and their knack for getting into frightening trouble.
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Transcript
Disclaimer
This is an automated transcript.
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Callie King 00:00
So, you know, I made my first water rescue. I didn't tell you this story. I made my first water rescue recently really? Dead and I had gone to this waterfall with Frieda free does -
Andrea Wady 00:13
the dog by the way, yeah, -
Callie King 00:15
free just by little miniature Doxon. And all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye, I just see something go down over it like this little streak over the waterfall over the waterfall. I was like it's Frida. She's just gone over the waterfall. Know in just a split second. I was like she just wanted that fall, she's in the water and it could be holding her down. So I dove in, swimming as hard as I can. -
Andrea Wady 00:44
Jump in with both feet. -
Callie King 00:45
Go Big. Follow your dreams grab life by the reins. -
Andrea Wady 00:49
This is how we live. Where Kelly King and Andrea Wadey two horse trainers always looking for adventure and -
Callie King 00:56
finding it. Join us for stories of dangerous travels wild animals, new challenges, and in the end, always learning alongside our magnificent horses. So saddle up and follow along. You're listening to grab life by the reins. -
Andrea Wady 1:24
Think I've said it before, but I've never lived away from the sound of the ocean. I know I'm incredibly blessed. But I just couldn't imagine that. We just can't get away from water. We live and breathe water. Whether we're jumping in skinny dipping, surfing, whitewater rafting can't help ourselves. Kelly and I have both surfed I served a lot in Costa Rica and I loved it. I don't surf now. But I did love it and you're just starting to learn to surf. But you've had some hair raising surfing stories. -
Callie King 1:55
Yes, I've just started to learn. I think my experiences would not be at all hair raising for a normal person. They're only hair raising because my skills are so poor. Like it now that I have been living in a beach town. That's a great surf town for a year and a half. And I've been learning to surf now for several years, I'm saying this thing Learning to Surf in parentheses. And people are starting to be like, Oh, are you a surfer? And I never know how to answer it. Because the truth is, I basically just flail around on a surfboard, trying to stay afloat and trying to stay alive is what it feels like. Because when I first started going out, I was reading a room in the house of a pro surfer. And he wasn't is incredible surfer. I mean, competed went after some of the biggest waves in the world. And when he would go out and he would take me out. Like he wasn't taking me out into huge stuff. No, but he was, I think this goes with all things. There's people that are really good at what they do that doesn't make them a great teacher 100%. And there was also a little bit of a limit because I was still I was still very much learning Spanish. You know, my language skills were not 100% still aren't but they were poor then. And he spoke English, but also not enough to like so there was a communication gap, right. So I remember the one time we had gone to it was like this crazy four wheel adventure to get to this wave. There was no one else there. So it was just him his girlfriend and me. And we're out in the water. And of course he's amazing. She's like, good, you know, she's, she's proficient in this level of wave. And I just had absolutely no idea what to do. But I was I was totally in so I paddle out I'm trying so hard to keep up with them. I get out there and she takes a wave and just rides it beautifully in and then there's this next one's coming and I was like alright, I'm doing it I'm doing it I'm doing it you know, I started I started getting this like revved up feeling as soon as I know I'm gonna drown. So, I just I'm like, Okay, look at the shore power Pedal, pedal pedal. And I just hear him yelling, look, the wave looks a wave looks away. So I turned it back and I'm like, I'm looking at it. I'm looking at it. But I don't know what it means. But I'm looking at what am I looking at? I didn't I didn't understand at all the timing of -
Andrea Wady 4:26
it. So the thing was standing out and you went straight up and over. It caught -
Callie King 4:30
the tail of my board and took me like this and then just flipped me we call -
Andrea Wady 4:34
it purling in England straight up and over -
Callie King 4:39
it luckily it was deep enough water and luckily I didn't like crashed out on the board. But it was big enough that it it helped me under scared me. Hurt still hurt on the landing. -
Andrea Wady 4:52
