Surf Culture in the Mainstream?

The act of surfing is non dependent on any perception by society. Read Miki Dora if you want to know about surfing and how media has exploited the sport/art/sub-culture.

Surfing is the act of riding a wave. It is neither deviant or rebellious. It is simply riding a wave.

 

Yeah damn... surfing isn't anything about being a devient, or being mainstream, or any of that BS. Surfing is what surfing does.

I think some people might be initially drawn into surfing perhaps for the reasons you stated, but people soon realize that it's not what surfing is all about. Once you've ridden your fair share of waves, and gotten pummeled into the sand on numerous occasions, there is something different that draws you back to the ocean.

Honestly, I personally cannot understand it. I wish I could. But I just feel mentally addicted to the ocean in a surreal way. The thought of ever living inland makes me cringe, and I am basically trying to shape my life around the ocean, and love for surfing.

 

There is no REAL surf culture in the main stream.

I dont get how it leads to "deviance in adulthood" i know Doctors, teachers, mom's, dad's, preachers, all kinds of people who surf.

Listen to sisurf and read "All for a few perfect waves" there's a good viewpoint to write your report on.

 

Steph,

Check the thread named 'Hello.' Then get back with us in a few weeks.

 

That's 100% on the money. Look at the utility that thread can serve for SI long-term.

 

Steph,

I'm a 45 yr old father of two with a mortgage and a real job with a major chemical company. I'm about the least deviant dork you'll ever know, but I still caught a few fun ones yesterday. I've heard the surfing vs guitar player analogy. The guitars come in all different sizes and shapes and the people who play them all have a little different sound. Surfers range from drug addicts to PhDs who ride everything from a mini simmons' to an old school longboard.

I think the need or drive to surf comes from an adrenaline gene and then is fueled by some type of endorphin release. The experience is like a drug.

 

Definitely feels like a drug... Rolling up to the beach seeing my spot going offffffff. I don't even have to touch the water, just staring at a firing beach break gets me all hot and bothered.

 

Hi Stephanie. Thanks for your questions.

To be honest, the most knowledgeable member of our forum goes by the name "MakeItStop".

He will be able to answer all of your questions in depth; he is a legend that lives in Hawaii. Just send him a PM (Private Message), and make SURE to include a picture of yourself, so that he knows you're not a spammer. Otherwise he won't respond.

Good luck!

 

in this video it is all explained.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx3iJeqBXJY

 

Return of The Machine...?! The...SHRED MACHINE ....?!?! He, rather it, has gone transgender?! It's entirely possible!

Steph, hunney, have you memories of bench-offs...? Have you ventured out when it was only 23', and not a fathom less? Do you like to shott peers? And, finally, what's your take on the iPhone...?

 

C'mon brah. We all know there's only like 8 different human beings that patronize this forum. This is a good attempt though, you gotta admit that. They had us at "hello" with the smokescreen of a wahine.

 

O M G, Steph a Neeee

There is no surf culture anymore. There is nothing deviant aboot surfing these days. Yes, many moons ago surfing was a considered a fringe lifestyle pursued by freaks, punks, and isolationists. But that was never really true. Many surfers back in California's 1950's glory days were well-adjusted, middle class, golden boys.......many, gasp, from conservative families.

The criminals were always a subset. Yes, the life did appeal to the eccentric and the adventurer, but the "solid citizen" was always present........just not in the numbers seen today.

If you pay attention to sites like these you will see today's demographic. A demographic that views surfing as a sport or just another activity to do at their leisure. That's not what it's aboot. Say what you will aboot the greatest cinematic character ever, but Jeff Spicoli had it right. He knew what it was aboot.

However, surfing was more of a lifestyle up until a decade ago. Now parents aren't afraid of Johnny turning into Jeff Spicoli, and surfing has become a "HOBBY," not unlike golf or tennis, for the middle-age corporate class.

The traditions and respect once held sacred to many areas has now disappeared replaced by some politely displayed chaos, as the novices don't know the "rules" anymore. By that I mean, green beginners flock to quality spots once reserved for experts and local hierarchies. And they have no clue that they are committing acts once considered blasphemous.

That's pretty much gone. The angry beer-drinking enforcer has been tamed, no, overwhelmed, by the masses, litigation, and cell phone cameras.

A once, at the very least, interesting subset of society has now become homogenized, and is no more special, in the eyes of the public, than water polo or sewing circles.

 

first glance I guessed gruvi.same writing.second,for someone doing this research you are illiterate.but to answer your question,the previous guys covered it.however, for me,the fact that such crap as your op exists proves that most people still have no concept whatsoever of how fulfilling being a surfer can be.you can totally escape everything and everyone and go beyond your own limits and forget it all when you are a surfer.the rest are just kooks.or,99.9% of people who call themselves surfers.it sure seems that way.a surfer surfs.everyone else is a kook.

