In Steven Kotler’s West Of Jesus: Surfing, Science and the Origins of Belief, Kotler discovers (among other things) that the chemical processes that occur during the act of riding a wave closely mirror the emotional trajectory of drug use – specifically anti-depressants. His findings help illustrate how difficult quitting surfing can be; it’s literally like kicking a drug habit. The thrill of extra-corporeal experiences roots itself deep into the mind and body, making surfing more than a hobby. It becomes medicine.

That’s not to say other sports don’t have the same capacity to addict, but in my opinion, surfing holds dominion over its participants because the playing field is a dynamic one; a surfer must take into account the whims of his environment as the landscape transforms; he must be wholly engaged, which is a potent hook.

So how do you quit?

The most common and obvious answer I hear to this question is: “I moved.”

I’d argue that you can move away from the ocean without quitting surfing. It doesn’t count as quitting if you can still get to the beach two weeks out of the year with a board bag full of fiberglass. That’s not quitting; it’s being inconvenienced.

Another common answer I heard verbatim at the grocery store just last week: “I’ve got a family and wife and I don’t have time for that crap anymore.”

My retort: “You picked the wrong family and wife…or else surfing clearly didn’t mean very much to you in the first place.” A surfer could never refer to surfing as “crap,” and unless I’m vastly misinformed about life’s pursuits (entirely possible), a wife and family should not obstruct one’s primary passion; they should supplement it.

The last excuse I hear frequently goes like this: “My body just can’t take the abuse anymore…”

In my opinion, this is the most legitimate dispute. I remember a quote a friend of mine had inscribed on his wall in high school. It read: “In the end, gravity always wins.” I’m not a supporter of Radiohead, but this Tom Yorke quote, depressing as it may be, bears a lot of truth. Time will wear your body down, and aging can be a harsh process. Even as I begin to understand that physical limitations might prohibit the act of surfing, I think of those exceptions (that I’m sure some would contend prove the rule).

I think first of Doc Paskowitz, waking up every morning at the age of eighty and riding a few waves on his belly to shore – wearing the same smile as on his first wave in Texas. Said Paskowitz, “My road has been a straight road since the day I learned how to swim at nine years of age in front of Murdoch’s Bath House in Texas to the present day where I pushed myself off to into the ocean on a 9’0” soft top and rode on my belly. It is just one long road.”

I think of Jesse Billauer dashing down the line with the help of his friends. I think of Bethany Hamilton, and I shake my head at this excuse too. And I arrive at this conclusion:

If you want to surf, you will.

But you can never quit surfing; if you quit, then you must never have surfed.

by Zach Weisberg via SurferMag

The Ocean Is Not a Pool
I know this might sound like a “duh” statement but you would be surprised at the people that go into an ocean, feel something swim by them, freak out, and run to shore. Fish, crabs, dolphins, and yes, sharks swim in the ocean because it is their home! Screaming while you’re running towards the shore will not prevent animals living in the ocean and sometimes coming into your comfort zone. Sharks terrify anyone, and if you’re sure you see one, scream like mad hell towards the shore, but for the most part (and despite if the media is having a slow week and decides to run “shark attack” stories) the attacks are extremely rare. If you’re only comfortable with the occasional bug or frog, go to a pool.

Take Your Garbage With You
No one likes a litterbug. Especially when you are on a beach, usually walking barefoot and lying in the sand. Nothing is worse than lying down and seeing someone’s garbage they left behind because they were too lazy to clean it up. Eventually that same garbage will get washed up in the tide and an animal will probably think it’s food and suffer horrible health defects (or even die) because you couldn’t take five minutes to throw away your trash.

Another pet peeve (no pun intended) is when beach-goers take their animals to the beach and let them do their business without picking it up. If you are a shell collector, those little pieces of poo can sometimes look like a piece of driftwood or other shell until you pick it up and get grossed out. (That is the exact reason I do not pick up “cool looking rocks” anymore at the beach!) Beach rules are the same as anywhere else; pick up after your pet!

Watch Out For Surfers/Fisherman
Not everyone goes to the beach just to lie out or walk up and down the shoreline. There are surfers that pick certain spots in the water that have the best waves. These spots, once rightfully claimed (rightfully claimed meaning whoever gets there first), are not the spots you want to take your children to play in the water. Surfers are competitive athletes that try to beat each other out for the best wave and once they are riding that wave and see a small child playing in the water, it could be too late to switch course to avoid hitting the child. Any size surfboard could easily pop out of the water the wrong way and slice your head open.

