2015 April

April 2015 - Blog Archives

April 21st, 2015

“Surfers Make Good People”

Another surfer once told me, in no uncertain terms, “surfers make good people.” We were chatting after a surf on the island of Lombok, one of Indonesia’s many surfing gems, and it was the kind of conversation that meanders along when you’re surfed out and don’t really have anything more pressing on the schedule.

We talked about the surf back home: Western Australia for him and not much in the way of comparison to our surf in Maine. He had been telling me about his plans to move from ‘West Oz’ with his Indonesian wife and open a guesthouse just up the road… the type of retirement plan that every surfer dreams about.

His pronouncement came after I told him about teaching kids to surf at Surf Camp. He blurted out with surprising excitement:

“Mate, good job! The world could use more surfers because surfers make good people.”

These are the highlights from the conversation that followed, which was about the life lessons that surfing teaches us.

 

Lesson 1: Rely on Yourself and Always be Humble

Surfing teaches confidence and humility simultaneously. Entering the ocean to ride waves means putting yourself in a position where you’re on your own. If you get into trouble, you can’t just hit the pause button to gather your thoughts.

In the ocean, the situation is always dynamic: in addition to pounding waves, surfing often means contending with rocks and reefs, strong currents, weather, wind, and (sometimes) sea-life. As any surfer knows, when a big set bears down there is nothing and no one that can help.

The ocean will humble the very best surfers.

As a result, surfing teaches us to rely on ourselves and have confidence in our capacity to overcome challenges. It teaches strength and resilience. But even more, surfing shows us our limits and teaches us to know and respect them.

The ocean will humble the very best surfers, and in fact, those surfers are usually the ones that stand most in awe of the ocean’s power.

 

Lesson 2: Cherish Nature

There are few pursuits that are so dependent on a close relationship with nature. After all, good waves are the result of weather events that happen thousands of miles away. They can’t be recreated or manufactured by man and as a result surfers are completely beholden to ‘Mother Nature.’

The Point, J-Bay. Photo: Dustin Turin.

Nature giving in abundance. Photo: Dustin.

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