 

Stephanie,

Just reinforcing what others have indicated... you are barking up the wrong tree. And, I think others who are unfamiliar with surfing think the same... We surf, because riding waves is fun. Recently, I've had some older adults tell me I don't look like a surfer and not really sure how to respond to that.

 

You people are a little strange.

You people with the multiple account theories need to get something else that brings excitement into your lives. Or at least focus on 9/11 or something important.

Steph's questions aren't weird at all for someone who isn't part of the "tribe." I've heard wayyyyyy worse from people who supposedly surf.

"Yeah, I checked it but I didn't want to paddle-out because I haven't wore my 5 mil yet, and my shoulders weren't ready for it." Someone on here actually said that aboot two years ago.

And this may come as a surprise to you new people, but yeah, surfing was seen as something only stoners and outcasts did. There was something special aboot being a surfer that separated you from normal society.

It was a lifestyle not a hobby as it is today. People dedicated their lives to it. They didn't look at computers to see if they could pencil-in a surf next Thursday.

The reason Steph is barking-up the wrong tree on this site is that most on here are hobbyists who never saw the bigger picture of this whole damn thing.

And if, by chance, this is some former member trying to be "clever"..........WOW, you got me(us), dude. What did that accomplish? That's the best you got? I love b!tching aboot today's society.

 

i surf to get away from people like you.

 

Slashdog thanks for the sarcastic shoutout- big ups!!
steph:
step one pics
step two????

 

you really have to surf to understand it. surfing transcends so many other sports because they just aren't comparable. that first wave, fun ride, or that wave they couldn't get is what draws people back every time. i really enjoy being disconnected from everything for the short while that i can be. no worries, cell phones, problems, emails, or anyway someone can contact you unless they paddle out.
check out the billabong "i surf because series"
andy irons has become quite famous after he died
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uwtqRBE4Kk
as i grew up on the east coast in a mainland town, surfing wasn't the cool thing to do, it didn't warrant any type of special treatment. me and a few of my friends were the only ones who did it and nobody really even understood what it means to surf. culture on the west coast and hawaii is different.

 

The whole deviant idea died a long time ago. Watch the movie Riding Giants and it shows back in the 60s and 70s how so many California surfers were dropping out of school, hanging out at the beach... Even moving to Hawaii to be "beach bums". Not working. Only surfing. Being considered "menaces to society"...

That lifestyle is not really alive anymore. Living in Socal for a decade, in the hotbed of surfing in this part of the world makes you realize, even the pro-ams and the main sponsored standouts all go on to be successful in college and really make an impact in the "real world"

The only reason we all surf, is because it is fun. Period. Its fun, its challenging, and most of all, its rewarding. The payoff that you receive from your dedication to the sport is unlike any other hobby in the world. Aside from being one with the ocean, when you start getting barreled consistently and landing all the tricks you have put so much effort into, there really are no words to describe it.

And once surfing becomes a part of your life, then you really understand that it can be spiritual. And not in a religious way. Its in the fact that we are interacting with the most natural forces on earth. In environments that we are not intended to be in. We are in fact a part of the ocean, which not to many people can say.

Surfing is not mainstream. The most mainstream it got was in the early 2000s.... Then the economy tanked, reality set in. Investment bankers werent getting paid surf trips anymore. No more sky miles... Now people work more than ever, for less money, which translates into less time for recreation...

People don't understand "surfing" or "surfers" until they see it with their own eyes. Once a month or so, a surf clip will make it into Sportcenters top 10... And when you hear the main stream media saying, "Wow, we didnt even know what these guys are out there doing. What they are capable of. Its amazing"....

Thats about as mainstream as it gets...

No one tries to exploit it... The only people that really exploit it are the ones within the surf industry... I.E. Local surf shops teaching lessons for profit. Knowing that the surf community already feels like we are too many in numbers, it is exploitation when people are solicited, to be taught how to surf in exchange for money... When 15 people crowd our lineup without proper education and create obstacles and danger for the rest of us. Thats exploitation. Surfing is free in every sense of the word. "free surfing" is what I would say... You buy a board, buy a wetsuit and teach yourself. Or learn under the guidance of other surfers who are will to let you into their minds and share their knowledge with you.... Thats how it should be. Individuals who seek only profit without caring about the ramifications of their actions are exploiting the sport...

Shapers sell board to those who love to surf. It is a trade. an art. A business. Which is perfect... Shapers and surf shop owners provide for the community, not exploit it. Its when they start doing things for the wrong reasons when i start using the word exploit.