I love it when

So you were, like, a total badass core surfer dude back in the day.

 

I love it when you catch a rythm with the ocean. Drop a good set wave, paddle back out, 30 second rest. Catch another good wave. Repeat 6 times or so and have to skip a wave because you are out of strength to paddle.

 

You know man, i think you got a bad mind set. Im only 29. So I'm not pretending to know what it's like to be in my 40s. But Mr. B is a prime example. Dude is older, two bionic hips, and only been surfing for 3 or 4 years. Guy got on a SB. And he's making progress. I find so much inspiration in that guy because of it. I surf with alot of older guys. Most who have been surfing their entire life. They wouldn't ever even consider a SB because of age. Yet here Mr. B goes without much experience and he's doing it. He's humble, he'll be the first to tell you he's not ripping. But he's DOING it. He's got a good mind set. Im not saying you'll be the same surfer as you were in your 20s. Im just saying a change in mind set may just be what you need and could do you wonders.

And beachbreak. We're all good man and i appreciate you admitting your wrong. Respect. Im so far from the person you made me sound like, i had to call you out on it. That's all.

 

#flowstate

 

I love it when you call me Big Papa. Put your hands in the air if your a true player.

 

Im not saying your a bad guy man or not positive. Im a positive guy but i still get heated at times. Just look at how beachbreak got me acting in this thread.

You said you havnt improved and it's all downhill. It doesn't have to be. You can maintain. Equipment change, approach change, whatever. That's what i meant by bad mindset. You can be a positive dude, but saying it's all downhill is not positive. Be realistic ofcourse. But don't just give up either.

A good friend of mine passed away this summer. He was well into his 60s. Iv been surfing with him for over 10 years. He rode a LB. But guess what. He was an amazing surfer and believe it or not, the past 5 years i saw him improving. Your 48? That guy was 16 or 17 years older than you. So with all due respect, that "being realistic" crap is a bad mindset and a bunch of hoopla

 

You know, karma and spirit are a wheel - he says these nice things about me right when I’m right in my lowest point in my surfing lately lol. I made the treck down to Easton’s and found nirvana - and I sucked except for a few bright spots even with perfect conditions! I found new and Interesting ways to make mistakes and felt like a 44yr old grom again... And low and behold it’s exactly what I was supposed to hear and I believe what LIBro needs to hear too. Bro’, your still doing it, and I’ve wanted to my whole life so that’s something - and whether or not the kid realizes it, he motivates me and a lot of Swellies a lot more than he thinks. I think if he and others here hadn’t encouraged me to keep charging, I’d have accepted failure and never believed I could get any better so I’d never have gone anywhere besides Nantasket Beach, never bought a nice bort, never had all the good stoke and experience either.
Yeeewwwwwww

 

Everyone's surfing has a life. It doesn't matter at what age you start, or your level of competence, or what you do or don't ride. Your surfing has a life of it's own... it's born, it grows, it changes, it dies. When and how it changes and dies is not always our choice. If you're lucky, it is your choice... but that's not always the case.

The best you can hope for is to be at peace with your surfing life at every stage... to see it for what it is and be happy it still enriches your life, no matter what form it takes.

 

Very true. But unless you physically can't surf, it doesn't die. Which ofcourse would happen eventually. I know I'm young and will be told i don't know what I'm talking about. But i surf with alot of guys who are well into their 60s, some 70s. This isn't just one rare specimen. I see it and have seen it for 15+ years man. If you can't rip on a SB, get a beefier board and work on flow. Or whatever. Anything. Being in your 40s and being healthy enough to surf is not your surfing dieing. Plain and simple. That's just a change of mindset and evolution thing

 

That's good stuff right there from LBC

 

The only downside to OP's original plan is when you go to take off on an outside set wave, and all of the previously mentioned buoys are littered about like flotsam and jetsam in the impact zone after messing with/missing the first waves of the set. Depending on how critical the section is, it may just make it more of a challenge to get through the obstacle course. Other times, it becomes unsafe.

I do enjoy sessions where I'm at a higher level than most of the pack, but what I like the best is being out on a break/peak with only a handful of your friends or even better, family. Sessions like that, who is better or best really doesn't come into play as much as it becomes a much more cooperative environment where you're coaxing each other on, pushing each other, and encouraging each other, hooting and shouting for the best rides.

 

Me and my grom bro (RIP). Would paddle out into whatever crowd...didn’t really matter, we would get our waves. One thing we would do to spice it up is have our own contest (we did this all the time, crowded or not). Wave count and wave quality...we did not worry about score other than length of ride criteria for a wave to count (which we would sometimes argue over...but for the most part it was a silent dual among rippers kooks or whoever and we kept a mental score throughout the sesh). To this day, I will pick someone out of the line up (usually better or younger or comparable), and I will have a silent dual against them...they never know about it, except that I may be pressing them on the peak for position etc. it’s my way of remembering my bro. Miss da guy! Sometimes there are better or worse surfers out compared to me.

I would like to think I’m surf aging gracefully...I know my style is evolving (more finesse tube riding, less snap in my step etc). Certainly my surfing life could come to an end without any control but I can’t imagine choosing to end it.

 

@JayD, sorry about your bro. My bro and I still do all the charging we can, he's the elder. I'm inland, and he's even further inland. We still manage to score now and then (thanks to the availability of forecasting info from here and elsewhere). I've turned back the hands of time on my surf age by focusing on health, and getting myself in better shape. I'm now 55, and in better shape than I was in my unfit 40s. Funny thing, last year he failed to get out to the lineup a few times, and that really chuffed him (mainly because I was catching some of the biggest waves/longest rides of my life that day). He's in much better shape this year because of that. I would never choose to stop surfing, but I could see opting out of certain conditions when I get older.

 

This June i bought an 8'0 mini longboard noserider. My wave count is through the roof, which means so is the stoke.

 

First paragraph.... that's awesome man. That made me laugh alittle. That's a great way of remembering him and still sharing seshs together. Good on you.

Second paragraph... that's the positive mindset im talking about. Once again, good on you.

 

Celebrate him like you do, everyday. He’s there with you on every peak and laughing with you on every stuff too...