Surfing Waves

The thread about riding your first unbroken wave got me thinking about surfing on the green face and surfing closing out rubbish (but I'm not talking about the shore break whitewater. Thats just rubbish).

As Ive improved, Ive got fussier, and tend to surf better quality waves. But if rubbish is all there is, I'll go out there and surf it. Friends of mine, however, either wont bother to go in, or just go in for a short session before heading home/to the pub

Me, I can spend hours on closing out rubbish - I love paddling for it, taking the drop over the falls, seeing if I can get onto a face, even for a split second. And I end up getting lots and lots of real short rides


What does everyone else think? Surf the junk? Or wait it out?

And does it have anything to do with what kind of surfer/board? Junky days and the fish comes out with maximum looseness.

Not being close enough to the beach to be all that fussy is probably a factor too - if Ive just driven for hours, Im fleshin' well goin' in!

But I still enjoy the junk (but a clean wave would be nice occasionally...)

It all helps, if anything its a bounus that you have stoke to get out in anything as you learn to make the most of what conditions you are presented with.

I travel about 6 hours to go surfing so i will go out just to paddle if the waves are not clean. Just enjoy being in the ocean...

given the conditions here in florida, we rarely get any good quality surf. every winter, we get usually 2 refraction swells every year during the winter, and maybe 3 if we're LUCKY. mostly it is all wind chop, with some cleaner sets. They mostly come in storms, but i dont complain. i surf whatever there, if it is rideable. i dont care if its closing out and toxic waist is in there, if its ridable ill go out. it has to be at least thigh high for me to go out, sometimes i go out in knee high. i love surfing, so whatever i can get i take.

although whenever its flat my friends and i take the boat out and go skurfing or wake skating, but that never beats pure surfing on a wave

Whatever it takes to keep the stoke alight

Most of the time I'll go out in anything! Gotta take what I can get when it's rideable because it could be flat for the next week.

This thread might be a bit silly on a surfing forum
Everyone here, obviously, is ridiculously enthusiastic and will go out in any old slop

Not a single person saying 'nah, cant be bothered, will wait until its clean next time'

I did wonder 'why am I here?' as I paddled out on sunday in a junky mess while it chucked it down with rain - but only because I was laughing at myself, not because I would actually rather be anywhere else

It depends. Before, I lived where the surf was xxxxx. I surfed it anyway because it was all I had. Now I live somewhere with pretty good surf and when conditions are like they were at my old spot, I find something else to do.

if im at the beach and its surfable im in there. like the 1 ft slop i surfed a couple of weeks ago

well il surf 1ft slop if theirs been no surf in ages, but my m8 is extreemily picky, he wil say its crap surf unless it about 4-6 ft and super clean

Quite happy to get out in nothing just for a paddel if the weather permits... blowing gale force with cloudy and cold generally can't be bothered; gale force with sun, ditch the board and do some body surfing

I'll surf anything, usually it is closeout mush. If you don't wanna ride the mush here, then you don't wanna surf except for like 10 days a year.

I'll surf anything, its all good fun and good practice! Its just a great feeling getting out there in the water and being in different kinds of waves.

Ive always liked this saying (see if I remember it right)

"The best surfer in the world is the one who's having the most fun"

Laguna wrote:"The best surfer in the world is the one who's having the most fun"

Yes, nice one Laguna

yeah you definatly get pickier as you progress, but you also build up more knowledge of the breaks you frequent, if theres any swell here then no matter what the wind direction or strength i know theres somewhere i can go where there will be a decent wave, and the days when its crap at the popular spots are often the best cos therell be some secret spot somewhere which is going off and hardly anyone there.

GowerCharger wrote: if theres any swell here then no matter what the wind direction or strength i know theres somewhere i can go where there will be a decent wave,.

Cant be as picky on the south coast - damn thing is just too damned straight!

Apart from some man-made structures, theres little protection from the wind and few places pointing away from almost due south, so if its onshore, its onshore...

Thats why every time theres some swell, I'll hop in the van and find it. But, like last weekend, its nice to be able to do it a bit more local without making a weekend or long trip out of it

Here's a video clip of a very tiny closing out day when the entire coast was empty, quite fun, a bit of a challenge too.

http://www.olosurfer.com/Glidestreett.wmv

Wowsers! Now that is cool!!

That like under 1ft surf?!

Also, I see you have many little roy's surfing and running in hot pink wetsuits and gath helmets...very suave!

Ha ha Roy, those are my favourite conditions! Even though my boards (relatively) quite short at 7ft it can still catch waves of that size and i love it when its like that at the mount. I dont have to worry about anything (i.e bigger sets or getting outback) i can just relax and have fun. Hoping to get a longboard soon to make the most of those ankle slapper days.

Thanks guys I had that one hidden away, it's a session from 2004, trying out the new camera.