When I first got on swellinfo I thought at my age( 41 now) I was one of the older dudes on here but it seems like theres more older dudes then young-ins.Just like a couple of you guys stated in other threads Im like the 1st one in the water and the last one out.I look at a guy like Slater and the guy is still killing it against kids half his age.I think thats pretty cool and amazing to see.I feel like alot of people outside of surfing look at me like yo man your not 20 anymore but you know what whos got the stoke anyways? Btw,I don't roll with one of those stickers on my ride.
Yeah, im 31 now but still feel about 25, so im haapy with that. I can still do everything i could do back then, just a lot better.... One cool thing is, my dawn patrols and stuff now, i am always with the same crew of guys. a few grommets mixed in, but the dedicated guys are all in theirs 40s, early 50s and we have a blast... I just love their attitudes and I get way more stoked out when I see those guys get a barrel or a great wave. They just flat out enjoy it... Its like seeing a 40 year old kid and I love it... Also, when it gets huge in the winter and sh** is pretty scary, I definately see myself surrounded by older guys... those 40-50 year old guys, who obviously know the deal, charge the big surf without hesitation... its crazy to me.... when its doh+ and even bigger, I still get butterflies until I snatch that first wave.... and those older guys just charge anything... any size... Its like, there is a tight knit crew of older guys that are always at the right spot when its freaking huge out and perfect... then POOF, they are gone... they are probably surfing somewhere.... but they know where to be and charge harder than any 20 year old with stickers all over their board and sponsors up on the cliff... The guys charging deep, going big are usually the older dogs..... Its like the progression of life as a surfer.... more knowledge, less felxibility (physically) so they just say fu** it, if im not going to do a backside air, im just going to get huge deep barrels and go for the biggest sets out there.... Old Guys RULE!
54 & still going, all be it a tad slower than I use to. It is nice to paddle out, get the old man looks & charge off into something with a little size. When you get up in years, you finally realize at some point you just cannot do what you did as a young man. Its like the scene from Grumpy Old Men- I'm not 70 anymore. I rarely go out on the really big days anymore, but I love to watch people that know what they are doing. Zach nailed my opinion about style- show me a surfer that knows how to draw out a bottom turn or can do a real roundhouse cutback-thats style & most surfers cant do it.
absolutely! one of my most consistent travel partners is my dad who is 65 & still charging it. the only real concession he's made to his age is what he calls the "60/40 rule" which is basically that he doesn't surf when the water's under 40 b/c he's over 60. he figures he's done his time in the frigid water w/ the crappy wetsuits in the 70's & 80's; he's got nothing to prove. & as far as inspiration goes, i love that guys like slater & taylor knox are still on the tour & still killing it. i'll be 31 this winter & the fact that slater can not only keep up w/, but beats, kids half his age really helps me stay motivated to push my own surfing. it's like, "well, yea he's a freak, but if he can do it, so i can i in my own way."
45 years old here, been surfing since I was 10. You would think that after all that time I would be surfing on the pro level but that's not gonna happen. I see so many young guys surfing for 4 years that surf as well as I do, even a few better. I think exposure to so much talent, better equipment and parental support makes it a little easier to become really good really fast nowadays. I am still getting better by small steps even at 45 years old and riding a 5'6" board with ease. I'm not too proud to watch the young guys and learn from what they do to improve my surfing. I love medium sized waves to just over head and stay away from the thumping well over head bone breakers but I never really loved huge surf anyway even when I was 18.
58 and counting, and still surfing - Like Clint Eastwood said in "Magnum Force", "a man's got to know his limits"...but I still work out, and can usually make the paddle out even on hurricane generated swells at Assateague. A friend of mine once surfed with Donald Takayama in San Diego - he was like 74, and out of respect, everybody gave him the set waves - he's still stoked ,with a sh*t eating grin on his face when he paddled back out - that will be me! Like a shark, gou gotta keep moving to live - when you stop surfing, then get ready to die!
Turned 40 this year and didnt start surfing until I was 21. I agree that most of the people in the lineup last Thursday when it had a little size to it were 30/40 and older range. Over the years I've been amazed to see older guys nail set waves in Hatteras, Makaha, and do it so calmly and with finesse. Surfing keeps you young. I felt super stoked getting out of the water last week after some long overdue head high barrels. More stoke than I ever did as a landlocked kid playing football or baseball. Hope for some more good surf before it's time to bust out the gloves and hoods.
