Your surfing wisdom needed, please.

[Broosta]

I got up and riding on my first day of surfing when I was 15. It was perfect conditions for learning tho and I was very fit and do have a good amount of natural ability for surfing(I have since found). If the conditions had been less than ideal it would have been a different story on the day (as it was for me many many other days after the first day!).
I think its impossible to tell who might be best at surfing as you actually need more than balance, strength, stamina, blah blah blah. You need recklessness, determination, belief and desire too. Very difficult to quantify precisely.

There was a program on uk tv called 'In At The Deep End' or something similar, and on one episode there was a guy who had to learn to surf well enough in 1 month to enter a contest against other longer served novices and not be sussed as the 1 month old surfer.
He failed due to not being able to get out back. Had he got out back then he may have succeeded as he'd been trained by pros with techniques like being towed behind a boat just to get the hang of steering and balancing. So the natural randomness of nature beat him really. Bottom line is you need the groundwork of relentless paddling out against endless lines of whitewater so you begin to learn your place in the water. Like the Karate Kid 'wax on, wax off' stuff.

So back to your story, yes they 'could' all be up and riding in a day but only if conditions were favourable and then they would really look like beginners(kooks) whilst doing it. They would wobble about like hell and have poo stances, and be scared shitless if the waves got over 3ft, and it would be really really obvious to an experienced surfer. Maybe after 3 months of ideal conditions they would loose that beginner look, but they/anyone would all be absolutely rubbish at surfing after 1 day.

[drowningbitbybit]

So the natural randomness of nature beat him really.

Nah, i remember that program - it was because he was a complete wimp!
"Oh, I really dont think I should surf today as my ribs really hurt"

[drowningbitbybit]

Beginners are always going to be looked on in a slightly joky way by people who are really good at something, however they do it, I would imagine. I'm beginning to think that beginners trying to learn in a fully random Earth-style beach setting might be viewed as foolish. Or getting in the way.

One big difference with surfing is that, at a lot of places, it can be genuinely unfriendly.

In any other sport or activity Ive ever been involved in (particularly climbing and motorbikes), the experienced ones are happy to help and like to see newbies giving it a go. In surfing that can be true (like here on this lovely forum for instance) but newbies are often actively "encouraged" to go elsewhere.

[rich r]

Figure in the future, they could also have personal simulator trainers that are really like the real thing. Y'know Star Trek holo decks and all that.

That would take care of the speedbump factor, as well (kooks on the inside, people paddling out, etc..)

[isaluteyou]

Y'know Star Trek holo decks and all that.

The porn industry would love that technology

but newbies are often actively "encouraged" to go elsewhere

saddly thats true

[Jonah_Fro]

but newbies are often actively "encouraged" to go elsewhere.

I'm imagining this surfing world being some kind of man made station or off world platform? If so, the concept of localism and surfing heirarchy could be interesting to explore. I'd guess that at some point, the safety protocols would be shut off and the "real" surfers would then ride.

Dunno. Cool idea tho. Any idea when it's likely to be published?

[Real Pol]

So the natural randomness of nature beat him really.

Nah, i remember that program - it was because he was a complete wimp!
"Oh, I really dont think I should surf today as my ribs really hurt"

It was "Faking it"!

And you're right he was a complete wimp, did he not hurt his finger and couldn't go back in the water for a couple of days!?! What an opportunity wasted!

[clarksville]

I'm fat. It took me 5 months of at least once a week surfing (waves permitting - every day) to get the pop-up. Now I'm working on my bottom turn.

Thanks for this, LOLRuss I'm taking it all in.

[clarksville]

I got up and riding on my first day of surfing when I was 15. It was perfect conditions for learning tho and I was very fit and do have a good amount of natural ability for surfing(I have since found). If the conditions had been less than ideal it would have been a different story on the day (as it was for me many many other days after the first day!).
I think its impossible to tell who might be best at surfing as you actually need more than balance, strength, stamina, blah blah blah. You need recklessness, determination, belief and desire too. Very difficult to quantify precisely.

