I'm 38. I plan to retire when I'm around 52-54. Once retired I will have way more time to dedicate to chasing swells. What I worry about is that maybe by that age I will be an old cripple and won't want to hit waves daily. Already, after a long session my lower back aches and so does my achilles tendon on my rigth heel! WTF? How old is the oldest surfer you know?
We all want to be surfing the rest of our lives! Take care of yourself now, and you will be... I think when we are young, we just assume, we will be strong and agile forever...
I regularly surf with a guy who's 68 years old and still charging the big days on a shortboard. Pretty inspiring!
man, I'm 26 and I'm feeling the bad wipeouts for days. I had a fairly serious back injury just before my 21st birthday that I know will haunt me for life. I would be stoked to be surfing at 40. Occasionally I surf with a guy in north sand bridge who must be every bit of 70. He only surfs when it's big and glassy. He gets in to 'em really early and just makes big swooping turns. It;s very inspiring. Lets be real though, there are only 2 types of surfers over 50. Those who rip and have their whole lives and those who absolutely suck and float around on their $1200 custom logs.
I'm 51, my best surf buddy is 50. We've been surfing together for 30+ years and are both still on boards in the mid-6' range. It gets harder and easier at the same time as you age. As in, I know exactly what I need to do to keep surfing - and that is, a lot of dry land workout/training. If there's no waves, it's not time for coffee and donuts. Its time to get on the running shoes, or hit the Vasa Trainer, and/or the weights (light ones) and the stability ball for core work. Yoga stretching is also a must. It's the out of the water dedication that needs to increase as you get older. It is a pain, and there are days when I hate the regimen, but after a 4 hour session with no pain, or a winter 5/4 outing where my arms don't seem to notice the extra rubber, it's all worth it. So maybe you'll have more time when you retire to get into better shape than you are now! I know I'm in better overall condition than 10 years ago. Whether I'm a better surfer or not, I'm not sure. But my enjoyment level is up because I can get in the water and feel ready. None of those tired and out of shape "oh my God" moments. Like everyone has said - I don't want to stop until they pry my cold rigor mortis hands from the rails of my board. It takes some work, but surfing at an "advanced" age can be done, and done gracefully. I think you'll do well. PS - Like Lee said, you do start to "pick your spots." There are days when I have to accept that its definitely only for the young guys (man, it's hard...). The risk of injury isn't worth it. I want be able to surf "tomorrow." Major injuries, and even minor ones, at this age take a long time to get better and often don't really ever heal. Being out of the water for an extended period...let's just say I'm well aware that there are more surfing days behind me than there are ahead. Every session is precious....
I'm 45 been surfing all my life and like the song says "I aint as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was". On a good size glassy day not too cold and no jerks in the way... I still charge and rip... or maybe just in my own mind but i have felt like a kid with all the good surf lately. like Satchel Paige said " don't eat fried foods, it angries up the blood".
I've seen plenty of older/middle-aged guys surfing to make me not worry about surf fitness when I get to that age. I'm actually more worried about whats below the waist eventually not working than my shoulders/back.
i def know a couple of guys in their 60's who still rip, travel for big waves, and surf shortboards... Just take care of yourself and you'll surf for a very long time
I\'m 40, been surfing since I was 15, high school athlete and served in the military (Marines, infantry) when I was in my 20s and during that time I drank a lot, smoked cigarettes, ate terribly and lets just say did alot of \"other stuff\" that isn\'t good for you. I was always a decent surfer though. When I hit my early 30s I pretty much stopped partying, focused on my career and family, joined a really good gym, started eating better, I do yoga and I go to bed at 10 pm. My surfing over the past 10 yrs has drastically improved. I can stay in the water for 4-6 hrs. My eyesight is starting to go which is annoying and I\'m basically going deaf from surfers ear and I need to get checked for skin cancer about 4x a year but its all good. Also, my ball sack is starting to hang lower which caused me to sit on my right nut once while on my longboard which was painful, plus low balls makes my **** look smaller...but thats seperate from surfing.
I'm 45 and ride a 5'5" board. Not sure if I rip but I do surf as well or better than 90% of the people I see out on any given day. If there is one thing that I lost from my youth it would be the charging into big surf part of me. I'm now more cautious and leave the biggest days to those younger and better able to deal with it. I would say this past Sunday on Delmarva was the biggest I feel comfortable with. Head high and down I'm there!
My Dad is 69 and still surfs his custom made Rich Wilken longboard. He's a freak though...i hope to be in his condition when i'm his age.
Hahahaha This is the most brutally honest thing I've heard in a while, but kick a**. It makes the thoughts of getting old a little easier when you can laugh about it I guess
indeed that was a great post. I'm 24 and plan on surfing as long as I can. The oldest people I have seen out may have hit 60, but they're always out on a longboarding day..chest high and slow clean rolling waves which makes total sense. I can only pray to be surfing at 60.
I’m 52 and have been surfing since 1977. I love surfing and can’t imagine just walking away from it, but aging is a process none of us escape. The body may decline but not the Stoke! I spend a good bit of time and effort trying to stay in condition to surf. I can still surf fairly well, not as good as when I was 25, but I still spend most weekends chasing waves in OBX, and still usually manage a trip overseas each year. I have seen a gradual decline of my skills, reaction time has slowed a bit- endurance is declining but I can still put in good long session if the waves are there. Just like they told you in pee wee football – concentrate on the basics- blocking and tackling. Diet and exercise: keep your weight under control, stay strong and flexible. What I have seen is guys that let themselves go end up fading away. What I do is yoga for flexibility, especially for the back, shoulders and hips. Weight lifting for strength , some type of cardio (treadmill/swimming/ pushing sleds) As an older guy and one who weighs about 195 I also find it is important to find a good shaper to work with – too many people just start adding length and thickness and end up with a bloated board that doesn’t do anything well. Or they just go to the LB figuring they are too old for anything else. I can’t ride a hpsb anymore so I don’t even try – but a well designed board with more width to plane quicker, a bit more thickness for float and the appropriate rocker work good for me. A public service announcement – As you get older (maybe start @ 40 or 45) make sure to have regular physicals. I dislike Drs as much as anyone, but at 45 I was diagnosed with Cancer during a routine physical. Went through surgery (missed the entire 2004 Fall East Coast season) but am cancer free today. Wouldn’t have found it as early, and my prognosis wouldn’t have been as good without that physical. The picture is me in El Salvador in July 2011. Jim