There's nothing more humbling than surfing and you know what really bugs me. You and I have grown up riding horses are Life. You know, our lives somewhat revolve around horses. And both of our partners in life a surface. My husband's surfed his whole life Your boyfriend is a is a great surfer. Surfers can ride, you put them on a horse and okay, they might not have the best riding position, they stick like glue. And it's really sickening and quite annoying to be honest, that they can do it so well with absolutely no practice. But it doesn't go the other way. Like, just because you can ride horses and tank around and keep your see and stay on, you know, young, excited horses. Nope, doesn't translate to the ocean what so ever. And that really annoys me that it goes one way and not the other. And I used to try and like, keep up with the boys. And the girls that served really, really well. And I'd serve you know, when we first moved to Costa Rica, I was surfing twice a day, I loved it. And then we went out this one day and it was rainy season and it was big, a lot bigger than I'd ever been out in. And Chris, my husband is amazing. He's so supportive of me, but you know, he's protective of me wants to make sure I stay safe. And he said to me this day, I don't think you should go out. I'm going was my reply. Absolutely. I'm coming out. I'm fine. I know what I'm doing. Yeah. And he's like, it's bigger than it looks, which is true. Costa Rica was often like that, you'd think, oh, yeah, that's not big. And then you paddle out. And, you know, it would just stomp around the headland. And you'd be like, Oh my God, there's, you know, an apartment block coming around the corner. So anyway, I was like, No, I'm going out. And it was him and our friend we who we used to call him Captain far. And we're paddling out. And the biggest set came marching through. And the boys were like, paddle. And I hate that when everyone shouts that, because you think oh my god. So I'm digging in and I'm paddling for all my worth. But I'm still, you know, 20 feet behind them. And all I remember is Jason looking back at him for looking over his shoulder and just paddle I'm like I am, and I wasn't going to make it. And I went up the wave face. And I was thinking I'll get over the top, I'll get over the top. Not it just started breaking right as I was at the top of the wave, and it flipped me over backwards. And I went into what they call the washing machine. And I went around and around and around and the leash is a leg rope of the board went around my neck. And the board took off underwater and I was felt like I was dying. It was so frightening. And I probably was only under the water for probably less than a minute, but it felt so much longer. And after that I I lost my nerve a bit. I don't mind admitting that and I'd go in on like sunny three foot days rather than trying to prove myself and and try and push myself because the ocean it needs respect. And I believe there's times when we're meant to be there. And there's times when we're not. And you know, thank God for people like your boyfriend who's a lifeguard on one of probably one of the most dangerous surfing beaches in the world where to escondida. And, you know, if it wasn't for people like that, I mean, I probably could have done with rescuing I did get myself in. But you know, he has some hairy stuff to deal with in the ocean. -
Callie King 8:30
yeah. And that feeling of being held underwater, and that moving water, what doesn't matter if it's in a big river, if it's by the ocean, that it is it's just it's another one of those feelings of being so -
Andrea Wady 8:45
out of control at the mercy of nature -
Callie King 8:49
at the mercy of nature. And it's, it's interesting because Danny and his lifeguarding, he's out there all the time. And he goes out in the biggest stuff. And there was before they had better equipment, there was lots of times where he wouldn't even have to sprint down the beach if there was someone in trouble. So he's sprint it just sprinted. You know, basically in that like out of breath state and then has to go in. But what's so interesting is he finds a state of calm in that, like to him that feeling of being held under when things are going bad. Even when he knows that it could be going bad. It like puts him in this like focus trance state, -
Andrea Wady 9:30
but that's probably how you don't drown that out. -
Callie King 9:32
It's exactly how you don't Yeah, drown you. And you know, it's the same for us on a galloping horse. Because when I'm when I'm on a horse and it goes into an out of control situation. I can drop right into that too. Yep, just total focus. Yeah, -
Andrea Wady 9:47
I can totally relate to that. Yeah, you're right. You just go into what I need to do to make it change this situation, but from a place of calm. -
Callie King 9:56
Yeah. And it's interesting because there's no in that state There's not fear or it's like a sense, it's a sense of this is really bad. But urgency, -
Andrea Wady 10:04
there's a sense of urgency of like, I need to change this, you know, I need to get this sorted. But not fear not like, oh my god, I'm gonna die. It's just like I need to do. You just, I don't think there's even time to think about anything like that you just deal with what's in front of you from a place of calmness. -
Callie King 10:23
Have you had those moments in those times? Where time actually slows down? Oh, yeah. So 100% It's like things are moving so fast. And you're reacting out of total instinct. Yeah, but yet, you're like processing and conscious of so much that's going on at the same time. But -
Andrea Wady 10:44
