I have been nagging my daughter for a few years to try to learn to surf. Last weekend the waves here were 2 feet and glassy early at low tide and she finally agreed to give it a go. After her nervousness finally disappeared we paddled out and sat calmly watching wave after wave pass by and after a few failed attempts at catching a wave, that one lucky wave picked her up and she rode it in ( on her belly ) .As she paddled back out and remembered most of the good stuff I tried to tell her about paddling she was excited and I believe I witnessed the addiction for the first time. I forgot all about those feelings until she paddled back out and at 13 years old she was just as stoked as I remembered being. She described the sounds of the wave tapping at the board and the acceleration of the 2 footer as if she just rode the best wave ever. After 2 hours in the water and numerous belly rides she finally stood up and although it was just the white water she did it, she surfed! I never thought I would get to have that experience and as I think back I am grateful for the inspiration of all of those surfers who helped me along the way , The good the bad and the ugly. School is out in a few days for her and believe it or not I am so pumped for the summer surf of Fla for the first time before hurricane season! Bring on the Thigh to waist high surf , oh hell bring on the ankle high surf. I hope some of you Dads get to experience this phenom or maybe you already have!
What a tremendous experience. Simple joy at its finest. The joy of youth and discovery. The joy of fatherhood. The joy of surfing. I experienced my daughter's first "paddle-in-stand-up ride" last October, (in just over ankle high waves) so I can relate. All the best in doing the most important job in the world. Aloha!
Great story. Thanks for sharing. I had similar experiences with my kids when they were younger, but it involved fishing, shooting, and baseball.
AWESOME - Same thing happened with my daughter this April in Jupiter. Suddenly she swam out to where I was picking off some fun 2 footers. As I pushed her into the 1st wave, I was able to hold the board's tail and half bodysurf as I stabilized the board, she popped right up and rode her first "real" wave almost all the way to the sand. She's hooked, but says the water has to be really warm. Best part was she paddled all the way back by herself after every wave, she rode waves for 2 hours!
Shared about this a few time on this forum. Have three daughters, 14, 11, and 8. The youngest is still a bit gun shy(she got tumbled pretty good down in Fla. last year,) but the other two have caught the bug full on. We got in the water just about every weekend last summer. Some memories that I will keep forever are loading up the car with all the boards, cranking some tunes, and heading to the beach with huge smiles. Can honestly say one of the best things in my life is sharing this obsession with my daughters. Has done wonders for my relationship with them, particularly my oldest. Wouldn't trade the time I spend with them in the water for anything. Also, very cool to watch their improvement and increased independence in the water.
That is so awesome! I brought my 5 year old nephew out all last summer and never had so much fun. He had such pure stoke and made me surf a lot more being that knee high days I normally spend fishing were perfect for him. I'm getting married in a couple of months and we hope to have a kid soon after. I can wait to have that experience with my own child.
I remember my son's first one like it was yesterday. Now 17 and a full on competitive surfer but I will never forget the first one. Just an awesome thing that I hope all Mom's and Dad's will get to share and remember with their kids.
Nice post! I think days like that are what life is all about. I am nowhere near having kids but I hope that one day I can share moments like that with my kids, surfing or otherwise.
Very, Very cool!! I Don't have kids yet but hope to someday have this experiance myself. Congrats! That is what life is all about IMHO!!
My sons didn't start surfing until the oldest went to UNCW. Yeah, you probably complained about his driving until he moved to WB on Nickway... But I remember the longest most sincere phone call I ever had with him, to this day, was him describing his first real surfing experience, when the waves were clean and it was dusk, and the water and the sky were purple, and he touched the face of the wave. He got me and his brother hooked. Kind of reverse situation but it's all family and catching the stoke...
I was on the fence about sneaking out for a mid-morning session, but this thread cements the deal for me. Thanks for the vicarious stoke! CBSCREWBY: If I see your son in the lineup I'll shake my fist at him and tell him his pops said "TIGHTEN UP!"
