Lying To Myself

I'm only 28 but i will do everything i can to be surfing well into my 60s. A few years back i made adjustments to the way i eat and work out soley so i can surf well into my 60s. I wasn't out of shape either. I just want to do everything i can to stay in surfing shape for as long as possible.

I surf with a crew of guys who are all into there 60s. Some are really graceful excellent surfers. So much respect for those guys. They have they attitude of a 12 year old (constant stoke) in a 60+ year olds body.

 

I'm not sure what kills the stoke is the inability to perform. It's more that it gets a bit monotonous surfing for so long. I'm coming off a down turn at the end of 40 + years. But after a rest and a renewed interest in shaping I'm looking forward to picking back up in the next couple of months.

There are a lot of older guys I know that walked away in the mid to late forties only to come back around sixty.

 

I'm 58 and I can count the number of friends who still surf at my age or older on one hand. Two are lifeguards, getting ready to retire, and still shred. One good buddy has a bad back, and still goes out on small clean days, takes photos the rest of the time to keep the stoke. One is in his mid 70s, (one of my hereos), when I grow up I wanna be like Chummer. And the other is TW, Tom still a grom, in his late 60s. And Bernie. He's in his early 60s, still dialed in.

I see a few older guys in Jupiter and Palm Beach and Melbourne who still surf well, have lots of style, and get scads of good waves on good days, well OH.

So, yes, HOPE springs eternal. Don't stop. No matter what. (if you have to pause due to injury or family or work or war, do what ever it takes to get back) That's the main thing.

 

Only one thing keeps me surfing, and stoked.
Bikinis.

 

The first time I traveled to PR I went to Wilderness. There were multiple men and women in there 60s and a few in their 70s surfing 6 to 10 ft swell.

Seeing this changed my whole perception on getting older and I use this realization as motivation to stay fit so I can one day be shredding at that age.

 

Concur. It's the chicks.
I even ask them to help zip my back-zip wetsuit. Makes this old fart's day...whether or not I actually paddle out!

 

I’ve seen this at Maria’s too, which btw Surfline says it’s 5-7 Good-Epic right now!!!

 

I'm in my mid '50s and don't see the end of my surfing life coming any time soon. Surfing's pretty easy on the body. I think if you stay healthy and have the right attitude it's like anything else that brings you happiness. If you enjoy it, why stop?

 

I'm 46 and here is what surfing has given me in 30 years - Melanoma, a bad case of cervical spondylosis, a bad case of medial epicondylitis that required elbow surgery, chronic rib separation, chronic hip pain, surfers ear. I'll never "quit" surfing. I can see myself surfing another 20 years, easily. The last time I was a dominant force in a lineup was probably 10 years ago. I definitely quit caring about progressing and quit caring about what other people thought of me with regards to my abilities. I outsurf people who are "better" than me all the time... because I know the various nuances quirks and characteristics of a handful of breaks near my house better than anyone... and that knowledge isn't going anywhere. I surf with guys who rip well into their 70s and I also know guys who were absolute hell-men into their 30s who hit the wall at 40 or so who surf 1-2x a year and are now so fat they can barely wipe their own ass. I deal with reality like an adult though and I make concessions like going to bed early before a swell instead of drinking all night, stay out of anything >8 ft, surf for 3 straight hrs instead of 5 hrs straight. Last year I sold off a bunch of high-performance and bigger wave boards that were gathering dust. I will bodyboard every now and then. What I will not do is SUP - got to draw the line somewhere.

 

This treade makes me happy!

 

I'll prolly surf until I die. By surfing, I mean any way I can ride a wave. If I get too old to stand up, I'll boogie. Too old to boogie? I'll body surf. Too old to body surf? I'll just swim out and sink like a whale turd.
I'm finally going to get a chance to get back in the water after a 2 month hiatus due to my surgery and work. this Tuesday is the first day I can go. It looks barely knee high and the tide looks wrong but I don't care. Any day in the water is a gift. It's sorta like being a grom again. My current duties (work, family, Eagles in the Super Bowl) restrict the amount of water time I can get which makes any time in the water an exciting time.

 

Lost my board on a wave this morning and spent 20 minutes body surfing. forgot how much fun it is, even if its only 2'

 

The older I get, the more I understand why old guys always surfed places like Tourmaline St.

If it's small, give me a call lol

 

LOL. you have to be a rookie, female or 60+ to surf Tourmos.
Are you in SD? im in South MB

 

Good treade! I am 45 and the stoke is strong

 

I'm only 28, been surfing for most of my life. I lost count how long. 18 years or so sounds about right though. 18 years is a long time but obviously doesn't compare to 40+. I don't find it monotonous at all. Maybe at times of its like thigh high for a week straight.... yeah by day three i may be like ehhh. But ill still go and have fun. Anyway I'm getting off tack here. My point was i think riding many different shapes and styles of boards keeps things from being monotonous for me. I do like to surf a particular way and that keeps me on two or three boards mostly. But if I'm feeling like its monotonous, ill change it up. Bonzer, SB single fin, LB, fun shape. Whatever it may be. I may even get on a kick where ill only ride single fins (sb and lb). Then when i get tired of that, its back to thrusters.

We will see how it goes as i get older. But for now i feel like that is a big part of what keeps things fresh. Gotta keep things fresh on all aspects of your life. If your bored then your boring, as the song goes

 

Right? My point exactly. Thank Wayne I'm not at that point yet, but definitely not paddling out on big freezing days no more. A couple of my bludz up here are in their 60's though and I see them going out less and less.

Left SD in 1990 but born and raised. Surfed So. Mission for years when Patrick Henry had surf class there, most of the best "locals" were from North Park lol and Ellington was shaping our boards. Super fun wave but very competitive lol.

 

Started surfing 5 1/2 years ago at age 57. Surf year-round (not so much this winter) and still consider myself a beginner. I may always remain at this level...don't know, don't really care as long as I can continue paddling out. I particularly enjoy surfing with my oldest son who took up surfing a few years after I did.

I was only able to do this because I stayed active and in decent shape over the years through running, swimming, and working out (gym, home, outside). Also used to skin/SCUBA dive, windsurf, and for a short time took up Filipino martial arts.

Desk jobs can make it a challenge staying adequately active and fit. One has to make fitness an important part of one's life, to the point that if you don't do it, you miss it and feel incomplete. I will be retiring in October. A total of 38 years working for the Navy, active duty and civil service, will be enough. May have to find a new break to surf, as I don't think civil service retirees are permitted back on base (Dam Neck)...unlike retired military.

Lately, I've been training to run a half marathon with my youngest son next month. Ran one with both sons last year.

 

OK, here my choice. Help me decide:
Tomorrow waist high with gale force offshores. Wind chills in the upper teens. Prolly hung over from watching the Birds win the Super Bowl.
Tuesday, knee to thigh high with 10 mph south- sw winds. Air temps near 40. Near high tide which may make it too deep.
And I haven't surfed in nearly 2 months. I will be south of AC and north of Cape May.
Prease advise...