Do you like sucking? Or does it break your heart and haunt you in your dreams and across every waking second of your life?
The surf world was rocked this past week when a long-time adult learner wrote convincingly of the joys of being a kook for ultra-left wing Brit newspaper The Guardian.
The Adelaide-based writer Kerri Duncan, a “thirty-something” who has been “surfing for almost twenty years” says despite two decades in the ocean she still “frolics in the whitewater with the little tackers, whooping when I manage to stand up on a wave like a kid cycling for the first time without training wheels.”
It’s the sort of return on investment that would have most wannabe surfers quitting the sport in disgust.
But, not Duncan.
“Supportive friends and well-wishers have suggested I take lessons, offered to be my mentor, or insisted I could improve if I trained harder. The implication is if I’m passionate about something, I should also be proficient. I say thanks, but I’m happy being a below-average surfer.
“While I get a sense of fulfilment from developing certain skills, I want to reserve some activities purely for imperfect pleasure. I would go so far as to say I need to reserve some activities purely for imperfect pleasure, for the sake of my mental health.
“Psychologists have been spruiking the positive effects of hobbies on psychological wellbeing for years; we get those essential happy hormones from losing ourselves in a chosen activity, giving us a sense of meaning and purpose, while being blissfully distracted from everyday stressors.
“When I focus too much on getting better at something, it creates room for failure. I don’t want to fail in my relaxation time – I just want to go with the flow and soak in the fun. No pressure, only carefree, uncomplicated enjoyment. I simply want to enjoy the ride.”
And, in words that will be a salve to anyone who’s been plateauing at a low-to-intermediate level for years, Duncan writes,
“I don’t need to improve at something in order to enjoy it. If I find an activity that brings me simple happiness, I can permit myself to treasure it as it is – whether I objectively suck at it or not.”
Do you like sucking? Or does it break your heart and haunt you in your dreams and across every waking second of your life, your asshole puckering at the sight of any wave over six feet?
I stand in group two.
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Only in Derek’s pathetic, incel world is The Guardian an ultra-left wing publication. Mother Jones, The Atlantic, The Nation, those are left wing publications. The Guardian is barely middle-left. He should probably spend less time practicing his barrel stance in the mirror for when he gets the cover of Discord Surf Weekly and more time doing some real reporting.
https://www.allsides.com/me…
That’s why we mess about in the white water and keep out of your way. At least I do!
My ex-girlfriend likes sucking.
Ultra-left wing newspaper ? Who is writing this? Adolf Hitler?
Cover picture is first time a go pro on the nose of a surfboard has produced a picture worth seeing
*if you have a go pro on your nose, on your helmet or in your gob you are a kook
According to Gerry “Fun is where you find it.”
I wish all those types of chronic VALs stayed in the whitewater, but no, they do not.
@ Rockslocal…. I kept my surfing up through my 50’s with a simple tool as a guide.
Yin Yoga. All poses are done on the floor, no balancing. Easy-ish at first, but you hold each position for 7 minutes and they begin to sing. Lubes all your ligaments and fascia.
I was in a boating accident in NZ at 50 and was told would never surf or wear a wetsuit again. I credit Yin for recovering and surfing strong until the pandemic.
Nearing 62 now and every day is harder. I found width to be pleasantly helpful and can still turn. Gained weight doing nothing during the lock down so I’m climbing the ladder again. If you can keep your weight clean and practice Yin, you’ll make the right choice for your surfing.
Yin will cure your hips, knees follow.
Thx Hip!!
if you don’t accept some decline on the north side of 50 your life will suck, so just a matter of adjusting expectations. Also, might get flamed for this, but something I’ve discovered that helps: one of biggest issues with age for me is hips and knees not bending like they used to, which translated into some bending at the waist instead of knees while surfing, which obviously made me feel (and look) like a complete kook. So have a flowboard and every day stand on it and do squats/crouches, whatever you call it, basically just bend at knees instead of waist and get my hips down as low as I can while still balancing, like trying to fit in a tiny tube (while bending at knees instead of waist). Sounds dumb, but has been one of the best things for keeping my hips and knees somewhat flexible and working the leg muscles by getting down and back up, while still balancing. Hasn’t totally restored my younger flow and style, but has helped a lot and made me feel slightly less sucky.
{“I don’t want to fail in my relaxation time – I just want to go with the flow and soak in the fun. No pressure, only carefree, uncomplicated enjoyment. I simply want to enjoy the ride.”}
Fuck yeah. I’d go out on that limb, except i worry it’d break under the weight of my fat arse
Ultra left wing? The description given to balanced journalism by right wing knuckle draggers.
Surfing limits have been pushed too far in my opinion.