Fisherman also have the same rights to the ocean as anyone. Though they cast their line out very far, there is no telling how far the line can drift with rip currents and wave patterns. One rogue wave could leave you as the only thing getting hooked. If you are in the water, stay a good 40–60 feet from any fisherman or surfers to avoid getting run over or hooked.

A couple of other tips to help you if you are heading to beach is don’t invade others spaces. If room on the beach permits, keep a good distance from other families and visitors to the beach. We are all going to relax and having a stranger in your “bubble” makes anyone feel uneasy. Another good way to avoid invading someone’s space is to be considerate when you are shaking out your sand-ridden items. Step away from anyone that is around and proceed to shake off your towels and clothes from a safe distance to avoid getting sand over someone who is reading a book or napping.

Bonus Tip: Keep your feet from frying! When you arrive at the beach (or pool), flip your sandals over to avoid putting your feet into burning hot sandals when your ready to leave.

[by GuysGirl via DivineCaroline]

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!

…

My initial response was automatic: “It’s fun!” But since I was in one of those deep moods, I challenged myself to push further into this notion. What is it that constantly draws me back, rain or shine, to the surf? I closed my eyes and imagined myself crouched on my board, being pushed forward by a moving wall of water. This simple act of riding a wave turns me into a liar every time I tell myself, “Okay, one more then I’m going in.” Something always pulls me back.

I recalled epic waves still etched into my memory as well as equally unforgettable wipeouts, and I realized that all the time I am at the mercy of the sea. The surf is a natural force with no regard for anything in its path. It dances to its own rhythm. No one can tell the waves how to be. They can try, and God knows I’ve begged the flat ocean for swell or have cursed choppy surf, but ultimately the sea does what it wants. It reminded me of people who appear so carefree and unconcerned with what the world has to say about them. They seem to be in such control of the way they live their lives. These people possess a certain magnetic force that attracts others, and keeps them bound under their beautiful spell. It occurred to me that it is this same energy that entices me to the ocean and compels me to surf.

By riding waves I am succumbing to the unyielding power of the ocean. To this giant force of nature, I am insignificant and unnoticed, a mere visitor to their world. This thought saddened me. The ocean does not care about me, yet I am deeply and forever in love with it. I spend countless amounts of time, energy, and money, just to be apart of something that would never even skip a beat in its swell patterns if I left. But if I weren’t there, would I ever know what it really meant to completely let go, to allow myself to give in to something much bigger than me? No. I would never know what it felt like to take something in all its inconsiderate glory, and just appreciate it for exactly what it is.

As my thoughts came full circle and I gazed out to this thing that had such a powerful hold over me, I realized what I needed to do. I snapped out of it and ran home to grab my board.

[by Lika Walker via Daily Nexus]

This year, the 44-year-old dives into some new waters. His clothing line — a men’s surf and skate collection called Wonderwall — launched exclusively at Steve & Barry’s stores in May. His documentary “Path of Purpose,” which raises awareness of autism, will debut on the Sundance Channel this month. Hamilton says in every venture, every new experience, he applies these lessons he has learned on the water:

1. KNOW THAT YOU ARE A SPECK ON THE WATER. “The ocean’s vastness reminds you of your insignificance. It’s like a grounder. The ocean has been around long before people got here and will be here long after. The humility you learn from being in the ocean is a constant reminder of your vulnerability.”
2. GO BIG OR GO HOME. “You can’t kind of catch a wave. You either catch it or you don’t. It’s a commitment. That’s just like anything else — you either go or you don’t. He who hesitates is lost in the end.”
3. LISTEN TO YOUR GUT. “You have a feeling about things. You think something doesn’t feel right, then you look and see a shark. As a species, humans are growing away from listening to their instinct. It’s a learned skill based on survival and then reacting. The more you listen to your instinct and then react to it, the more you awaken the spirit, and that helps you make good decisions, no matter where you are.”
4. UNDERSTAND YOU’RE NOT IN CONTROL. “Being a human, you want to think you can control circumstances. It’s cold, so you turn on the heat; you’re hot, so you turn on the air conditioning. The ocean reminds you that you really don’t have any control: It’s in control when you’re in it. The sooner you embrace that, the easier it will be in other aspects of your life.”
5. GET WET. “The ocean is a healer, big-time. We just don’t have any idea of the magnitude of what the ocean provides us. If you just go down to the beach, go out to surf and come right back in, you feel better about yourself. If you ride a wave, that’s just icing on the cake.”
6. PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE. “People talk about their problems. Stuck in traffic? That’s not a problem. Don’t know how you’re going to pay your bills? Not a [life-or-death] problem. A problem is when you’re 80 miles offshore and have no way to get back.”
7. KEEP LEARNING. “Surfing is probably one of the most difficult sports. There are no referees, no timeouts. [The waves don't] care about your bank account, your ancestry, your intelligence. It’s just you working the water. And the more I learn, the more I don’t know. That’s an ocean lesson.”
8. BE DETERMINED. “With determination, most things will be quite easy. You go out and get hammered by a wave and then by another one and another one, and you think, ‘OK, I’m still here.’ And then you get a good wave, and you’ve made it. The one thing that’s great about surfing is that there’s no right or wrong way. ”
9. DON’T GET STALE. “Ideas [about new surfing techniques and new sports] come out of boredom and my desire to be passionate. You have to figure out ways to make things exciting and interesting. When something I’ve been doing for a while becomes popular, I’m beyond it. So by default, I end up being different. It’s that whole desire to keep inspiring and keep renewing your passion.”
10. DON’T JUDGE. “The ocean is non-judgmental. It doesn’t differentiate between you and the next guy. I want to be a little more like the ocean — not judging people who have an opinion. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that we’re all equal before a wave.”

