Accepance
Buying a wetsuit which protects from hypothermia. Prices begin around
$100.00. New surfers might want to consider putting wax on the board for
A better grip. Surfing is an increasingly popular and fun sport. No
Trip to Florida would be complete without trying to surf. Some knowledge
of surfing safety, how to buy surf gear ,and the history of surfing is
Helpful before the novice attempts the sport.
Non-surfers often wonder if surfers really get much exercise. “They always seem to be sitting out there waiting for another wave.” In a way that observation is correct. Surfing requires a lot of short bursts of energy with some periods of sustained effort; no one could deny the aerobic qualities of a paddle-out at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. OK, surfing is probably more like running sprints than running a marathon. But if you run enough sprints the effect is the same. And while your arms and shoulders feel like burned toast after a long session, do you also feel it in your legs and your stomach muscles as well? I’m always surprised at the variety of body parts that hurt after a long day at the beach.
The person who hasn’t been scared doesn’t surf often enough or is brain dead. At least I haven’t met anyone without a story about a long hold-down or leaving some skin on the reef. I remember paddling out with my wing man on an overhead day north of Santa Cruz. We traded some 8-10 foot waves and remarked how few people were out. (Duh!) Then a double-overhead-plus set loomed on the horizon, and we found ourselves scratching for our lives, making it over larger and larger waves by milliseconds. At that point I could almost hear the bugle sounding retreat. And there was so much energy being dumped inside that we fought serious cross-currents and rips just to make it back to the beach. That day might have been a cake walk for the Mav’s crowd, but our fear was very real.
We still talk about the experience and marvel that we made it home.
Even when it’s not frightening, no one can deny the absolute rush of dropping in on a good size wave. Or the thrill of acceleration on a really fast, down-the-line, shoulder-high wave. Or the adrenaline surge from paddling up the face of a wave until your board is pointing straight up and then continuing to paddle. . . or popping out the back of a wave and getting airborne. . . or spanking a lip. . . or pulling off a good floater. Surfing is like a roller coaster, but you’re driving and the ride is constantly changing. You could compare it to skiing, but only skiing in an avalanche.
don’t know any surfers who [next page]