Accepance
who aren’t trying to get better; even the old salts with 30 years of experience. Like anything else in life that’s worth the effort, you’ll never get it completely wired and there’s always someone (like a 16 year old girl in Santa Cruz) who can kick your butt. And how many times have you carved a couple of perfect turns and dug a rail on the third? Or for some mystical reason just fallen off your board when everyone is watching? But the rewards are proportionate to the effort. If surfing was easy, would it be as satisfying
One definition from Merriam-Webster’s dictionary for natural: Being in accordance with or determined by nature. Synonyms include, wild, agrarian, native, uncultivated, and undomesticated. No one is “in touch with nature” more than surfers. How can you not be in touch, listening to seals barking at Steamer Lane or watching dolphins playing in the waves at Black’s Beach while California Brown Pelicans glide effortlessly a few feet above the water? There have been days where I swore I would throw up if I saw one more cute sea otter floating on his back munching on shellfish. Come on, what is this. . . Disneyland
I have these images burned in my head. A green mountain wrapped in low clouds in Tahiti. A squall moving across the ocean casting a gray/green light on the line up. The fog lifting on the NorCal coast to expose golden hills glowing with sunlight. Watching my pal ride a fast wave, but watching him through the back of the wave. Paddling out and looking into a deep barrel just as it explodes and spits white mist. If I were ever paralyzed I would want someone to strap me to a board and tow me out just so I could enjoy the view.
Are you ever amazed at the people you meet while surfing? They come from incredibly diverse backgrounds but all share this lifestyle. It's so interesting to learn about their personal lives and listen to their stories. And when you pull into the lot and see the crew is it not. . . well. . . comforting? The world