I'm 44 and I definitely don't rule- in fact I just started learning to surf a few years ago If you want to see some stares from the young guys try being 44 and kooking it up in knee high surf. I'm still in good shape though, I've spent most of the past 20 years seriously into mountain biking and I still run three times a week. The fact that I'm willing to regularly get my a$$ kicked at this age as I'm learning something new is surprising to most people, but it's what keeps me feeling young (at least until the next morning). I sometimes meet dudes with big guts who talk about playing golf and watching football all the time and I feel like I'm talking to an "old guy". Then I realize we're the same age and think "Oh, this is what everyone thinks being middle aged looks like"
Its just 2 funny, how some in their early/mid 40's could even dream of of being "old guys", you're not even close yet Don't rush it I'll have to say, being "old guy" does have it pleasures (sometimes) like 3 consecutive days last week, good swell, the old guys and gals who are retired or semi-retired sharing favorite break, taking turns and props adding more stoke to the session. We might sport gray hair but still plenty of Sunshine on our Rainbow yet all of us have to work at it to stay on top of the wax. This "Old Guy" rules; surfed with this guy many times, noticed he chats with beginners some might consider "kooks" but don't act "kooky". He has a gifted style offering advise to those who really appreciate him taking a interest without embarrassing them in the line-up. He not only successful sharing, @ 68 years old, he can carve his short board as well as any 1/2 his age. If Old Guys do rule, he certainly has earned it among his peers as observing others shaking his hand and chatting as they walk by him while he's watching the lineup from the sand.
I'm 41 now........my knees are in their 60's,.........my ankles are in their 50's,......etc, depends on the bodypart. Thank the Lord some parts are still in their 20's......... I remember being mid twenties in HI and being in awe of the "older" guys.... I just hope to surf for as long as I live.....now outta my way punk!....lol...jk
I hear that. After a lifetime of hockey, skiing (mainly moguls), surfing, & off roading anything with wheels I feel like I'm a hundred on cold damp days. It dosent matter how old you are as much as how bad your parts are busted up. I know guys who are surfing in their 60's and still kicking a$$.
So last year I'm surfing the inlet with Travis and Frankie (youngsters) and about 20 of my closest friends (who I don't know from Adam) and Travis says to me, "So why do so many people drop in on you?" To which I respond, "Well, they see a gray haired old guy on a longer board and they figure that's a green-light." He asked me this right after I had to help one interloper out of the wave a la Dora. 60+ - stay in the water if they want to take it to the beach. . . that way you'll get the waves they missed while their machismo gets in the way. Oh, and let Tilly and George Smith have any wave they want, because they'll take it anyway. Ask Dana.
geezer fever 48 now and my 14 yr old kicks my ass, but i was never that athletic. i will always be slightly crappier than average, but i have a good time. more than that, i love seeing him do everything i wanted to do better than me. until yer old(er) and have kids, you may not understand that feeling, but it is an added bonus to paddling out 2-3 times a week. what i have gained over the eons is patience and experience i can share with him to make his sessions better and more productive.
The last good swell we had... a hurricane or two ago... there was a guy in the water at my local that I had first met when I first moved into the area. Don't know his name, but we recognize each other and always give the nod when run into each other. He's from Peru, and lives somewhere nearby. Anyway... I hadn't seen him in a long time, several years. So a couple of his bros and him are surfing on this great, sunny, pumping day at my local, and after an hour or two finally he paddles up to me and says, in his strong Peruvian accent, "I remember when I first met you... it's been like 20 years! ... so, how old are you now?" I go, "47... you?" He says, "45. Man, you're 47? You're still good, brah. You still rip. Keep surfing." I'm like, "you too, man." Funny, that "keep surfing" comment. It's just understood that we'll all just, "keep surfing"... that we don't see ourselves as one day choosing to hang it up, and saying, "yea... I used to surf." Whether surfing keeps your spirit young, or a young spirit keeps you surfing, I don't know. But surfing is, to all of us who are deeply and truly surfers at heart, surfing is for life. We couldn't quit if we tried. The aches and pains might slow us down over time, but we'll never choose to give it all up. I can't imagine ever saying to myself that I've ridden my last wave.
Injuries How about the hips,This past year my hips have been bothering me for the first time.Im thinking because of the long sessions just sitting.
I'm 51 going on 30 something. My surfing continues to improve though I'm not as much into the monster waves as 10 yrs ago. Rather rip the wave apart and go for length and fun turns of all types pending the wall. Love off the lip, roundhouses, cutbacks, tucking into a tube, building speed down the line. I ride everything so my quiver gets worked but my main board is the fish. I started at 30 when I met a 75 yr old surfing Assateague with a longboard and a funny hat. "Fountain of Youth! Gotta learn this." I'm originallly from Kansas but now cant imagine ever being away from the water. Its a life force and keeps us young but it also means alot of yoga, good nutrition and eternal happiness! Ha Ha! My home break, Chinco, has surfers of all ages and abilities. We're a family and its wonderful. I have a date with my daughter to go surfing on my 80th birthday even if it means strapping me onto the board. Good motivation to stay in shape. Shes 14 and goes for the big ones. We all rule at different times!
At 42, I think I get more stoke out of a session now than I ever did in my 20s. I guess I just don't take it for granted anymore. Even more so this summer now that my daughters have taken to the water and have caught the surfing bug.