The dark shadow from a distance tells you ready yourself … the ocean water beneath you calling out like some kind of early warning system indicating your turn at the line-up. As you take off on what can be clearly described as the wave of the day, shoulders pumping like an elite locomotive chugging down the sure tracks of the rail, you are mindfully picturing the increbdibly cool and audience-inspiring bottom turn you are about to bust out.

The familiar feeling of the wave’s speed building up behind you as ocean meets surfboard, and as the board begins to churn forward without much assistance from your churning shoulders, you know that the adrenaline high from the drop is coming strong and fast.  Moving on it’s own now, your board begins to propel itself forward, using the smooth and flowing lines underneath to channel the water through, like hundreds of pistons moving an unstoppable machine down an immovable mountain.

You have done this hundred, if not thousands, of times before — the familiar feeling of your stomach rising to your chest as your body momentarily succumbs to the speed of the wave and seemingly floats, and is quickly reclaimed by earth’s gravity and hurled down the speeding path of the wave, turning and twisting into a beautiful ballet of ocean, body, and board.

But not this time.

This time, your legs were not paying attention. They were watching some sea turtles playing underneath the surface of the water, or they were lulled into sleep by the swaying of the ocean’s waters. Or something else, but they were not ‘in the moment’ at the time you needed them!

And that wonderfully majestic back side bottom turn you were picturing in your head turned out to be something that could only be described by on-lookers as ‘the agony of defeat‘. A tumbling and bumbling trip down the face of the wave with your arms and legs flailing helplessly as the ocean swallows you into the washing machine cycle of shame … your board acting like a beacon as it shoots from the waters surface straight up into the air, indicating to all where the inattentive surfer can be found in the creamy white froth mixing in the impact zone.

The ride in the froth ends quickly – although not quickly enough – and you surface from the ocean’s grasp. You, my dear friend and fellow surfer, have just been through a familiar feeling for most ocean goers … a wipe out. A common occurrence in the life of most surfers.

Now, what do you do?

As surfers, we understand that out in the line-up (and especially in the aftermath of wipe outs) focus is everything – focus, not necessarily  concentration! What you choose to focus in on now will pretty much determine where you go from there … do you laugh or cry, do you make note and move on or try to assess what went wrong over and over again? Do you focus on the embarrassment of who could have been watching, or the pure fact that falling is something we all do, and can learn from? In a split second, what your focus leads toward manifests the next few moments … and more than likely the rest of your session.

Although this concept of  ’getting what you concentrate on’ is hardly revolutionary, it has garnered quite a recent boost from the resulting aftermath of the economic crisis. It also seems that as of late, everything that has been manifesting itself on a daily basis, has something to do with the whole concept of focus. The old sage from the Karate Kid films could not have told his young student a better piece of advice when it comes to facing adversity – focus, and if you do it right, it is absolutely unbeatable as a tool or weapon!

The idea of focus derives itself somewhat from the ‘Law of Attraction‘ concept, which  implies that people’s thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) dictate the reality of their lives, whether or not they’re aware of it.  Essentially “if you really want something and truly believe it’s possible, you’ll get it”.  Conversely, putting a lot of attention and thought onto something you don’t want means you’ll probably get that too.

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