Why did you decide to surf?

[sirkook94]

So I was recently scouring youtube for all the surf videos, and I came across Billabong's series of short movies entitled "I surf because...". Each of the surfers that they interviewed gave really deep and meaningful answers that made me question why I surfed, or why I do any of the things that I do. I surf because it rejuvenates me, helps me deal with stress, it's fun, and because it keeps me young at heart.

Why do you guys surf? Looking forward to some good answers!

[oldmansurfer]

Why did you decide to surf and why do you surf are two very different questions.

[oldmansurfer]

Originally I decided to surf because my parents had given me a state of the art shortboard that was sitting in my room for two months not being used when I broke my paipo board in two. I was very much into paipo boarding but realized the advantage of standing up on a board, which is being able to use your whole body to shift your weight around.. I had spent two weeks making my previous paipo board and the thought of spending two weeks not surfing while I built another one was unacceptable. This is why I originally started surfing. But then I quit surfing because of work related issues. I quit for almost 12 years and restarted because I was getting out of shape and the only real motivation for me to start getting back into shape was to surf. I couldn't just exercise because I needed to be in shape but I could exercise to get into shape for surfing.

That is two reasons why I started surfing but why I continue to surf is it's good for me. I do try to stay in shape for surfing and surfing is good exercise more often than not anyway. It is good for my mind because when I surf it is just me and the waves. Thoughts about everything else go away. It's like meditation. And when I come in from a session I feel uplifted in a good mood. A good wave will make me feel good for days.

[Big H]

I decided to surf because it looked like fun, needed something interesting to exert physical energy on, some kind of outdoor exercise and living here in Bali it seemed like the thing to do.

I continue because I am hooked; my body has changed, in great shape now...I feel fresh and full of energy and sleep better at night....but beyond the generic benefits of exercise, I really love being out on the ocean, the challenge of learning how to surf and continued challenges of improvement, the rush of a big drop down a mountain of moving water, the feeling when on a wave, responding to the wave and going where that wave takes you.....I also love the completeness of immersion.....when it is pumping (my scale!) I am totally focused and my mind is clear if anything else.....positive escapism, a healthy drug if you will, an amazing outlet for stress and time out from an otherwise busy and burdened life. I want to do this until I just can't anymore, however long that is......longer the better.

[kitesurfer]

I have to admit one of the things that makes me want to puke almost as much seeing a couple snogging and making out in public is listening to interviews with pro surfers about why they surf or that big day. The majority of them come out with such crap and clichés it's just b4llcks. Pass me a bucket so I can puke in it please.
I surf because its fun.

KS

[drowningbitbybit]

Alcohol.


...and then somewhere along the line I realised that the surfing was fun too.

[oldmansurfer]

I forgot to mention the fun part but lots of things are fun.

[Tudeo]

I have to admit one of the things that makes me want to puke almost as much seeing a couple snogging and making out in public is listening to interviews with pro surfers about why they surf or that big day. The majority of them come out with such crap and clichés it's just b4llcks. Pass me a bucket so I can puke in it please.

I totally agree, those stories often don't sound sincere. They try too hard to be deep for promotional reasons, that makes them quite shallow.

But my story is really deep

I must've seen some pictures of surfers when I was a kid and somehow knew (the deep part) that was it for me. But my country of birth, The Netherlands, had no surfing culture and I knew nobody that surfed. It was long before internet

Later I did a bit of surfing in soutwest France, every time it told me: thats it! But it took me a long time before I could really commit to a surfing life.

Now I'm 52 living in Bali still trying to get fit to live my dream. The Quest aint over yet.

[benjl]

Alcohol.


...and then somewhere along the line I realised that the surfing was fun too.

I thought that would be the opposite? Everytime I have a big night and try to go surfing the next day my paddling is crap and my cardio is at like 50% of normal.

[drowningbitbybit]

I thought that would be the opposite? Everytime I have a big night and try to go surfing the next day my paddling is crap and my cardio is at like 50% of normal.

I started off doing an annual trip down to Newquay in the UK and drinking with mates for a week and doing an afternoon on a foamie at Fistral. As time went on, the amount of surfing went up and the drinking went (marginally) down. Eventually I gave up on Newquay and started going to more surf-oriented spots and the beers were limited to a few (...quite a few...) in a field camping near the beach

And, oh yeah, a heavy session kills it for me the next day

[benjl]

What I would do to go back to those days of just pure stoke of hanging out with mates, having some beers and just enjoying the easy-paddle foamie waves!

I don't think i've had a surf that i've actually properly enjoyed for about 5 months
The only way i've kept up my stoke is to pack both my downhill mountain bike and surfboard in to the car and do what I call 'Action-Sat's', where I go downhill mountain biking in the forrest with some mates for a few hours and then make a side-trip to the coast on my way home and surf for a couple of hours.
Usually hoping that one or both of them will off-set the other if it goes wrong

You should see how cramped I am in the car with a downhill bike in the backseats, front passenger seat folded-down and a surfboard going over the top of the bike and seats