Why You Should Surf
Hello Faithful,
Been a while. Fortunately June which usually is the winter of the New England surf season with long, dreaded flat spells has been largely pumping (waves pounding in). So while sitting on my board waiting for my next set I got to thinking why surfing is so great.
There is a lot of time spent by surfers from pros on down (myself included) explaining why they surf. ”Some come to laugh the past away, some come to make it one more day.” And “only one in ten thousand comes for the show.” As these Grateful Dead lyrics opine why you should surf normally would fall into the category “if I have to explain you could never understand.” However, given that the beaches from Hampton to Gansett more closely resemble Canobie Lake lately I figure I could give it a try.
1. “I’m just staring at the ceiling waiting for the feeling.” Whatever your sport of choice, baseball, basketball, hockey, or soccer you will never know what its like to win the World Championship. You won’t hoist the Cup knowing your name will be engraved there for eternity. But when you are paddling for a wave and you feel that board “catch” and you begin to drop you are feeling the exact same excitement that ten time world champion surfer Kelly Slater feels. As a guy the only feeling that comes close is some high school sweetie slowly unbuttoning your 501 jeans. You know you are going to get some. You also know even if its bad its still going to be pretty good. If I were a woman I’d imagine its the same feeling as when your old man comes home drunk and passes out before he interrupts the Bachelorette.
Of course the converse of this is true. That is when you lose it on a head high wave the feeling of being in a washing machine spin cycle with a fiberglass board bouncing off you only to momentarily pause before the next set wave repeats the process is the same feeling those big wave hunters feel when they lose it on a 40 footer at Mavericks. While the degree of thrashing may be different when you realize drowning is a real possibility the feeling is pretty much the same.
2. ”Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change the things I can.” Many religions, twelve step programs, gurus and life coaches stress the importance of both staying in and enjoying the moment. I have found no other activity that forces you to be more in the moment than surfing. If you are not in the moment you a. will most likely experience the aforementioned “drowning” sensation repeatedly or 2. you shouldn’t be surfing.
3. “To the oceans white with foam.” By definition you will almost find yourself in some of the most natural, spectacular, beautiful places on earth. While I’m sure there are waves located in hell holes as a general rule you will be on break surrounded by breathtaking sand, rocks, and cliffs. Surf at dusk or dawn and you will be covered in a canopy of purple, orange and red turning to a deep blue or black depending on the time. (Keep in mind that this is also the time the Landlords (sharks) seek to collect the rent, in surfing like life, nothing for nothing.)
In addition to beautiful scenery the surfers aren’t bad either. If you know a serious surfer he or she is in pretty good shape. Surfing is a workout that produces what expensive personal trainers promise but can’t deliver on land: perfect muscle tone without the bulk or the fat. When there is a long lull between sets nothing passes the time like ogling beautiful people covered in little more than tattoos. (As an aside why do some women buy bathing suits that don’t really cover anything and then spend the whole day constantly tugging the bikini bottom down over their backside, did they think the suit would look bigger once they put it on or maybe there ass would look smaller? If you have it, show it. But ladies keep in mind thongs are like a driver’s license, that is they are a right not a privilege.)
4. ”I get by with a little help from my friends, I get high with a little help from my friends.” For the most part surfers are cool, kind people. It’s not a tight knit community and while you are a kook (beginner) you will have to deal with some impatience in the line up. Just make sure you know the rules and the Code. It’s one thing to be learning or a bad surfer. But it’s another to be a danger to everyone in the water. If you don’t know the rules or the Code just ask. This goes for parents supervising children as well. Like all walks of life there are always assholes in the line up (look for a guy who thinks he is a good surfer but can never be because he spends more time running his mouth than surfing.) If you can’t ignore him, move, its a big ocean. Enjoying your session is a right, not a privilege.
If the above hasn’t convinced you to give it a try you will save me some aggravation from my fellow watermen. From the looks of the New England breaks so far this summer there are more kooks then ever.
KOKO
