Surfing Alone or with people?

[pvjumper05]

If there is a thread similar to this, I apologize, but I haven't seen one yet;

So recently I surfed alone for the first time. When I say alone I mean not a soul in the water except for me. I usually have a surfing buddy, and usually there are other guys, or gals, out there with us. The beach was super crowded and the waves were ****, but I went out anyway since it was really hot. Nobody was swimming since it was freezing, but it was actually nice out.

So getting to the point... when I was out there, it was one of the best things ever. I was completely alone and just relaxed. I had time to really think and ponder **** just by my lonesome. And when I got out I realized that it was a totally different aspect of surfing that I never had before, mostly because I was always with someone (for safety, talking, messing around, and memory reasons). It reminded me of this song by Incubus. Aqueous Transmission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4k5JWegwHg


I think I may have enjoyed it more than with people, even if the surf was flat and ****ty. So I ask: Do you enjoy surfing completely alone, or do you like the company of others better?

[LOSTsoul]

Both......

[Swellinfo]

I enjoy both. I agree, I find it more relaxing just being out there by yourself, just no worries... No one to impress, just you and the ocean. But sharing waves with friends is the best part of surfing in my opinion.

[super fish]

i always freak myself out thinking about sharks when I'm alone and if I get bitten, who's there to save my chum ass?

[GnarActually]

well for some reason I always surf the best by myself. Plus you get all of the waves to yourself.

[Swellinfo]

well for some reason I always surf the best by myself. Plus you get all of the waves to yourself.

ya, i'm more focused when I surf by myself and surf better. No distractions.

[tbing]

I like both. Surfing alone is fun cause theres nothing to do. Wave choice is yours (you still look at the one that rolls in after saying "damn why didn't I take that one") But I also like surfing with just a few buddies. like 3-4 of us out, and no one else. You know they won't steal your waves and its all chill even if they do.

[matt720]

i always freak myself out thinking about sharks when I'm alone and if I get bitten, who's there to save my chum ass?

haha i think about that too when i'm by myself... i also get the best rides when i'm by myself since i'm not worrying about anyone else hitting me or me hitting anyone else.... also alone i get all the nice ones since there is nobody else waitin for one

[stout metalworks]

i surf alone alot! I'll often drive hours before dawn to catch a big swell at sunrise. Being alone gives you a different feeling for sure! After a super nice ride i always look around to see if anybody saw my ride....but nobody is there and its usually winter and not a soul on the beach either. Then you realize that there are no surfers to spray, no buddies to hi five after an epic barrel and no cute chics on the beach to say....damn look at that bad mama jama! In this moment you can actually progress in style and technique because there are no disctractions! I used to think about sharks all the time!! especialy when im all alone. I have learned to block it out recently. I started spear fishing a couple of years ago and learned that you cant panic while your 40ft down on a single breathe and being 20 miles off the coast of VA or OBX you are quite aware of what swims these waters. After swimming and hunting along side preditors larger than the average man in the open atlantic you kinda lose that childish fear of JAWS taking you for lunch right off the beach. Now its not the safest thing in the world and no one believes how epic it was with out them, but surfing alone does benefit the mind body and soul 10 times more then surfing with your loud mouth buddies......

[surfangel]

I love to surf alone. I can concentrate so much better and in the short time that I have been surfing (less then 2 years) I've had my best rides when no one else was around.
The downside is that I got hurt surfing alone. I got pummeled and my board hit me and I really thought that I was going to die. I still go out there when there is no one else out but I try to read the conditions better if I know that no one else is out there.:o

[Boss]

i always freak myself out thinking about sharks when I'm alone and if I get bitten, who's there to save my chum ass?

Agreed. In the dead of winter when there is nobody on the beach and your the only one in the water...In my opinion, bigger surf makes it worse. I like bodyboarding a spot with friends.

[DaveyB]

i always freak myself out thinking about sharks when I'm alone and if I get bitten, who's there to save my chum ass?

lol agreed!!!

[Shakagrom]

to stop me from thinking about sharks i just sing to myself. and then i convince myself that i most likely (knock on wood) will never have a serious encounter after reading one of the surfrider foundation publications on the ratio of deaths related to faulty toasters to shark-related deaths, and not surprisingly, the faulty toasters won out!!

dawn patrol is real nice when you're out alone, but i like balance. i surf alone a lot and all statements in previous posts about better surfing alone are true, but i also like to surf with friends. its a nice community feeling on a glassy head high evening at 7 when a bunch of your closest show up and everyone gets barreled under the sunset. Surfing in general is such an enjoyable sport/lifestyle.

