Moments of total zen surf cool

[Ed McDead]

Evening surf, west facing break, sun low in the sky boiling into the sea, dropping into the pit of a hollow 6+ footer and everything going dark as the wave blocks out the sun.

Man I live for those moments.

tell me more . . .

[essex sucks]

man i have that one in devon it rocks

main one is just makeing a drop on a glasse day when u are on you own and riping it up what a feeling

[miamisurfer]

I had a wave a while ago that was about 6 feet. I was just thinking about stuff and I turned and paddled for it, caught it and got a little cover up. But the whole time I was riding the wave I was in a trance. It wasn't till I pulled out that I realized what had happened.

[Otter]

Sweet, I think we'll all agree the essence of surfing can be found in the tube, no other "trick" or manuever quite captures the profundity of what surfing is all about.

Here's a wave I caught about 30 years ago, at California St. in Ventura...

It was a steep take off, I was riding a 7'6" at the time. Dropped in and made a very radical bottom turn, had to as the wave was closing behind me. Tucked in and got a short tube ride, went deep inside, felt the lip smacking against the top of my head and tucked a little tighter. Survived, pulled out of the tube and floated off the lip, dropping down to the pit, where the wave covered me again! I tucked in, practically putting my head between my knees. Trimmed forward and dropped out of the tube. Both tube rides were about 3-4 seconds long. I've tried to duplicate a double tube ever since, but so far have been unable to do so. It was totally exhillerating!

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

probably after a good beating by big surf when im tired and humble. similar to marijuana only way better.

[isaluteyou]

Ive only made out of a tube on two foot 1 time great feeling

[Real Pol]

When it's so clear you can see the rocks and weeds on the seabed and it's almost like you're flying across them.

[Adrenaline Fueled]

It may not be a total zen trance, but the feeling of surfing in general leaves me feeling very chilled. Stand out moments of suspended disbelief for me include surfing as the sunrose over the ruins of a castle on the summer solstice, with my two best friends.
Or surfing at 2am under the moon and spotlights of nearby houses, while me and my one of my best friends hollered and whooped through the darkness, straining to pick each other out in a black sea...

Truly magical moments I'll never forget

[Jester]

Bump!

Just found this and love it so much I wanna bring it back to life

My first zen moment was sitting out back on the biggest day I'd ever made it that far..rolling hills of green blocking out the view of both sea and land, me alone in the watery valley between. And the thundering clap of falling water on water.

[BaNZ]

Hmm I don't recognise any these posters. They used to be so active as well. I wonder what happened to them? Did they just get bored of posting on forum or could it be that they have stopped surfing? Looks like there were a lot more UK surfers back then using this forum.

My zen moment is usually in 2 scenario, at sunset and everything is glittering.

Or when it is raining and there is no wind. The water becomes so calm and it is amazing. The wave just appears out of nowhere! I love that feeling.

[oldmansurfer]

One of my favorite zen moments I wrote about before, I was surfing a right breaking wave in the break we call Horners that mostly offers lefts but sometimes when it's big and the swell is right there is a right that breaks. The rights however often break right to the Horner's rock, basically pile of boulders that stick out of the water by the break. On the left they are a concern on smaller days you may run into them on the wave but on bigger days you just don't want to wipe out in front of them because the next wave might push you into them. The right breaks toward them so usually you cut out before you get to them. This day I was taking a left then paddle out to the right and catch a right then paddle back out to the left. The wave ends in just about the same place either way. I took off on a right and got tubed. It was at least a 6 foot wave and the tube was so hollow and enormous I was standing up completely and holding my arms out sideways and not even close to touching the wave. For a moment it was so peaceful and beautiful (my zen moment) but the tube kept going and I knew the rock was coming up so after a while I became alert and concerned about the exit or the rock. Hyper alert I saw a chance to exit and went for it but as I came out the rock was right there so I went up on the wave to cut out but my board got caught by the lip and went through it and I wiped out there and went over the falls and over the rock. My board and I both escaped any serious injury both of us receiving only minor scratches. Particularly notable to me because of the extreme in the feeling of that calm and peaceful zen moment in the tube followed by the scary hectic scramble to try to avoid the rock. (this is from when I used to surf before)