The magic of surfing.

What is it about surfing that brings you back for more?

When you’re still in the learning stages is it simply the challenge of mastering the act itself?

Once you get proficient at surfing is it because you still have a move you want to pull off so you keep going back to perfect your moves?

Is there some body chemistry stuff that the physical part of surfing, exercise, that you become addicted to that makes you go back?

Is it the rush from taking a serious pounding and you still over came the situation?

Can it really be just the thrill of the ride?

Honestly I sure don’t know. But, what ever it is sure can get a grip on you and not let go.

This past month I’ve had some great experiences surfing that have only added to my interest of riding waves. One was a day trip to Santa Cruz island surfing that was my first ever trip there. It happen on a day that a nice south swell was peaking so we got some really good surf.

The day started at 4am in Ventura Harbor to board the boat with boards, bodies and gear for the out bound trip. Still dark we left the harbor with the plan of reaching our destination early for a good full day of surfing.

The weather was nice, sunny and warm. Though when we first arrived at the surf spot and set anchor there was still just a little cool in the morning air. So I held back on the boat and let the morning sun warm things up while I watched the surf and planned my go out. Having never surfed the spot I wanted to get a feel for the rhythm of the place and see how the sets worked and how the crowded moved in the lineup.

Finally I could hold back no more, suited up, threw my board off the boat, jumped in after it and paddled over to the lineup. I took it slow… I had all day, but found a few waves and began to settle into the spot. After about an hour and a half I began to realize the sun was baking my face and thought I’d better go back to the boat and add more sun block, which I did.

Sun block, some water and a hand full of crackers… I’d be surprised if it was 15 minutes and I was paddling back to the line up. The sun continued to climb in the sky, the tide continued to fill the reef, the surf continued in size and consistency, the crowd continued to thin out and I continued to have the time of my life.

Finally on my way back to the lineup after another great wave I realized I’d been surfing at least a total of 4 hours and except for the hand full of crackers hadn’t eaten all day and that may be why I was feeling a bit weak. I really didn’t want to stop surfing but I needed to eat before I started getting sick. So I paddled back to the boat.

After getting out of my wet suit and lunch it was late enough to think about the trip back. We pulled up anchor and motored our way around the island, across the channel back to the harbor and home.

It’s easy to think ‘yeah a trip like that will definitely make you want to surf more but what happened yesterday leaves me with the same feeling.

My son called about 5 in the afternoon and asked if I’d like to go for a surf… funny he caught me while I was in the process of getting my gear together for just that. He came, picked me up and we headed for the point.

Yesterday was the second day of a south swell we’ve been having so there was a little surf. Not real organized due to a small wind swell crossing things up in our area but still some head high and slightly larger sets to mess with. And I got lucky, after 30 to 40 minutes in the water I got a great set wave that was perfect for a series of bottom turns, turn backs and snaps that made the go out all time.

That one wave, that one ride will stick in my memory the same as that whole day surf adventure to Santa Cruz…. the magic of surfing.

D.R.

Learning to surf a shaper view post 7

As you progress with you surfing abilities you will develop a certain style. Sometimes we see someone surfing that is advanced and see them enough that we will begin to emulate how they surf. Hand positioning, stance and body language. Over time all that you see with the surfers around you is synthesized into you own unique style.

As an example I know a number of local guys that I’ve surfed with for years. When I walk up to the beach where we all surf and see a crowd of surfers in the water and one of those local guys takes off on a wave I can usually tell who they are by their style. There could be 4 of my friends in the water with a dozen other people but when one of my friends rides a wave I can identify them from the beach by the way they surf.

We all develop a unique style. Maybe it’s a surfing personality, but as you develop your abilities so to does your style of surfing. It may depend on the surf spot you frequent, as well as the kind of board you ride. But, your style will develop along with your abilities.

Since I mentioned the kind of board you ride playing a part in how your style will develop it might be important to understand that sometimes your equipment can be used to get you to surf a certain way.

Personally I think that surfing off of the rail of your board is more pleasing to watch than surfing off the tail of your board. To me longer power moves worked off the rail are more pleasing to look at than short jerky moves from surfing off the tail.

When my son began to advance in his surfing abilities I made him boards that he had to surf off the rail. They were wider tailed boards that if he worked them off the tail he’d spin out and fall. Because he wanted to ride waves as long as possible and not fall he learned how to ride his boards off the rail. And his surfing style developed more as a rail surfer than a tail surfer. As he progressed I made him boards that he could surf off the tail which gave him more maneuverability but because he had a more rail surfing style he didn’t do short jerky moves.

If you want to surf a certain way then watch surfers that surf that way. It may not be smart to get the same board they ride because their equipment may be to advanced for your abilities. But you can get boards to ride that will progress your abilities and style so over time you will have the style of surfing you’d like… uniquely your own.

D.R.

Photo by David Puu

Photo by Matt Riley

Random pictures from the past couple months....

D.R.

So you want to make a surfboard? Post 3

Do the end results of shaping your own board need to be perfect? Definitely not.

As a matter of fact they can be full of lumps and bumps but will still ride fine. The glass job doesn’t need to be perfect either. As long as a lamination is water tight your are good to go. Air in the glass job, dirt, miscellaneous imperfections are only cosmetic. Now days you can take your shaped blank to a lam shop get it glassed and by pass the glassing part altogether.

The most common problems that I’ve seen in home made boards shape wise is in rocker curves. Some to flat, usually because the foam blank is acquired from stripping the glass off of an old board. Some with to much rocker… maybe getting a blank that was glued up with to much curve to begin with or placing the outline on the blank to far forward.

But the end results not being the best usually doesn’t hurt how the board works for you. It may ride even better than something you’ve been riding that was made commercially. Why is that?

There are most likely a number of reasons…

Your stoke level is high because you’ve made you own board.

Because your stoke level is high the imperfects don’t bother you.

Because you’ve made your own board you want it to work for you.

Because you want it to work you try to figure it out.

If you find hang ups with the board you’re still stoked because you made the board.

The reason why you’re still stoked is because you’ve bought boards that had hang-ups.

You reason that because you’ve bought boards that had hang-ups it’s no big deal that the board you made has hang-ups so you continue to try and figure the board you made out. Finally, you’ve figured out what the hang ups are and the way to fix the hang ups is to make another board modified to what you think will solve the hang up problems .

Then the whole cycle starts over again. Welcome to my world forty seven years ago. And notice that most of this is psychological, because surfing is mostly a mental game.

D.R.

Photo by David Puu