Surfing: The Essence Of Exploration

My typical destination to go surfing is Mermaid Beach. Regardless of whether or not the waves are the best the Gold Coast has to offer (which they're not close to being), I frequent the area to be able to surf with a bit of elbow-room instead of jammed into a pack. It's funny, the relationship between surfing as a sport and crowds as a social phenomenon: no surfer out there will confess to loving surfing in a crowd, though all the same surfers in general tend to behave like sheep when hitting the beach (the "follow the leader" syndrome).

On the average day, Mermaid Beach has three or four peaks, though only one will be taken advantage of and by a big, poorly distributed mob. When I get there, instead of jumping in right away and paddling out, I take a moment to ponder the scene and choose my spot wisely. Ultimately, my decision will be shaped by the quality of the waves rolling in and the amount of surfers in a given area of water. Personally, I am always willing to give up a bit of wave quality to be able to have plenty of room, though that's just me.

It's common for me to walk up to a kilometer in either direction to pick out a wave. After my deliberative process and having installed myself in a given spot however, there's always some surfer that breaks from the pack and comes to park right on my shoulder. I am always bewildered that the person didn't take that initiative earlier, before my arrival, given the fact that that break had been there all day. In the end, I figure it's nothing more than a lack of imagination on the other's behalf, remaining oblivious until someone else (myself in this case) points the small detail out to them.

It never ceases to amaze me how many surfers arrive at the beach yet make no effort to seek out the best wave. Instead, they merely paddle up to the spot where all the other surfers are, automatically assuming that that's where the ideal conditions are.

There have been days when I was the only surfer getting wet on days with excellent conditions all along the beach. Yet when another surfer gets in, they come sit on my tail instead of taking advantage of the ample space. In such scenarios I simply paddle over to the next wave to keep surfing, wondering the whole way there about the other surfer's intelligence.

In the end, this prevalent behavior obliges me to wonder: what ever happened to the exploratory spirit that used to be so essential to surfing? Where has it ended up? When did it get substituted by this sheepish behavior where everyone just follows the rest? Perhaps I am peculiar now in my eagerness for uninterrupted surfing; maybe the crowd dynamic is what most people enjoy now? It's beyond me, yet I can't help thinking this type of behavior is odd.

Some food for thought though: each time you hit the beach for some quality surf, take a minute or three on the beach to really observe the waves before paddling out. There will probably be a better option than the most crowded one and you will definitely get to catch more waves.

Bookmark - Share

Quick Login

Username:

Password:

Enter the code shown







Forgot your password?

Main Menu

Categories

Resources

Tags

New York   Hotels   Travel   Vacation pachages   Visiting Milan   Vacation   Accomodation   travel guide   Cyprus   Great Britain   Isle of White   Italy   Tuscany   Tuscany Villas   family holiday   France   Malta   Minorca   Spain   holiday   Cheap flight   Majorca   Isles of Scilly   Wales   Summer Vacation  

Stats

Total Category: 0
Total articles: 3505
5 users online.