Progression or Regression?

You went straight past "moron" into "full retard" a long time ago brah.

 

Yup...and here I am again!!! hahaha!!

 

It's a good blueprint.

 

No complaints now. But that last 20 years...oh boy. Probably should belong in the "landlocked" thread.

Looking back, it was worth it. I've been living the dream at 50. Beats the hell out of busting my balls until 65.

I guess on that note, I can comfortably say that my surfing has been progressing!!!

 

Been regressive quite a bit. Had a great summer into September. My backside game improved 100000 fold. Surf days for me started to dry up in October. Had one session where I drifted way farther than I wanted to in front of some rocks and had to fight natures treadmill, and then got inside my head about surfing rocky spots these past few months. Which in central Maine is not a good headspace to be in. Last session was a C+, today was a D- which I'm blaming on adjusting to my winter suit and hating the spot I chose to surf at. Oh that and the cops were at my house at 1:30am looking for my SWF neighbor who, turns out, hooked up with a guy and didn't "check in" with her friends. Jesus effin Christ. Then I couldn't get back to sleep because the Mrs. cranked the heat up to 70-something and played the "it's not safe for the baby to keep the heat at 66" card because she likes to wear shorts and a tank top to bed in the winter in Maine and meanwhile I sweat profusely and couldn't get back to sleep till 3:30. So yeah I'll blame that.

In general I'm in a surfing funk.

One thing I did learn though this year was that as soon as I get in the water take the first wave possible even if it's a half arsed little inside thing. For me it gets both sides of the brain going right away. If I don't, I get in a headspace.

 

At 53 I got to admit I'm past my prime. Still LOVE surfing and getting that stoke! I appreciate the moments I get in the water infinitely more than my younger self. I've surfed more in the last year than in the past 7 so I have regained some of my abilities. Got out of shape, had some injuries, so it has taken some time to get back to feeling confident. Getting old ain't for p*ssies. Will be surfing tomorrow! Charge!

 

Regressing to say the least. A hernia operation in mid December has kicked my ass. This sucks. I had to work my ass off leading up to the operation to make it through Christmas and all this recovery time, so I haven't had a solid sesh since November. It's been almost a month since the operation and it still bugs me. I can feel the mesh big time. I can't sit still and have been working around the house and am wondering if I focked myself up. The doc is now saying sit still till the 22nd. Fock. I'm a minute from my favorite local break and torture myself by watching everyone get stoked. It always fires when I can't go out. Fock. I've been out of pain pills for a while, getting fat as fock, a focking couch slouch. Don't even go on this site anymore, what's the point in checking the forecast???? Focking fock, this sucks.

 

Dude that focking sucks fock. You should fock that focking doctor right in the fock until he focking fixes your focked up sh!t. What a focking fock that fock is.

 

Skill wise, I'd say regressing. I enjoyed reading eatswell's posts because in some ways I can relate. I'm in a position where I'll be looking to move in a year and a half, and I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to go. For the last 21+ years I've been told where to go due to my job, and while most of the places were fortunately near some surf, this is the first time where I truly have the choice up to myself. The world is a big place.

I wrestle with two competing choices: live somewhere like the Outer Banks or Florida where the cost of living is relatively low and I can perhaps work from home, or move back to Oahu where I will have to get a "real" job to make enough money to live comfortably.

Frankly, my ability to surf factors into this decision quite a bit, and this is where I am torn. I'm 46, will be 48 by the time I'm back in Hawaii (or FL/NC). I ask myself, "How many more good surf years do I really have?" If I move to Hawaii, but find that I can't get into physical shape to tackle the really good, bigger days on the North Shore, I wonder if the east coast wouldn't be a better compromise?

And so, I actually have spent a lot of time evaluating why I'm not surfing as well as I used to, and what it means for the remainder of my surfing career, and how that informs some pretty significant decisions I'll have to make pretty soon.

On the plus side, since moving to Rhode Island I am riding a diversity of boards I never approached living anywhere else, everything from a foam board beater to a longboard to a SUP. Sometimes all 3 on the same day. I've had that foam board for almost 4 years before I took it out, and I can't believe how fun it was in 2' summer chop with tourists all over the place in the shore break. So, my perspective on boards and what constitutes a surfable wave has progressed a lot over the last two years. But I simply am not quick enough to my feet anymore.

