Surfing Depopulation

Surfing will eventually go the way of golf. They are in a major crisis currently to attract the next generation. Golf is very hard, frustrating, and takes years to get good at it, just like surfing. It's far easier to just watch The Masters and play Tiger Woods Golf 2016.

Surfing just needs a top-of-the-line video game and it'll deter the kooks from surfing your local break and instead, surf Pipeline with their thumbs on the couch.

 

Great analogy. It seems back in the day, the groms were learning to short board and learning their spot in the pecking order simultaneously. Today, grown men are paddling out in the middle of a lineup on a tanker and "learning to surf". Learning on a shortboard does not seem to be a barrier of entry with this new (relatively) Phenomenon.

When I was learning, the only long boarders out were old guys with lots of soul. It is much easier to learn to ride and continue to ride a long board to a certain proficiency.

Or look at it this way: years ago for someone to come "into" surfing, it was usually a friend getting them stoked or maybe a dad pushin'm in to waves. Now, you may have 5k people take a "surf lesson" each summer up and down the eastern seaboard.

who knows...I seem to find plenty of un crowded surf. (note: before you LBs pile on, I'm not hating, just making an observation...I paddle out on a log when the conditions warrant it. Lol).

 

Last season i surfed the outside breaks with virtually no one else out while the surf camp was teaching all the kids on the inside. On the other note: I remember when tennis got really big, then died. surf marketing is huge but it also goes in cycles.

 

That's the good news. the bad news is that every one of those kids will be harassing you for the outside peaks next summer. Oh and since they've been surfing there *forever* they will demand every set wave that their parents care to holler them into.

getting my hater on today!

 

Has anyone seen that new Verizon commercial with that middle age lady on a 10 foot board with her phone hooked to her board and she is texting video of herself while still in the water? This commercial will add a few newbies this summer.

Also, everytime I paddle out I thank sharks. I can't even imagine how many surfers there would be if sharks did not exist. That fear of sharks has prevented thousands IMO from taking up surfing.

 

I don't know. I think surfing is growing and will continue to grow.

How many learn to surf camps did you see 10 years ago?

How about now?

 

But they only go that one time, buy a bunch of SaltLife crap, put the pictures on the book, and never go again. None of their internet friends need to know that though.

 

is that a florida thing?i know its a lot more crowded than here in nj.in nj u walk to the beach,see 3 guys out and bash ur board and scream where da phuk did all these kooks come from!!!???

I don't live at the beach either,i live on the bay,and the only time I pay for parking is at a meter when I have to go to the courthouse.i think nj is kind of worse than florida,in florida the people can actually surf.in nj we have people from Pennsylvania,ohio,upstate ny coming down and they don't want to surf alone.last time I was at the beach I told some guy I just came down after work to check the waves.he asked where am I from and I said __***__=+** and he looked at me like where?i point my finger,u see that hill there,there u have it.he was from pa btw

 

If they have a yearly parking pass like many of the local jersey parking areas do take a picture of one with a good camera, play with it a bit on photoshop then print one out....automatic free parking for a year. I've been doing this for my favorite areas to park for yrs. My friend asked me one day why I was taking a pic of the windshield of a car and I told him its because the parking pass hangs on the rearview...

 

There has been discussion about making people get parking passes on the IOP and Sullivans Isle here in 2016. It's all done under the guise of safety. But essentially it is to limit the access of the beach for the locals and other commoners who cannot afford million dollar homes or are not renting a $5000. a week beach house. Sucks for surfers!

 

heare heare.
confiscate golf courses, give homes to (somebody).

 

I will take one on Pebble Beach, thank you very much.

 

They're so much better for dog walking parks...have one near my house that I frequent when the golfers bo bye bye...home to many deer, hawks, rabbits, coyotes, herons, egrets, etc.

 

things are gettin ugly that dpt. in my town the surfing phonys (aka ho-dads) made babies who are now of
surfing age.....and so wanes courtesy and decency...has me thinkin about trying golf again. and that fancy
does not often strike.

 

nah bruh's, I was starting to lose the stoke but then I caught Blue Crush on cable tv the other night and now I'm ready to shred!!!! Stoke-a-ganda is still running strong between the tourism and surf industries, don't worry.