“How does a dedicated surfer balance love, responsibility, and relationships with a surf lifestyle?”

It’s the great risk which comes with any great passion: that one day, your passion will ask too much of you, will be placed into conflict with the soul. (The real actual human soul, that is, not its lame surf-market version.)

Love is a beautiful thing, for instance, but as a guide to how to live, it’s somewhat unreliable. Incredibly cruel, selfish [things] are done every day in its name. The same goes for surfing. You’ll chase your tail all your life and in the end the next wave is all that’ll matter.

But what happens when you catch your last wave? And who will you have abandoned in order to do it? How will you answer when it asks too much?

We doubt very much that any formula exists for dealing with this crisis. We’re all complex human beings; the paths we choose will never be quite the same as anyone else’s, nor will they look the same from the outside as from within.

But we would suggest that the process of learning to surf — or perhaps more importantly, learning to be a surfer — may hold some great metaphorical lessons.

Look at the idea of “balance“. What a primal surfing skill that is. The good surfer does little else, in fact. Riding a wave in balance is a constant process of anticipating the changes ahead and adjusting to them. A good surfer does this well because he or she has learned, usually after some painful trial and error, to understand the nature of waves and love them for their aspects both good and bad, and ride each section as it comes. Perhaps human relationships are not entirely dissimilar.

Surfing selfishness has a bad track record, by the way. It invariably disappoints, and you’ll see that disappointment etched on the faces of more than a few grumpy old-guy locals on the coastlines of our little world.

Few of us are suited to a life spent in pursuit of personal pleasure at the expense of all else. In fact, it’s possible that the psychological arc of the surfing life is only completed if and when the surfer chooses to share his or her learning with others.

We suspect this is part of the motive force behind so many of the surf schools around the world at the moment. Isn’t it fascinating how many of these schools are led by well-known former professional surfers? We have often noticed in conversations with these surfers that they have a calmness, a completeness about them that was rarely apparent back in their professional days. Very few of them are getting rich through their schools, but they’re happy in a way surf contests were never able to manage for them. In essence, they’ve resolved the conflict through acting in the service of others — through sharing.

What’s good for you? You’re the only one who can answer that. In any case, we suggest keep asking the question! Just by doing that — and by enlisting those closest to you in the effort to find out — you’re on the right track to your own calm place.

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[by Nick Carrol via Surfline]

The renaissance of SUP can probably be tracked to a long summer flat spell in 2000, when serious watermen like Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama on Maui and Brian Keaulana, Mel Pu’u and Bruce De Soto at Makaha, seized on the idea of paddling their tandem boards as fitness workouts. As the years went on they found themselves entering events such as the Moloka’i to O’ahu Paddleboard Race and Mākaha’s Big Board Surfing Classic. Now you can find Stand Up Paddle Surfers in many of the Outrigger and Paddleboard races as participants within their own division.

One difference between the modern idea of surfing and SUP is that the latter does not necessarily need a wave. In SUP, one can paddle on the open ocean, in harbors, on lakes, rivers or any large body of water. One of the advantages of Stand Up Paddle Surfing is the angle of visibility. Because of the standing height over the water one can see both deeper into the water and further across the surface of the water, allowing better visualization of features others lower above the water may not be able to see, whether it is the marine life in the harbors, lakes and coves or the incoming swells of the ocean marching on the horizon.

It is a fun sport … which accounts for all those people lugging their waxed-up sticks to the ocean on a regular basis. There is no doubt that it is fun! The booming water sport attracts hundreds upon hundreds of new people to the ocean on a daily basis, luring them with the promise of the next greatest sport to try. And people come in droves, happily donning surf gear and paddling out into the clear blue … after all, like you said, “how hard could it be?”.

This is Step 1 in Learning to Surf: thorough research! How hard surfing will be for any beginner depends on how thorough your research is about surfing, and how much research you do regarding equipment suited for you and your surf breaks. Before you even get in the water … before you even wax your first board … it is important that you understand some of the surfing basics.

