Can't surf no more?

I don’t really even want to think what life would be like without surfing, although it would go on.

I grew up living quasi-inland in MD, on the Chesapeake Bay, but not the shore area. I’ve always been around water and doing water activities all my life, lifeguarding, swimming, kayaking, wake boarding, etc., etc. Dad did SAR in the Navy and always loved it, so he raised me to share the same kind of passion for water.

If I couldn’t surf I’d definitely be doing something in the ocean or on the water. Does boogying or handboarding count? For me personally it would never equate to actual sarfing, but a version of sarfing nonetheless.

If that’s ruled out, I’d have to do something else to get that rush. I can’t think of anything that would be quite as accessible or fun, but maybe skydiving? Never done it, but I feel like that might give that rush. It’s just not nearly as accessible. I do love snowboarding, but not as much as sarfing.

Regardless of it all, there was life before surfing and there will be life after. So I try to think optimistically and just enjoy the ride, embrace the opportunity to shred, appreciate good company and try to not take it all for granted. It’s easy to forget the small things in life that make it so great, even just a fresh breath of air - not everyone gets that.

 

Where in MD did you grow up? I lived on the inland side of the Chesapeake for a few years while working at Aberdeen Proving Ground. It was... not ideal. Tolerable when my wife was still my girlfriend and I spent every weekend at her place in BELMAR (which incidentally was nearly the closest break by drive time... eastern shore spots maybe 10-15 min closer but why drive 1.5 hours to surf there when I can drive a few min more and charge 23 footers). But once we got married and she moved in with me in MD, we only lasted about two months before we both started applying for jobs in NJ, and cool-sounding places out west.

 

Nice. I grew up in the St. Mary’s County area. I moved to NJ right after school. After I got the bug to surf, I couldn’t stay. If it had waves there, I would have never left. It’s a lot nicer than the dirty jerz, but it didn’t have waves.

 

Skydiving ain't even close man. It's more like a roller coaster. Nothing like surfing. You so it once, say that was cool, then that's it. Although my sister is big into skydiving. Certified and all that. She's also a snowboarder. Pretty sure she'd pick boarding over diving.

But you bring up a point that made me really think for a second kan. There was life before surfing. I didn't start surfing till i was in middle school. 8th grade i think. A long time. But even before that my entire childhood would be spent at the beach. Bodyboarding and what not. Just a kid having fun but it was always in the surf. Never on land. For as far back as i can remember. I used to love standing in the shore break and waiting for the waves to crash right into my chest and throw me into sand. I loved it.

Maybe that's why I'm so attached to surfing. Hadn't surfed my whole life but was always in the surf

 

Got it. That's nowhere near where I lived (Cecil and then Harford Counties), which were... not nicer than Jersey, to put it charitably (Cecil County especially, unless you're looking for a meth hookup).

 

surfing is like an adrenaline kind of drug fix,like doing graffiti climbing above highways,its like ok u fall ur probably going to die.u had to get the supplies,that was a mission itself because u had to shoplift everything.it was always a rush,but a dangerous rush

surfing is the same kind of rush for me,minus the judicial system.u can get eaten by a shark,lose ur board way out and have to somehow bodysurf ur way in,done that before,quite scary lol.my rush starts as I'm loading up the car,not knowing exactly what the conditions are like,if its crowded or not,etc.

from the time I leave til the second I'm in the water I feel like I have to drop a massive deuce lol,but once I'm in the water I'm good,usually not til I make it to the lineup all the anxiety goes away

 

Not a good question for me.

Hate living in a non-coastal locale. It was bad enough living in North Jersey, an hour+ away from the coast for so many years.

I like plenty of other activities, but I’d get kind of board.

However, Colorado is a prettt nice place that I wouldn’t mind living in, if I had to live in a non-costal area.

 

When I was landlocked in Knoxville, TN, we hiked, kayaked, white water rafted, and went horse back riding in the mountains (with Uncle Cid). Surfing beats all that, but it was still good stuff.

 

I haven't really been able to surf for the past two years. It's hell.

I replaced it with drinking too much and stress.

 

My photography would take precedence; but I've always been fascinated by fly fishing and figure that would be a great way to still be outdoors and connect with water and nature.

 

out of site, out of mind

 

It's down brother. Thanks.