[frylock89]

i always freak myself out thinking about sharks when I'm alone and if I get bitten, who's there to save my chum ass?

ha, thats the same exact thing that i do, and a couple of days out in LBI by myself, not even anyone on the beach yet, and that fin does pop out of that water(and it has twice) i rele regret being out there alone, but i rele like going out with a bunch of friends and screwing around alot more than being alone

[ripsurfin]

to stop me from thinking about sharks i just sing to myself. and then i convince myself that i most likely (knock on wood) will never have a serious encounter after reading one of the surfrider foundation publications on the ratio of deaths related to faulty toasters to shark-related deaths, and not surprisingly, the faulty toasters won out!!

dawn patrol is real nice when you're out alone, but i like balance. i surf alone a lot and all statements in previous posts about better surfing alone are true, but i also like to surf with friends. its a nice community feeling on a glassy head high evening at 7 when a bunch of your closest show up and everyone gets barreled under the sunset. Surfing in general is such an enjoyable sport/lifestyle.

the thing is the more you put urself at risk [ in the ocean] the more chance there is just sayin

[Xtreme*Liquidshredda]

WHAT!!! you guys are all kooks. NEVER surf alone, have you read the warnings on the lifeguard signs? What happens if your drowning, who'll save you???? I cant believe all the supposedly experienced watermen on this site are so ignant! you all must be losers and have nobdy to surf with

[locosteez]

alone... other ppl suck.. i also prefer to do everything alone... guess im just a loner... and if i die cuz its dangerous surfin alone then i died doin somethin i love... by good song... i listen to that song all the time when im goin or comin home from surfin cuz its so chill

[steelwave42]

Alone. Look at my shots. Empty waves.

I do have a few people that I love to get a session in with, and really if I'm out there with people who are good/ I'm comfortable with, I tend to vibe off of that and get better. Go deeper just to give them something to hoot about. There is nothing like having a good session with some friends, but in my opinion, it doesn't compare to a big cold nor easter session in the dead of winter all alone. That is a whole different thing...

[billabongmoney]

man alone must be nice, in Va beach your never alone , i was on break from work today tornado watch , rain ,windy super dark clouds still 10 heads out at first street , i mean i paddle out alone all the time but there are always other surfers in eyesight

[ECboarder]

i like both. i like to surf alone because there is no one to impress except yourself like you were saying. but then theresalways the fear of getting hurt or bitten by something and not being able to paddle in. thats a reason why i like surfing with people too. and if u do do something good then they will see it.:cool:

[dave]

the only time I'd rather surf with people is winter when its big

[stout metalworks]

Alone. Look at my shots. Empty waves.

I do have a few people that I love to get a session in with, and really if I'm out there with people who are good/ I'm comfortable with, I tend to vibe off of that and get better. Go deeper just to give them something to hoot about. There is nothing like having a good session with some friends, but in my opinion, it doesn't compare to a big cold nor easter session in the dead of winter all alone. That is a whole different thing...

damn right.! just yourself and the ocean!

[windswellsucks]

alone.. if a fish bites you then you probably deserved it

[RobfromFredneck]

I surfed "sort of" alone this past Sunday. I had a non-surfing buddy sit in a beachchair to keep and eye on me and call 911 if I got in any trouble, but I was the only one in the water and he was the only one on the beach as far as the eye could see. It was great and I caught a few respectable waves.

However, I'm still not a very good surfer at all, and I have had my best sessions when I surf with my more experienced surfing friends whom really help coach me along out there. They have a much better eye for wave selection than I do and help me set up in the lineup correctly, tell me when to begin paddling, paddle harder etc. When I'm alone I frequently waste time and energy on the wrong waves. So I'd have to say for me the best situation is just myself and 1 or 2 buds who can be comrades/coaches but otherwise we have total isolation from everyone else. That is my personal favorite situation.

[Shakagrom]

WHAT!!! you guys are all kooks. NEVER surf alone, have you read the warnings on the lifeguard signs? What happens if your drowning, who'll save you???? I cant believe all the supposedly experienced watermen on this site are so ignant! you all must be losers and have nobdy to surf with

How can a surfer drown when he's a strong swimmer, he's got a board, a wetsuit? Wetsuits are made of air bubbles compressed between polyurethane so naturally, one would not be able to drown since it is a flotation device.