Although I am prepared to die pushing my limits, I shouldn’t be.
Surfing for some (me) has become a mania.
So RESPECT YOUR LOCAL KOOK, they are probably healthier psychologically than all
DaHui combined are physically.
Once again BG ahead of the curve. Some sucky commenter wrote about this a few months ago:
https://beachgrit.com/2022/…
True! And what a pleasure it was to examine that sexy lil ass puckering again.
Essential.
Nearing 70yo and a bung knee, I just enjoy getting wet. No more knifing takeoffs, roll ins are fine. Still get it up on rail and love roundhouses. That’s all I’ve got.
Rab and MR must be real close to that magic number, too. You hold very good company.
Fuck yeah!
Oh Chuck after watching your VAL-adjacent performance at Slat’s ranch I would steer clear of this topic, just trying to help.
Chatting up a local foam mower about progression just yesterday.
Most of my improvements were so incremental. 2% was the stuff of dreams.
Was surfing a point break in ’82 on a twin, thought I was killing it. On an extended floater, I lost my inside edge and swam to the beach to retrieve the board.
A dude walks out on low tide and grabs my board. He’d seen my walking back to the creek after long rides so he assumed I would come in. Once I reach him, he’s not handing the board back. ???
“Will you try an experimental board? Been watching you and you’re nursing the rebound off the bush on your roundhouses because your tail is drifting. (He was spot on) Then you’re nailing the lip, but pulling up just short to begin the next pump down the line (spot on again, if I went full vert, I couldn’t drive hard enough off the bottom to catch up)”
Twin Finitus.
“I want you to wear a leash though” as he hands me a fin configuration I had yet seen. 3 Fins. A big guy was passed out on the sand next to our position with beer cans in the sand. I warned him that the Malibu sheriff did not look fondly at drinking. Big dude was passed out.
I ran up to Boneyards and jumped in. Narrower template felt good. First wave that came through, the fin cluster gave me so much drive. The finish to round houses held bite, I could play with where I squared off the incoming whitewash! The bay section was just the most whackable wall and at 8′ faces, I teed off. Over and over and over.
No way I’m giving the board back.
Dude is yelling at me, come in…. no fucking way.
I had just experienced a quantum leap in performance unlike any I’d ever had or would ever have the next 40 years. There was no way I could go back to the twin fin. None.
Turns out, Gary Mc Nabb (Nectar) was touring California with Simon showing off the new design and picking guys at beaches to test ride.
Drove straight to my friends house in Pedro and explained what happened and I was riding our version in 2 days. Course I broke the brittle thing, but the sea change was locked in granite.
Every other design change in my surfing life was micro incremental other than that August day.
great stuff Hip….wish I had a cool story about the big thruster transition. But truth is I knocked around on a 7′ Sunrise single fin for a few years as a little grom (including attempting to surf first peak on it ha ha) before graduating as a slightly bigger grom to the big time– a 5-10 Ocean Avenue thruster that I attempted to pump & throw around like a skateboard w/ varied success. Then hit the mother lode w/ some custom shapes that flew like rockets…and been trending downhill for the past few decades.
I’ll go out on a limb and say more surfers need her attitude. The level of narcissistic fart sniffing enabled by the rise of the surf cam / surf coach era is the saddest thing to happen to surfing.
Although I do look fantastic on rewind.
I don’t usually save rewinds, but this one of me taking off WAY too deep (some were holding up) was too funny not to. I’m NOT the guy making the drop.
This video is private
I’ll join you on that limb. Been surfing for years and have no interest joining in being some sort of ‘expert’. Just being in the water, being able to stand up and trim a little to get a groovy little ride down the line is magic. Also, foam surfing can be fun too — no need to worry about anyone dropping in!
General ask for everyone out there; why are the majority of short boarders so angry in the line up, even when it’s working?
Fuck off Eric
We definitely need more surfers like, happily frolicking in the white water. Less kooks in the line-up, everyone having a good time. Win-win situation.
Seems like waves over 6 feet were the only ones I didn’t suck in.
As you age, bigger waves remain the way that they always were,
The challenging waves are quick twitch, tight transition quick runners, specially heal side.
Bigger burgers but less hotdogs as you age. That’s the the key
I just hate low tide, small backside beach break.
Hippy Kryptonite.
Im a victorian, i dont go left and even if i wanted to, the lefts here are shit.
Haha so true!
Agree…bigger actually better, bc usually means less competition in the lineup for waves, and nothing wears me out more than trying to out paddle all the sub-AARP punks for 2-3 ft junk.
Similar to Doc Hazard at OB, but change it to ten feet instead of six.
He sucked too! Who cares
You sucked in those too. It’s no big deal. It’s fine!