I think when you really are in the moment with something, whether that's survival or meditation, time, somewhat ceases to exist. Yeah, but nothing, nothing can test you like water. I think there's just that feeling of being at Nature's mercy when you're in big rivers, big oceans. I think maybe jumping off docks into a lake is maybe more my speed these days. That felt good. It felt really good. felt safe. swim back to shore without a current without anything. Yeah. -
Callie King 11:21
So you know, I made my first water rescue. I didn't tell you this story. I made my first water rescue recently. -
Andrea Wady 11:27
Really? What happened? In Mexico, -
Callie King 11:30
in Mexico? At a waterfall? Yeah, so the I didn't I had gone to this waterfall with Frieda free does the dog by the way. Yeah, free just by little miniature Doxon. So we, we thought that it was going to be that we were fighting this like secret waterfall. not so secret. There's a lot of people there. And it was one of those like river waterfalls where there's actually quite a few there's kind of like the big main one that everyone like goes to, but then there's lots of other ones if you follow the river down. So we figured, okay, we went up, we saw the big one, check that box, let's like walk down and just hang out near one of these other smaller ones. So we go down through I found one that was like beautiful. It's probably like a seven foot waterfall. And then you know, just kind of like over this rock, nice deep swimming bed. So he was relaxing at the rock and I was like, I'm going for a swim. I'm gonna go and so I went in. And I'm like in the pool. And all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye because I'm kind of facing away from the waterfall out of the corner of my eye I just see something go down over it like this little streak over the waterfall over the waterfall and I don't even know how because I didn't actually see it and I was facing the other way. But I immediately knew I'm it's I was like it's Frieda she's just going over the waterfall. No and I also knew again all the things that your brain goes through without thinking of it and just a split second I was like she just wonder where that fall she's in the water and it could be holding her down. So I dove in and was just so I was like standing right by the edge of this poor turn just dove swimming as hard as I can and just as I was almost there she her little head pops up oh and she just starts swimming like mad for me. Oh poor. At this day I got as soon as I like had her and turned around. Daddy was behind like running into the water to probably thinking he was going to do to rescue Yeah. -
Andrea Wady 13:31
Lesson -
Callie King 13:32
but I I held Freda for I don't even know probably like an hour after this. And finally he was like, I think fritas fine. You were traumatized by this. Like you can let her down now. But that that was really scary. That -
Andrea Wady 13:51
is so scary. You're lucky that she came up is actually just reminded me of our dog in Costa Rica. We had a beautiful Pitbull. Rescue. She just jumped in my car one day, but that's a story for another day. We were out doing the horses in the rainforest. And they had what they call a posle which is like a pool that has been manmade. And they were using it to use the water to water the watermelons and barely thought, I'm caught. I'm really really hot. I'm going to jump in yet. We then discovered she can't swim. And she was a big heavy Pitbull. And she jumped in and she got a little bit of water in her ear. And she started shaking her head. And with that her bum, her bottom sank. And she was now like head up bum facing down. And she just sank like a rock. When she tried like wishing she was trying but that nothing was happening. She just went down and Chris had to leap in grab her by the collar and pull her out how deep was the water? It was well overhead high so It would have been like 1015 feet probably. Yeah, deep enough. Wow. But see dogs are as addicted to water as us. You know there's something about it isn't there? I mean, let's face it when we're in the womb, we're floating in water. I think there's something we all love to be in water and there's nothing quite like it for, you know, a reset. You feel just so much more alive when you're floating in water, but it can be really dangerous. It's can also be a lot of fun, though. -
Callie King 15:30
Yeah, definitely worth an illegal swim at every opportunity. -
Andrea Wady 15:34
Absolutely. We did hang our jumper over the signs so we could have argued that we didn't see it. -
Callie King 15:43
immediately hung our coat -
Andrea Wady 15:48
no jumper jumpers, a sweater. -
Callie King 15:50
Oh, that's right. I still haven't a sweater. I haven't memorized that one. -
Andrea Wady 15:54
Oh my goodness, we have to laugh about we've got to do a whole podcast on the differences in language. Anyway, this has been so much fun everybody. We hope you tune in for the next episode of grab life by the reins. We certainly try and do that every day. -
Callie King 16:14
Thank you for listening to grab life by the reins. If you want to see ridiculous photos from our adventures be the first to know when we release new episodes and be a part of war shenanigans. Join our email family at grab life by the reins.com. -
Andrea Wady 16:30
We'll see you in the next program.