![person flying off a surfboard into the waves person flying off a surfboard into the waves](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/11/18/2343F1FE00000578-0-image-22_1416312875309.jpg)
The weightless feeling as you kick out of a powerful wave and go flying over the back – now that’s a good one. Being a shit surfer makes me a better writer, perhaps? And perhaps that’s true, but to be honest if I were a better surfer I wouldn’t have all these funny foibles and fails to describe in my writing. And even my desire for progression has been tainted by this impure motive, thinking that I could be a better surf-writer if I were a better surfer. That being said I’ve been guilty of this impure motivation myself, going surfing because I see it as necessary to my work rather than because I want to. The thought of someone who surfs purely because, say, they work in the surf industry or need the status of surfing for their line of work seems pretty disingenuous. I would hope this isn’t the only reason why anyone surfs.
PERSON FLYING OFF A SURFBOARD INTO THE WAVES PROFESSIONAL
Perhaps a part of my motivation is the professional aspect, the careers and “industry opportunity” within surfing. So it can’t just be surfing for the love of surfing. When I don’t really want to surf, the waves look bad, it’s cold, but I do it anyways for one of the other reasons above and below. But there are plenty of days when my love of surfing isn’t what’s getting me out there. The pure love and joy of surfing is definitely a motivating factor. And while part of me would love to drop everything and disappear into the jungle, something tells me that isn’t it in the long term. The stories we celebrate are of those who dropped everything to live and surf in places that have yet to see a surfboard, rather than those more well-rounded personalities for whom surfing is just a facet of themselves rather than a 360-degree view. Not to mention that the community glorifies a life dedicated to surfing rather than a life lived in balance with it (at least in my own experience). But if surfing wasn’t so goddamn exclusive and “cool,” maybe people wouldn’t want to join so badly? Some might say that’s for the better, less people in the water after all. We don’t accept new members to our secret society easily, and often make fun of new surfers as they struggle to integrate.
![person flying off a surfboard into the waves person flying off a surfboard into the waves](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/27/article-0-0C4AD1C300000578-110_634x435.jpg)
And it’s an incredible point of connection to have with another person, this shared love of moving your body in such a way, shared knowledge of waves and boards – there’s always something to talk about with another surfer.īut there are times when the exclusivity inherent in the community we’ve built can be toxic. It’s a secret club where everyone has a bit of that wild child inside, that comes bursting out in the unbridled joy of a “whooooop!” as you rocket down the line or get rocked by a set wave. It brings us together, and sets us apart. Photo: Chase Baker//UnsplashĪnother reason is the community within surfing and the identity outside of surfing that it brings. So I’m trying to temper this motivation, maybe focus it to when I’m in the water and can actually focus on improving that turn rather than a feeling of disappointment when I miss a day or the waves are bad.Ĭommunity in surfing runs deep. I could say that I want to improve for the pure love and joy of surfing, for the meaning that it gives me, absolutely, but then that’s something else entirely and the fanatic drive to improve that often grips me rings hollow. But it can be overpowering and the idea that a day without surfing is a day wasted can chew up time that could perhaps be better spent on other aspects of my life or push me away from opportunities that don’t have surfing baked into them in some form.Īnd for what? I’m not the next Kelly Slater, or even one of the many engaged in the grind of the Qualifying Series, for whom that improvement represents something more than improvement for its own sake. With that mindset, good days of surfing aren’t even the days with the best waves, but the days I’m able to put a bunch of reps in, or really nail that one cutback or feel something click while noseriding. A driving desire, a need almost, to be constantly improving. Maybe someday… Photo: Barbara Rezende//UnsplashĪ large motivation recently has been progression.