Surfing basics are easier to discover for beginner surfers with the help of knowledgeable surfers, namely from a reputable surf school or a non-retail oriented surf shop. After you have exhausted resources from the internet and on-line articles about surfing, and especially after you have frustrated friends who surf with a million-and-one questions … the surf school instructor or surf shop expert is the next line of information. Their information will be especially useful since they have the inside track on local breaks and local surfers … something internet research may not provide for you!

By being open to what surf instructors and surf shop experts have to reveal to you, what type of gear you may eventually get, and the types of breaks you begin to surf may vary. In any event, being an open person and listening to the people who know the surf community will lead you to a rich research experience and get you on your way to the next step in learning to surf!

As a final word to starting your research, do not buy into surf fads and jump on the surf industry’s commercial assault of the surf community. You do not need the biggest, baddest, newest, or greatest. You just need an open mind, a caring heart, and a sense of adventure and fun!

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At some point and time during the learning process, most of us have voiced the desire to chuck it all and quit. Some long-time surfers have seen their surfing skill development flat line periodically because they are concerned with looking “stupid” trying to learn new things. Pro surfers even leave the sport altogether in defiance of the popular expectation of what surfing should be like. As beginners, the feeling of  ”giving up the sport” often arises from letting your own expectations, and at times the expectations of others, to override what surfing is (and should be) all about: learning.

And fun. Learning and fun. The fun in learning.

If you place things in perspective, the most incredible thing about surfing is that there is no right or wrong way! You can go out into the lineup and get hammered by a wave, and another, and another … even dragged underwater for a bit, but you check yourself and then catch a good wave. All is good again, and you have learned something about yourself, the waves, and determination.

That’s right, beginning surfers, determination! The fact that you are out there in the middle of the ocean, participating in one of the hardest sports around is a testament to your determination. Surfing does not discriminate; it does not care about your heritage or financial bottom line, your color, race , or creed. Surfing takes on all comers, and allows your inner spirit to come out.

Every wave is different, every break offers new experiences, and every moment dares you to be great. It’s just you and your inner self working the water over and iver again, looking for the next new thing to learn about the ocean and yourself.

One of the best lessons that surfing taught me that I often share with people is mired in the idea of control. The ocean is in control, period. The ocean is your master out there, and you are but a speck to be done with as it pleases … and most surfers that have learned this understand the momentary notion of “not getting it“. There is nothing to get … there is no right or wrong … just you and surfing. Once you admit this and actually accept it, the more enjoyable your surfing experiences will become.

So stop “trying” to surf … stop trying to fit yourself into some pre-determined mold that you may have gotten yourself into about what surfing should look like. Stop worrying how you look out in the water, and whether or not someone saw you get trashed by that last wave that rolled in. WE ALL HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN TOO! Just get out there, stick to your guns and determined spirit and paddle back out. You never know when the next wave will be the good wave … but you can only catch it if you are out there looking for it!

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Most beginning surfers and new surfers may overlook the importance of the simple act of paddling, dismissing it as a means to an end. And while that may be true to some degree – since all we really want to do is ‘surf’ – paddling is a vital part of being a stronger surfer in longer sessions. Paddling is what gets you to the line up, and it is what gets you into a wave. And although paddling looks easy enough when you watch experienced surfers, it has some distinct nuances that can make or break you as a surfer.

• The first point to realize about paddling is that it can be surfboard specific. You need to be able to find the specific “sweet spot” of your own board. Think of this spot as the paddling equivalent of a cross-hair on the surface of your surfboard. While in the water (sorry folks, land practice doesn’t work here!) and lying on top of your surfboard, your center of balance should be evenly distributed down the middle – usually along the stringer. If you don’t have a stringer or it has been designed over, your sweet spot can be easily found – you will know you are too far forward if the nose of the board is underwater, or too far back if the nose is more than an inch or two out of the water. Left and right balance will work itself out as you find your paddle improving!
• Now that you have found your sweet spot, you need to concentrate on how to better propel your surfboard forward. Although finding your sweet spot will involve paddling and propelling forward as well, the specific act of propelling yourself forward has some physical nuances. The biggest challenge for beginners in propelling forward – so you can out paddle other surfers in the line up! – is building the back and shoulder muscles to a point where you can easily arch your back continuously for extended periods of time. You will need to arch your back and use your arms to properly achieve planing and gain speed, as arching your back helps maintain your weight over the center of the board.

