Stupid surfing fear
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:44 pmHi guys. Bit of a long one and odd one too! This might be something other people can relate to.
Am 28, fairly fit male who has been in the sea all of my life in some way or another. Been stand up surfing on a shortboard on and off for 10 years but only in the last few years taken it seriously.
I grew up in Cornwall and restricted myself to one beach. Gwithian (if anyone knows it) is a 3 mile stretch of beach with slow beach break waves. Rarely gets over head heigh and the waves are slow and not so powerful. If the waves are a bit too big you just move further down the beach as it tapers off.
Why I rarely surfed other beaches was probably because I felt safe and familiar there. I knew it like the back of my hand. I feel safe there.
I moved a few years back to Wales which is a good 3 hour drive from Cornwall. I still have family in Cornwall so I would go down there a few times a year and continue my surfing but my fitness slowly declined and so had my confidence. My last trip there had dropped me down a peg or two. It was a record big swell day down there and I knew I wasn't able to handle the bigger end of the beach so I headed down to where it was a managable size. Sitting out back I noticed I had drifted really far away from where I first got in and instead of thinking rationally, I was convinced I was drifting out to sea and panic mode set in. I ride a shortboard that isn't really wide or thick enough for my weight anymore so paddling is very tough on it, especially after paddling to get out back. I drifted far over until a female surfer was close by and I asked if we were in a rip. She told me it looks like it but wasn't bothered and continued to sit on her board and wait for a wave. I panicked and caught a wave in.
Looking back I should of sat on my board in a calm manner like her as I realise I wouldn't of drifted far out to sea, just very far down the beach which meant a slightly longer walk back to the car.
I brushed this experience off and decided to take up surfing more locally to me as I love it and can't wait for my infrequent trips back home so I've started surfing in South Wales.
I still however have that fear in the back of my head that if I'm too far out seemingly more so than other surfers that I am going to be drifted out to sea! It's irrational.
Mix this with a sudden fear of 'big waves' and having trouble duck diving passed walls of white water.
Today I had this experience. The waves were faster and dumpier than I was used to so I gave up. I walked up to the side of the waves after getting out and getting dressed to see that I was scared of 2foot waves.
I feel stupid and irrational as I love surfing and hope to travel on a surfing holiday but I need to shake off my fear of big heavy waves. In reality I'm surfing waves that are rarely headheight at most.
Does anyone else get this fear? Why has this suddenly plagued me?
I'm sorry for this long post but I'm just so intrigued to hear if I'm the only one who is scared now I'm out of my comfort zone, the slow small beachbreak of Cornwall.
Steve
Am 28, fairly fit male who has been in the sea all of my life in some way or another. Been stand up surfing on a shortboard on and off for 10 years but only in the last few years taken it seriously.
I grew up in Cornwall and restricted myself to one beach. Gwithian (if anyone knows it) is a 3 mile stretch of beach with slow beach break waves. Rarely gets over head heigh and the waves are slow and not so powerful. If the waves are a bit too big you just move further down the beach as it tapers off.
Why I rarely surfed other beaches was probably because I felt safe and familiar there. I knew it like the back of my hand. I feel safe there.
I moved a few years back to Wales which is a good 3 hour drive from Cornwall. I still have family in Cornwall so I would go down there a few times a year and continue my surfing but my fitness slowly declined and so had my confidence. My last trip there had dropped me down a peg or two. It was a record big swell day down there and I knew I wasn't able to handle the bigger end of the beach so I headed down to where it was a managable size. Sitting out back I noticed I had drifted really far away from where I first got in and instead of thinking rationally, I was convinced I was drifting out to sea and panic mode set in. I ride a shortboard that isn't really wide or thick enough for my weight anymore so paddling is very tough on it, especially after paddling to get out back. I drifted far over until a female surfer was close by and I asked if we were in a rip. She told me it looks like it but wasn't bothered and continued to sit on her board and wait for a wave. I panicked and caught a wave in.
Looking back I should of sat on my board in a calm manner like her as I realise I wouldn't of drifted far out to sea, just very far down the beach which meant a slightly longer walk back to the car.
I brushed this experience off and decided to take up surfing more locally to me as I love it and can't wait for my infrequent trips back home so I've started surfing in South Wales.
I still however have that fear in the back of my head that if I'm too far out seemingly more so than other surfers that I am going to be drifted out to sea! It's irrational.
Mix this with a sudden fear of 'big waves' and having trouble duck diving passed walls of white water.
Today I had this experience. The waves were faster and dumpier than I was used to so I gave up. I walked up to the side of the waves after getting out and getting dressed to see that I was scared of 2foot waves.
I feel stupid and irrational as I love surfing and hope to travel on a surfing holiday but I need to shake off my fear of big heavy waves. In reality I'm surfing waves that are rarely headheight at most.
Does anyone else get this fear? Why has this suddenly plagued me?
I'm sorry for this long post but I'm just so intrigued to hear if I'm the only one who is scared now I'm out of my comfort zone, the slow small beachbreak of Cornwall.
Steve