 

^ I'm not looking for advice on where to move; I covered that in another thread a while back. I just tell the backstory to illustrate why this question is important to me, and how I am framing my own approach to figuring out where surfing fits in my life.

One thing is for sure, and that is I plan to surf until I physically cannot do it anymore; then I'll just switch to a body board.

 

Have you also come to appreciate just how thick the seaweed gets at 2nd beach sometimes? Like surfing in caldo verde.

 

The last few months since getting out of the office and back to freelancing has been tangibl progess> i'm in way better shape, surf lots more, my timing is better etc.

Overall though, progress is not a reality in terms of performance v. my past, since I am 57. But wisdom and experiecne and wave knowledge make up for some loss of physical skill. In the last few years I have passed on the biggest days (or headed south to less than max spots). I get lots of satisfaction realizing I used to paddle into waves in my 20s and 30s that are now tow in waves. I'm good hooting the top dogs from the shoulder, I still get lots of gems and the stoke is high. Mother O is nothing to play with when she gets big and unruly. I now look for lulls and a safe exit on big days or I wait until it is more manageable. Life is goode.

 

Truth be known I'm too lazy to quit drinking, smoking the chiba, and start crossfit. All I'd do is hurt myself and get fat. Surfing is still fun, thats the main thing. And with all the new board shapes and fins, it's easy to stay on a nice plateau of being able to surf well on good waves, and being able to catch lots of waves in less than good surf. Surfing is an art as well as sport, the older you get the more you feel it.

 

Sounds like most of us old dudes are riding that same wave and its just as consistent as it ever was and will be.

Old rippers rule!

 

But is that a beer gut or, real fat?

 

Sorry I didn't see this post a few weeks ago, I'm lucky to even be able to get on here at all anymore just to read! Haha. Like I said, I took this job and I work non-stop from September to April, 80-90 hours a week, with holidays and 10 other days off in that time span. Not including the one day a week I get off. I also travel a lot, so I'm unable to surf during the best season of the year for surf. I can still get out a few days a month and then whenever I want between April and September, though the amount of good surf in those months is hard to come by. A few good hurricane swells in August and September sometimes. I'm starting to think I probably won't retire, unless I come into a ****load of money. But I would be fine working doing what I do now into my 70's.

Due to some drastic changes in life over the last 3 years or so, with a broken off engagement and my plan to have a family and now being well into my 40's, the trajectory has changed for me. So I'm not sure what I want to do, but I know I wanna surf more in the months I don't work. Whether I should take some trips or invest in a condo out in Oahu, I'm not sure. But as I've been over, I'd have to sell my house in Jersey for that. I'm less than a mile from Manasquan Inlet and a 7 minute bicycle ride or so, and I love just hanging out at the beach in the summer, even when it's flat and there's a million roaches out there floating around on their boards haha. But I really wanna surf more. I keep myself in good enough shape that I think I'll be able to surf into my 60's, I'm 46 next month. If you have the means to get up and move, it might not be the worst thing to take a chance and make a move. Though it's also something to think about and weigh out, especially a move to Oahu from the East Coast of the lower 48. You don't have to make a decision right now though, just go at your pace and maybe reevaluate later on!

 

At least you still get out there, there's guys that probably were way into surfing in their teens and 20's and haven't been on a board since they were like 27! It's no big deal man! I find I can appreciate it more when I do get out there these days, but it's no consolation to me, as I really wanna be out there more. Even if it's mediocre summertime waves.

I know a 68 year old surfer, that's a close family friend. He still surfs, but decided to retire to Bradenton Beach. They had a few solid days of good surf last week. He retired early and could have lived anywhere, but chose there. He also likes golfing and other activities like riding his boats and wave runner. He also started bodyboarding, skimming and SUPing since he's been there, as you won't be able to surf frequently in the Gulf. But when it's on down there, it's really on. They get some nice days down there, just a lot of non-existent days. Retiring to the Gulf if you have other interests and not just surfing is cool I guess. I don't golf or have any other activities that I would like to do in retirement, which could always change in 20, 25. 30 years or whatever. Maybe ride my bike a little bit, ride my dirt bike a little bit on the flat days. I got a wave runner too. Don't get me wrong, I have other interests. Just not many individual activities that I would like to do as much as surf.