how to, surfing

Surfing sans buddy when you’re a beginner

Going on a career break, whilst it may not be good for the progress of my career (after all, it’s less a “break” and possibly more a fracturing), has fortunately done wonders for my surfing. I have been able to get out in the water, during the golden quiet time that is otherwise known as just after 9am on a weekday, nearly every day for the past few weeks. It has been absolute bliss.

I surf in places that are generally packed like sardines, 12 surfers all trying to surf the same break on the weekends (with varying degrees of success), but during “quiet” time I am usually one of the few surfers (sometimes only) in the ocean. There I can meditate as I stare out at the ocean, and try to figure out my life and where I am going whilst I wait for the next wave, take things as slow or fast as I wish, and generally make an idiot out of myself without half the surfing community thinking “what a kook” because happily, few are there to witness my sins against the surfboard.

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motivation, surfing

Why am I still surfing?

You might be wondering why my first blog post isn’t “Why I started surfing”.

That’s because anyone can start surfing. Its not hard to imagine why you would take it up (and I am talking about latecomers to the sport here, like myself – the “late bloomers” as it were). After all, there is usually the siren call of the sea, the warm sun beating down on tanned skin, that salty haze one sniff of which makes you feel alive…and happy about it, not to mention the men and women who partake in the activity typically look like bronzed gods and goddesses, toned and fit. You look at them, and say, “I want what she’s (or he’s) having!”

What is harder is keeping it up.

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