Lifeguard signs??? seriously? those things tell you not to go in the ocean if there are rip currents... like a rip is so life threatening! its easy to handle first of all, and second of all, surfers rely on rips to paddle out.

Lastly, i hope everything you said was a joke, especially the ignant part since its not quite a word.

[pvjumper05]

How can a surfer drown when he's a strong swimmer, he's got a board, a wetsuit? Wetsuits are made of air bubbles compressed between polyurethane so naturally, one would not be able to drown since it is a flotation device.

Lifeguard signs??? seriously? those things tell you not to go in the ocean if there are rip currents... like a rip is so life threatening! its easy to handle first of all, and second of all, surfers rely on rips to paddle out.

Lastly, i hope everything you said was a joke, especially the ignant part since its not quite a word.

yeah he was just trolling us

[acs]

i you surf alone it probally more relaxing like you said. but having a surfing buddy is probbaly more fun and entrataining

[Mooseknuckle]

Drive down assateague on the OSV zone and paddle out on a cloudy day when there are no fishermen out. Its so much crazier there bc you cant even see the beach on a semi foggy day and there are no buildings to look back at, only ponies and sand dunes. SO RELAXING.....

[OBlove]

How can a surfer drown when he's a strong swimmer, he's got a board, a wetsuit? Wetsuits are made of air bubbles compressed between polyurethane so naturally, one would not be able to drown since it is a flotation device.

Lifeguard signs??? seriously? those things tell you not to go in the ocean if there are rip currents... like a rip is so life threatening! its easy to handle first of all, and second of all, surfers rely on rips to paddle out.

Lastly, i hope everything you said was a joke, especially the ignant part since its not quite a word.

What are you talking about? I was on the beach getting ready to paddle out on a big day OCNJ when a friend passed out for no reason. He was great surfer and an all around watermen. He died. He would have lived if someone was with him. A wetsuit is not going to save your life. And you TALK as if the ocean does not challenge you? Even on the east coast, I have seen grown men with their tail between their legs. I surf by myself on a very rare occasion, but I would rather share the experience with my brothers or friends.

[RainWizard112]

I love being by myself without the crowds, but its also fun just to have a few friends to share the experience with. you know. but i know what you mean. it is really relaxing to be out there by yourself sometimes.

[zach619]

I live in san diego, so it is damn near impossible to find an empty wave. I do know of a couple though. I go out at a spot on sunset cliffs that is always empty. Its like a 1/4 mile paddle out and a fickle wave. I like surfing that break alone in the summer time. If a nice south swell hits, its really cool to go out alone and see deep into the ocean and play around. I get off my board and swim around... Its nice when all the elements work out for you.

But on the other hand, when the winter comes and its colder water and 10feet plus. I like to have a few guys around. I mean, I have been 1/2 mile out on the 3rd reefs and had the whole lineup cleaned out. There is no more eerie of a feeling than being alone in huge surf all of the sudden.

And in the spring, after there are sightings of 20 ft white sharks in north county, one of which killed a guy last spring, yeah for sure you think about it.

I remember surfing that same day last april. Knowing tha a guy a few miles up the beach was just eaten by a shark. So me and my buddies acted like we didnt even think about it, but every duck dive felt cold and creepy.

SO, as long as there is good surf, I like surfing with others.


And in OB where I live, I have the pleasure of surfing with like 10 guys that are on the QS and can surf pretty ridiculously, so yeah, its also nice to watch other guys techniques. That is how I started getting good at airs and weird tricks... YOu watch these high flying 15 year old super groms for a few days and you will be learning fast.

[SkegLegs]

I'm not gonna lie, there's been a few times down at the 'teague I freaked myself out enough to paddle into someone elses party. Granted i'm not sitting right "on" them, and def. giving them priority on waves.....but hey, you know the feeling......sometimes you just get spooked. And that can be one big lonely place !

[mofosurfer.com]

619...OB....? Damn hippie.

And stop mentioning names!

BTW... sharks... man, there have always been shark sightings here in SoCA.
Taste the water... if it's salty that means there are sharks somewhere around you.
They always have been, always will be.


Oh, and I was an OB Rat for a decade (also known as the 90's), btw. 'Ol school. ;)