essay for my writing class to explain something i enjoy doing. anyting about whether i left something out or my language is to surf oriented and will be hard for regular people to understand. anthing will help, please leave comments on what you think!
Surfing is something that not many people think about daily, especially in the dead of winter. But to those few who do think of it, it is something magical. Surfing in the winter is an unexplainable experience that will change someone forever. The community that you find in the ocean at sunrise on a freezing February morning is something that a plethora of people would have nightmares about, but a small minority would dream about. There is something extraordinarily special about surfing in the winter, and many things go along with it.
Usually when people think of surfing, they think of the beautiful beaches of Hawaii on a perfect summer day, but for the surfing community of New Jersey, that is just a small figure of our imagination. Instead we think of having to put on a wetsuit while being outside in 10 degree weather. In New Jersey, waves change enormously from summer to winter. The waves get heavier, or thicker, making them much harder to ride. The type of equipment changes as well, going from a pair of board shorts, to a wetsuit, Vaseline, and a strong mental mind. The fact of needing a wetsuit is self explanatory, in order to keep the body warm, but Vaseline and a strong mental mind are two things the average person would not expect a surfer to have. In order to keep surfers faces from getting frostbite or hypothermia while going under water, people apply Vaseline to their faces. Since a wetsuit covers everything on a person but their face, Vaseline is an essential tool to have with you before you paddle out. Now, these things will help immensely, but more is needed to survive the conditions of the Atlantic. A person’s mind needs to be strong because after going under 34 degree water five times in a row, most people feel like giving up and heading right into shore, getting in their car, and having a nice warm shower. But the fact is, if you want to be successful, you need to stay focused and be strong, for what you are doing is not easy, making persistency key.
The surfing community that emerges during the winter is my favorite part. Being able to find a spot and surf with your best friend all alone for three hours is the greatest. In a typical New Jersey summer, you will find a million people in the ocean, some trying to surf, some not, but still making a surfers life difficult. But the winter is different. In the winter, you could say the “true surfers,” come out. If you are surfing in the winter, you need to be experienced, you need to be strong, and most of all, you need to be courageous. You will find many things in the summer that you might not find in the winter. For example, seeing girls and older people, is something fairly rare to see in the summer. Sure, you will still see both of them, but the majority of the crowd will be young kids and men.
Surfing in the winter might either sound like a pain in the neck, or the ride of a lifetime. But no matter what you think, surfing in the winter will help you with anything, whether is physical or mental. Your mental toughness will grow, making you more determined and persistent, along with your physical toughness. Surfing with 15 pounds of equipment on your back will help your physical state as well. After surfing with 15 pounds of equipment on, then going to Costa Rica on a surf trip and surfing in just a bathing suit, your surfing will be 10 times better because of the freedom you will have. Your wetsuit restricts movement of the body while surfing, so taking that off will definitely help you, just ask anyone who has done it before.
Surfing in the winter is something that I think all people should try. Whether they like it or not is up to them. It is a great source for letting out emotions, as well an excellent workout. Being able to surf in the winter is a great blessing that I feel all people should be able to experience.
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Originally Posted by JerseySurfRat89
