Surfing Waves

Just have to get this off my chest here. I just spent 3 hours surfing at Constantine Bay and many hours getting there and back. I caught one wave the entire session and it was a shore breaker, I really struggled to get out back and when i did, i waited for a set to come in. When one did i turned and started to paddle then at the last minute backed out (far too late), got thrown over the falls and held under for however long, emerged struggling for breath to see the remainders of the set about to land right on me at which point i stop and think to myself " Why the **** are you doing this? your freezing cold, your arms are so tired and your getting thrown round like a rag-doll. you could be sitting at home infront of a warm fire drinking coco!" so i paddle to the shore, praying to God for some whitewater to drive me to shore, thankfully it did. That whole session id just forgotten why we do this? has anyone else ever had this feeling after a bad session? haha. hopefully next time, i will be reminded of the glory of surfing.

you do it because its the most amazing thing you could ever do. even the fear is amazing. the best advice anyone ever gave me is learning to relax while under the water. learn to enjoy the scarier parts.
keep surfing, but know that its not the last time your gonna go over the falls.

And dont pick the first wave of the set!

trust me, i've had a couple of bad days too, i think it's all part of learning, all those pros started when they were like 5 or something, so it really takes a lot of patience and perseverance to get better, just keep surfing!

it happens in surfing, you get good and bad days, some bad days makes you feel really crap but just keep at it and practice practice practice and you will have better days

I had a great evening on tuesday at Maroubra beach and the next morning I struggled ... It happens

easty

Cheers chaps all i can do is keep trying! The weird thing is, i had a really bad feeling bout that trip a few days before i went, was like i knew it was gona be crap. I was in well over my head (literally) and i've never been to Constantine bay anyway, dont think ill go again till im much more experienced.

I've been surfing for 16 years and like to think I'm not too bad.

I went to Pembrokeshire in Wales last year for the first time. We went to Newgale on the first day and I had a great session.

The next day we went to Manorbier and I didn't catch a single wave - got mashed in the whitewater and held under/ thrown about for about an hour before i called it a day.

Some days the ocean reminds you it can be frightening as well as beautiful!

Just think about the best session you've had or the first time you stood up and you'll remember why we put ourselves through the cold and pain!!

Ah, we all have days like that

Why do we do it? Short story...

A month or two ago I was in Devon, all on my own in my camper van, and I'd surfed like a kook for three days solid
Couldnt get out back, or couldnt catch any waves, or wiped out when I should have stuck the move...
Last day, and Im feeling pretty despondent and considering calling it a day and heading home. But I convince myself to paddle out one more time. So I go way out back, past the zone, and sit on my board for a few minutes in the sunshine, all alone in a big ocean. Then paddle back into the zone, kinda refreshed, and caught one of the best waves of my life

Overhead, clean, perfectly in the pocket


That one wave made the trip worth it


(Even if I did then somersault over the falls on the next wave)

Yer it does seem funny how one wave can make hours of waiting and struggle seem worthwhile, but it does . If id got that one shore breaking wave right at the end, i think i wouldn't have been annoyed at all! even tho it was tiny. In a funny way it was a good experience because it reminded me to keep my feet on the ground and that nature can be so powerful at times!

And dont pick the first wave of the set!

ah the old dont take the first wave rule. anyone else struggle with this one? when youve been sitting out back on your board for ages an all of a sudden oooo wave n you paddle like crazy. could just be me.

that was a quote from the movies Blue Crush and Step into Liquid.

As a beginner surfer I have countless sessions like those. I used to ask myself the same question you did - why am I doing this? I then realized that in order for you to really enjoy doing something, you gotta do it for one simple reason which would be because you just like doing it for itself, not for something else. People who surf because they want to look cool or attract lots of superficial girls won't enjoy learning how to surf as much as people who are learning to surf because they just do. Why? Because the focus is on some other movite. Thee focus is on an end or a goal other than surfing itself. Now I'm not saying that you surf for a reason other than surfing. I just had the same experience of asking myself the very same question you did.

When I have sessions like that, I just tell myself that surfing takes A LONG TIME to master (esp. if you started on a 6'6"x18x2 that you got for free). How long do you surf? If my session is not going that great, I usually stay longer hoping for that one "worthwhile" wave or that one good ride. Then again if my session is going great, I stay longer because I want to repeat the ride. I guess either way I end up being in the water for a long time. Ah.. if my board gets dinged - then that'll definitely make me stop. I've heard that water and epoxy boards don't go well together. Sometimes I blame the session on my tiny board, sometimes on my too floaty board, sometimes on the choppy water, and sometimes on the inappropriate waves. Well most of the time I just tell myself, "You suck and you're gonna suck for a while. Just keep on surfing and hopefully you'll suck less." Hey... Rome wasn't built in a day.

P.S. Watch Step into Liquid to regain the stoke after a bad sesh

I just had a scary session today, which only lasted 30min or so because I got out as soon as I could. I paddled out, ended up in a rip and far from shore. The only other surfer in the water got out on the first set I came in on, so I'm now by myself. Winds gusting up to 25mph south/offshore, strong current, choppy water.. All of a sudden I felt so small and alone and all I could think about was getting back to shore, because the conditions were way gnarlier than I thought before I had got in the water. I attempted to paddle back to where I was planning on lining up and the current was too strong, and realized there was no way I could fight it. Paddled over a few big incoming sets, took a cleanup set on the head, and then finally caught a nice ride a good ways in near shore and then paddled furiously for the shore and got out. I could barely walk down the beach with my board because of the strong winds, it was crazy.

Everytime I go out I learn more, and today I learned that if you panic or start to think about all of the possibilities that could happen to you then you are going to get jacked. Once I realized that I was starting to freak out, I tried to settle myself down, used all of the skill I had, and was able to get out without getting hurt, but it was definately a scare. I also realized not to go surfing when the winds are above 15mph

I think everybody has a bad session here and there. About 2 months ago I was having a great session at a break across the island from where I live. I'd been there once or twice before and had a great time. Near the end of the day I popped up on a wave and a longboarder dropped in on me and damn near hit my board. Then the dude has the nerve to start yelling "fleshin' you! GET OUT OF THE WATER" at me. This asshole dropped in on me and then tried to start a fight with me. Since I wasn't local and he had about 5 of his friends with him, I got out. The whole thing really killed my vibe and made me really apprehensive about surfing for about a month.

But then, I went back, had a great set and have been surfing pretty much every day again. Tommorrow i'll go back to that spot. fleshin' em!

lol o dear it'll b better nxt time i wonder y we do it alot of the time i think we all must b mad !!!! but surfins like... addictive!!!lol [/b]

Dopey wrote:The real lesson you should learn from this is that you should ALWAYS sit and watch the surf before heading out. There are many reasons for this and it sounds like you found out a few during your recent experience. Siting and watching time should be directly related to the size of the surf. The larger the surf, the longer you sit and watch before heading out. Example: On a 10 ft. swell, you should be watching for at least 15 minutes, maybe longer. You want to sit and watch at least 3-4 sets come rolling through.

Yea, I waited about 5-10 min, obviously not long enough. I will definately let a few sets come and go before my next session. I think I was too amped up and just wanted to get in the water, but I learned my lesson heh

hey farmersurfer u cant go out in surf that you cant handle! stick to 2-3 foot and surf! surf! surf! its the hardest sport you will ever try so go out and have fun. dont go home filthy! love it!

yeh i hate going out on my own especially in anything over 4-5 foot but it beats fighting for a wave at snapper.