Surfing Waves

As an old newbie with young family, the time i can get out and the time that there is good surf don't always match. Living in Bournemouth its rare to get much good surf anyway.

my question is this, when its flat and i am allowed out by the wife, should i just go and practice paddling on my board, or will i look like a kook desperate for attention?

i don't know Bournemouth, but my two cents: paddle out whenever you can. with the right board and mindset you can get stoked off any conditions. junky surf can be good for you too, after you've learned to find the good rides hidden in the little finicky stuff you'll be well prepared when your wife gives you the hall pass on a macking day.

Me and a friend have just had a paddle around at Bournemouth and it was fine im still learning and the practice is very useful.

You wont look like a kook. Sometimes when too tired from work to surf, i'd simply paddle to the outback and watch. I would not surf. Other times, on flat days and on horrifically sloppy days (with no real surf) , i'd go paddling. I didnt do it for any other enjoyment, except my own to be in the water.

Get wet when you want!

BatRunt wrote:As an old newbie with young family, the time i can get out and the time that there is good surf don't always match. Living in Bournemouth its rare to get much good surf anyway.

my question is this, when its flat and i am allowed out by the wife, should i just go and practice paddling on my board, or will i look like a kook desperate for attention?

Surf and/or being in the water is a great stress release. If you only get tied to having a quality surf and the normal it's not always perfect realisation hits you, you will get frustrated and not be up to speed when good surf comes. Paddle out whenever you can gets the aerobic and arm fitness up.
Don't call it surfing (Negative connotations for lots of folk) Aqua fitness , hydrotherapy, Called it that on my days off from my clinic.

Hey you are keeping fit so you can enjoy your children, and later share the joy of surfing with them.
I'm now surfing with grandchildren

Thanks for providing this information.

just gotta say, yeah you should go out paddle, try a few waves, even if conditions suck. even if you dont catch any waves, youre floating around the ocean on a mini-boat-like flotation thing, anyone that says that doesnt sound or look like fun is just lying to themselves.

im out there when onshore winds are blowing my surfboard away. don't care if i look like a desperate kook. YOLO.

When it is flat here I go and paddle....doesn't happen often....I agree on trying whatever is out there on a flattish day....I spent an hour getting shacked and summarily rolled in a beach break closeout the last time it was nearly flat....wave was breaking on a sandy bottom in about 2 ft of water....paddled about 1000m and then did this for awhile....got my blood going and felt like a kid....

There's a really good workout at surftrainingsuccess.com. It also shows you a lot of stretches and warmup exercises which I find just as important now after my first rotator cuff inflammation.

Go out for a paddle sesh whenever possible. It's a great way to keep your paddle fitness up and if you do catch a decent ride in the slop it'll boost your confidence. I feel like being able to move your board around the lineup in choppy/poor conditions will definitely help you out on the cleaner days. It exposes you to experience different conditions and also helps you appreciate the good days that much more.

Get out in the water whenever you can! Being in the water is the best practice! The older I get the less I care what others might think.