Earlier this year, I went up to the Noosa Festival of Surfing for a couple of days. Friends of mine were competing so I wanted to watch and support them and as an extra added bonus, the waves were amazing!! The days were spent surfing, chatting, sitting, eating, drinking and teasing each other mercilessly (some [...]
In the past, I’ve alluded to the fact that, as surfers go, the word that best describes me is “polite”. I tend to follow the rules, give up waves, smile, hoot for other people and try keep the tone in the water mellow. I was not that person today. I take that back. I showed [...]
A surfer’s wish this holiday season eh? ‘That’s easy’ you say with a Grinch-like grin! No, dear friends, it is not for a bigger quiver of surfboards or a surf break alone to myself every dawn session (although those things are quite desirable too!). It has been many years since I have indulged in that [...]
Aikido, as Pat Cockett, a waterman from Kauai, writes, “is the art of directed motion within a stream of energy.” If one were to substitute as a training partner, instead of a 200 pound man, 10,000 tons of moving water, then the strategy of blending with and using the energy at hand makes a great [...]
As I thought about it more, I noticed there were correlations between surfing and blogging that I wanted to point out and hopefully allow up and coming bloggers to benefit from the power of catching their first “wave”. So without further ado, here is my 6 step guide for getting up on your board. Enjoy! [...]
When the wind dies down, the crowds disappear and you have this aquatic playground all to yourself, you know it’s going to be a good day. Every single wave is yours for the taking. The waves aren’t perfect, but if they were there’s no way you’d be the only one out there. The mention of [...]
Moving north from Byron Bay to live and work and study in Brisbane for the past few years has meant a big shift in my access to surfing. In the past I would surf at least once every day and had an ongoing and real relationship to conditions, banks and spots that were working. I [...]
I suppose they are really not secrets, but surviving the locals and big surf that the Hawaiian Islands has to offer can be quite a chore. First off I would say always use common sense when you are thinking about surfing a new surf break. If you are a beginning surfer, and you think you [...]
You may indeed have stumbled across the existential crisis which faces all dedicated surfers at some point in their lives: “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, [...]
Somewhere in California, Florida or Hawaii … someone is painstakingly sculpting a block of polyurethane foam into one of the most unique products the United States has ever produced: a surfboard. Using knowledge handed down from “shapers” and surfers over hundreds of years, the craftsman sands here and there along the blank until, eventually, it [...]
The rules of surfing are eternally unwritten. They undulate from break to break like the surface of the water, but like the water, they adhere to the laws of nature – the delicate balance between gravity and surface tension. There are no referees in the water. There are no cops, supervisors, principals or mommies to [...]
A few days ago I was waiting at the water’s edge for a break in the swell, trying to organise my timing so I could get out past the massive wash that was about to hinder me as I paddled out. The swell was solid and the sweep was still really strong and there were [...]
Surfing is one of the few sports that require all aspects of fitness: · Aerobic Endurance · Strength · Flexibility · Coordination · Agility · Balance · Proprioception Your traditional gym workouts will take care of your strength and aerobic requirements, and your yoga class will be more than adequate for flexibility. However, for surf-specific coordination, [...]
One of the myths heard often is that stand-up paddle is an ancient Hawaiian ritual, but historically Captain James Cook did not observe it in the 18th century, nor did Robert Louis Stevenson see it in the 19th century, (Although Cook did report in his journal watching a canoeist catch a wave sitting down in [...]
If you’ve done any surfing, then I’m sure you’ve been beaten up by the ocean once or twice. Surfers are notorious for trying to “work through” their injuries and not seek medical attention. They would much rather continue to surf in pain than be told that they need step away from the beach for a [...]