The aches and pain that you will experience after the first several sessions will be challenging, but you will build up enough muscle and get to a point where your back and ribs will not hurt as quickly into a session!

• Propelling yourself forward will require using the water as resistance for your hands, so make sure that you are taking long, deep strokes into the water. Try to keep your paddle as close to the sides of the surfboard as much as possible to reduce drag, and make sure your fingers are not spread apart. The best method is to keep your fingers together, and your hands slightly cupped.
• Although strictly a personal choice, paddling slightly under your board – rather than out and away from the board – in a sweeping motion will proper you more effectively and smoothly through the water as it reduced the overall surface area you are affecting on the water. However,  depending on the width of your board and length of your arms, doing this may be difficult.

The overall goal of training yourself for paddling is to give you better control of your surfboard as you paddle out into the lineup and into a wave. The more you practice, the better you get! On days when it’s too small to surf, practice paddling to build up your muscles and stamina, and you will be on your way to arching that back to more, and better waves.

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Long term newbies must not only learn about the physical and mental nuances of riding a surfboard, but they must also understand the effect that their surfing has on other surfers, in addition to how their beginning style and mannerisms fit into the particular culture at any given “new” break. Where to sit at the lineup, where beginners should sit, and the etiquette obeyed by surfers at that specific break are just some of the finer points of what to look for … long term newbies need to figure out how to fit in, and present themselves as an informed new comer. Someone to be welcomed, and not shunned due to the danger they present.

Consult some surfers in your local surf breaks, and almost all of them can name (often in unison) a handful of surfers that they regard as dangerous or potentially dangerous. By watching carefully at specific line ups, you can often spot surfers that are repeatedly avoided by the regulars during takeoff. Although never thoroughly ostracized, they are clearly not welcomed into the fray. Often times, these surfers are clearly snaking waves, dropping in on other surfers, or just plain out endangering others. Look carefully, you can spot these “surf dangers” easily and quickly.

The long term newbie needs lessons, this is a fact. And if not the slick surf lesson hawking hucksters at tourist spots, then who?

The key is something that we all learned long ago, in kindergarten. Look and listen; Dick and Jane knew this right from the start. LOOK at the surf breaks when you paddle out; try to look more than trying to surf immediately. Look at what regulars do before they surf, look at how they paddle out and through which areas, look at the break and find peaks and shoulders that surfers sit at, look at what surfers do and how they do it.

And then there is LISTEN. Seek out a number of local surf instructors and ask them questions about etiquette and manners in the line up. Often times, they view this as respect for the lifestyle and the surfer, a nod to their abilities and their playground. After all, you are discovering how to better interact with them … not clumsily stomping through their home turf. Listen to their stories, because somewhere within the encrypted stories and warnings are the tell tale signs of what to do and what NOT to do at their break, or other breaks.

If you can look and listen to the wisdom within those surfers’ stories, then yours is the ocean and all that is in it. Go forth and LOOK newbie surfer … and LISTEN. The waves are calling, and you just may be a long term newbie making your way up to a regular at some break, where that fun-loving bunch will welcome you with open arms, and a lot of hooting and hollering!

This post is the second in a 2 part article about newbie / beginner surfers, surf school instructors, and the art of surfing. Part 1 is located here .

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These simple rules dance in my head as a code for life. They remind me to be light-hearted during every surf session- on the beach before paddling out, as I’m gliding carelessly down the wave, and when I ride the last one in. They say to me that surfing can be unique, spiritual, and that I’ll never stop learning from our Mother Ocean.

There are particular moments, dream-like glimpses of other events in life that I’ll never forget. They are the milestones, epiphanies, and pillars of my surfing career. Whether they are the wise words of mentors or the visual memories forever etched in my mind, they provide me with the encouragement and inspiration that has kept my passion for teaching, surfing, and adventure alive for nearly a decade.

So you want to try surfing? You’ve had dreams about it since you were a young girl? You have a subscription to Surfer magazine and seen Blue Crush 100 times? You live in Washington DC, but wear surf attire year round? Well, what’s stopping you? Afraid?

