I'm you, just 7 years younger. Surfing 2 years and have a perma-grin on when I'm in the water. I had a two week slump.... twice... last year. still paddle out in anything, flat or big, choppy stupid. Started surfing because my sons do and water is softer than pavement or ice. But I'm often reminded that the odds of drowning are much higher in water than in a skate park or a snowboard trail.
Good for you DosXX. Enjoy the journey. Beginners' surf stoke is a good thing. I also got to give you props for being one of the only VaBeach dudes who didn't include "OBX" as their location.......as in.......... Location: VaBeach/OBX And getting into surfing at your age can be a good thing. It lights a fire inside of you when most of your peers are dulled by life. So you got it going on.
Yo CREWBY....on the CBS Really you older guys who just started are cool as heck. Y'all don't cause no probs in the line-up and are usually mild mannered. But, it has to be great to have such a new outlook and experience in life at that age. Dudes, I'm 41 and unless I start to doing something insanely drastic, I'm just hanging around until the end. Bored. Maybe I should move somewhere that has quality waves. Mushy two footers and six foot close-outs don't get me excited anymore. This past winter there was a few days people called"epic." If you watch any footage of those days(the Mayan end day for example....that's Dec 21 2012) nobody got a wave longer than ten yards. That's not epic. That's sad. Ever since the "intranets" any day that is clean and overhead is deemed "epic." Bigger doesn't always mean better. Well anyways, you more senior gentlemen will be stoked for life.
Surfing...saved my life. 62 years old, kids are grown, picked up surfing 2 years ago, major stoked every weekend, gradually added Betties to the pack, all 52-62 years old--- we are all having a blast and have found the fountain of youth. No matter the weather, wind, wave size we are out there every weekend catching waves, wiping out, taking in water, pearling, some great rides, getting better each time. Incredible fun !
paddle out snag a wave paddle out snag a wave. get in the tube and hang ten. You'll see me on espn cnn fox news..... the walt disney channel. Buy my posters. it's like you drop in an hit the lip wah pah and get pitted........so pitted
Im stoked. Last week had me really sunburnt sore and chafe scabs all over. But I have a hop in my step and a grin walking around campus. Feels good to get up and get a few hours in and get so much out of your days when everyone else is waking up in the afternoon all hungover. Good choice good healthy clean lifestyle that we live that keeps us out of the gutter.
I believe that surfing has kept my adult life a lot more on track than if I was not a surfer... Going from surfing 365 days a year for hours on end, chasing swells and arranging my life around surfing, to moving to a new location at a new beach, in a different ocean, I really have even more respect for what we all do... I never took it for granted when I had waves every day... I snagged everything I could ever get my hands on and loved every second... Now I just appreciate the fact that once a week or so I can take my longboard or fish out and maybe 2-3 times a month I can take out the old shred stick and get some quality turns and stuff in... Makes me miss the daily dose of waves... they opportunity to surf points breaks every day... or surf a wave that barrels 6 out of 7 days per week.... Do I want to surf a reef break today? A jetty? A deep water channel spot???? Decisions.... Man... I miss those days, but cherish the ones ahead even more... get every swell, every time you can... we all come back to shore better people... every time.
So I had designated yesterday as an official "rest day" after 12 consecutive days of scoring in some way here in NE. Just before the ass crack of dawn, I read the 365 day thread on here and I figured why stop now, so I hit the break at low tide on no sleep just because. Well, because it was a beautiful day, 3-4 footers (at the right spot, there are several here) albeit long period, and also because 13 days straight is cooler than 12. I proceeded to get the balls knocked off me from a couple sets that were far bigger than 3-4 feet. I'm talking straight thrashed run after run. I've been filming my sessions as much as possible and best I can with zoom from a distance (good camera but hard to get close enough in and stay in the same spot where the camera is for the whole sesh) so that I can make the most rapid progress possible by reflecting technically on every takeoff I attempt and even my duck diving, paddling, etc. It was a short sesh, maybe 25-30 mins tops simply because I just didn't have it and the body really needed rest. The highlight of the day was a good takeoff attempt at what usually would've been a prime spot for a frontside bottom turn after the drop but the wave proceeded to close fast and early. I got lifted halfway up the height before it turned to white with lots of spray and had good speed by this point due to the power in the wave. Basically had zero visibility with the white and the spray and though I've never been shacked, I'd imagine that's what it's similar to when the falls are coming over you and you've got to increase speed to ride out the tube fully. I hung on and stayed real low feeling the board and the water and using as much sensory input as possible sans vision. Turned out to be a heck of a rep from the challenge of tapping into the non-eyesight input. Felt like 12+ seconds of duration but on film it was barely 5 from takeoff to ride out the front. Makes you respect what a 26 second holdover really feels like when getting thrown off a big wave. Main point of the story, I had a brief, yet eventful sesh that knocked the piss outta me repeatedly but that those reps teach us the best lessons and also I got this quality experience of a blind ride that I can carry with me to the next time I step things up a level and have to rely on mental visualization and tactile sense when eyesight is at a premium. Gotta cherish every damn minute out there as it's all worth it's weight in gold in the end. If I keep doing so, I'll reach my goal of a snap by July 4th. Got plenty of fundamentals to iron out prior. The journey is the best part.
Take a stroll down memory lane. Even SJB's avatars were awesome. I'm telling you... I really miss him.
Is this the emassspicoli I’ve heard mentioned? I saw a few posts ... didn’t read them but holy HUGE Batman.
He appeared on Yee Olde Fourumme claiming his first surf sesh in life was 8' & mackin' & dodging a jetty or a pier or something like that, the place went uproar bonkers & lit him up for months. He kept at it though...