Make a move, you’ll never regret it, promise. How could you possibly regret something so fresh and exciting, a new challenge that gives you a unique perspective into yourself and your capabilities?

You have fears and that’s healthy, so let‘s talk about how to relieve those pre-surf jitters. Here are a few simple pieces of advice for stepping out of your safety net.

First things first. Pick a place you’ve never been, a destination you’ve always dreamed about. Of course, make sure there is surf. Next, take a lesson with someone qualified. I’m a firm believer in hiring the right person for the job. Utilize your teacher’s well of knowledge. Ask all your questions. Share your anxieties. It’ll help when you know exactly what you’re up against and what you can expect while in the water. Believe me, I’ve been there and can understand how you feel.

My golden rule: Relax. Remember it’s just water and you aren’t learning unless you’re falling.

Let go of any preconceived notions of what surfing should look like and what it should feel like. Lose the idea that there’s a specific place you need to go. Trust yourself and your instructor. Literally, go with the flow. Play. Surfing will always offer something new every time you paddle out.

I won’t sugar coat it. I’ve kiteboarded, windsurfed, skied, and mountain biked, but surfing is the most challenging sport I’ve ever done. It’s also offers the most liberating, healthy, and rewarding lifestyle and a joyful and free-spirited community.

So get out there. There’s a whole ocean to discover and a lifestyle to embrace. ‘Hang loose’, ‘get stoked’ and grab what’s there for you. The sea is a magnificent place, so share the experience with someone who has the same love of the ocean, your surf instructor.

[by Morag Sewell, Head Surf Instructor at Las Olas Surf safaris for women]

Learning to surf is serious business for Sissy … she approaches it with much excitement and methodical analysis. From day one, when she decided to paddle out into the great blue on her own, atop a much-used and at times abused beater of a surfboard, without so much as a lesson or previous surfing experience … she knew she was onto something that would latch onto her spirit with passion and nagging fury.

Surfing has become a chore for Lois after ten years of surfing on and off … used as an occasional escape from her 9-to-5 going-nowhere-career and floundering social life. Surfing as a lifestyle passion has slipped from her daily living as she logs more time in the office taking care of her job rather than her well-being. Fear of losing her job has prevented her from going to her morning surf sessions, and weekend work has been all but time consuming.

I know both these women, living incredibly opposed lifestyles and systems of belief … likened to different sides of the same coin.

Sissy has embraced her fears and has begun to blossom into someone willing to take personal risks to pursue what she loves, regardless of what people may say. She knows where she needs to be and is willing to make mistakes to get there. In stark contrast is Lois … slowly sinking into the depths of her fears and worries, losing touch with what has made her truly beautiful in the past. She is waiting desperately for someone or something to rescue her from the mire she has been trapped in, fearing the unknown and dreading the present.

I know both these women because I was each one of them at some point and time in my life. I was Lois not so long ago, caught in a swirl of excuses and justifications as to why I was unwilling to be the woman I needed to be. The surfer I so desperately wanted to become. The big waves pounding in from the outside forced me to retreat to the safety of the inside ripples … at times, even worst, all the way to shore.

But Lois gave way to Sissy very quickly once I told myself that I deserved to be out in the bigger waves … where I could glide happily (and at times nervously!) into the waves that made me truly happy. Lois peeled away to give birth to Sissy, who was still afraid at times but no longer content to sit there and be an unwilling victim to her fears. Sissy who paddled out into bigger waves that pounded her mercifully at times, but continued on with the knowledge that there was something better on the other side.

Lois and Sissy are my inspiration on a daily basis now … not just Sissy with her brave boldness and willingness to forage on, but also Lois in her quiet despair. I am inspired to ensure that Lois does not become the anchor that holds Sissy back ever again … they both deserve to slide into those beautiful waves in the ocean, and into those beautiful moments in living a strong and purposeful life.

Life was not given to us to be filled with regrets. Opportunities await you and can be more fun than you ever imagined if you’ll simply take the chance. Take advantage of those opportunities and have a blast. What good can possibly come from saying you never tried? – author unknown