There was a program on uk tv called 'In At The Deep End' or something similar, and on one episode there was a guy who had to learn to surf well enough in 1 month to enter a contest against other longer served novices and not be sussed as the 1 month old surfer.
He failed due to not being able to get out back. Had he got out back then he may have succeeded as he'd been trained by pros with techniques like being towed behind a boat just to get the hang of steering and balancing. So the natural randomness of nature beat him really. Bottom line is you need the groundwork of relentless paddling out against endless lines of whitewater so you begin to learn your place in the water. Like the Karate Kid 'wax on, wax off' stuff.

So back to your story, yes they 'could' all be up and riding in a day but only if conditions were favourable and then they would really look like beginners(kooks) whilst doing it. They would wobble about like hell and have poo stances, and be scared shitless if the waves got over 3ft, and it would be really really obvious to an experienced surfer. Maybe after 3 months of ideal conditions they would loose that beginner look, but they/anyone would all be absolutely rubbish at surfing after 1 day.

Thanks for this detailed post. Seems it can be done, then, I think it would be good if one of them did manage something, maybe just the one ride. After training on some artificial stuff maybe.

I have seen a similar programme to the one you mention which was about a girl and she was a bit of a wimp, too. But I think luck was on her side in the competition because she did quite well. She got quite assertive about her position in the sea, in the end, which was the deciding factor as far as I remember. I think that might be what you mean by "out back?" she got where she picked up the wave before the other girls. I may be wrong about that meaning.

Thanks for the description of the look of a kook. Useful.

[clarksville]

One big difference with surfing is that, at a lot of places, it can be genuinely unfriendly.

In any other sport or activity Ive ever been involved in (particularly climbing and motorbikes), the experienced ones are happy to help and like to see newbies giving it a go. In surfing that can be true (like here on this lovely forum for instance) but newbies are often actively "encouraged" to go elsewhere.

This isn't something I want to hear, but if it's true, it's true.

I think the reason might be that there's a certain amount of cool involved in surfing and it's probably over-crowded with a higher ratio of wannabes than other sports. Neither of the other two sports you mention are the kind of things people pretend to be into because of the cool look or image of the thing. (As far as I'm aware, anyway.) Which might explain it.

It's hard to see exactly what people are doing out in the surf, too, (from the beach,) so it's much easier to fake it, I would think. Which would make life more annoying for those who are really good.

And there's always the danger that you are going to injure someone, which must put good surfers on edge where there are mixed abilities around. So I can kind of sympathise to some extent. In a way.

So, a certain amount of that has to be in evidence in my book, but it may be less the case in the future because the learners would be more occupied on the virtual surf and the surf weirs or whatever. They wouldn't get in the way as much.

[clarksville]

Figure in the future, they could also have personal simulator trainers that are really like the real thing. Y'know Star Trek holo decks and all that.

That would take care of the speedbump factor, as well (kooks on the inside, people paddling out, etc..)

Thanks. Yeah, there are certainly interactive set-ups in this future and there would be such things on offer.

[clarksville]

but newbies are often actively "encouraged" to go elsewhere.

I'm imagining this surfing world being some kind of man made station or off world platform? If so, the concept of localism and surfing heirarchy could be interesting to explore. I'd guess that at some point, the safety protocols would be shut off and the "real" surfers would then ride.

Dunno. Cool idea tho. Any idea when it's likely to be published?

It's only an if, I'm afraid, not a when. It's the first novel I've written, but I have had short stories published.

I almost wish I could give the surf world more than one chapter, but more than that isn't really needed for the story arc. The thing is too long already.

There would certainly be a time when the "real" surfers would ride and the whole area would not be accessible to those without the correct wristband. That would be a physical invisible barrier, there would be no getting past it. I think these times would be random, too, I think I want there to be some kind of "natural" surf variation as brought in the form of data from some real beach on Earth. I think the "real" surfers would only accept something that wasn't pre-set or artificial. The real/artificial divide is one of the themes of my novel.

[clarksville]

I have a new question:

If there was one legendary beach on Earth, which these surf variations were being beamed from, or were allegedly being beamed from, what beach would that be, in your opinion?
Or to put it another way...
If you were stuck in space but you could make your artificial beach recreate the current surf conditions on one beach on Earth, perfectly, all the time, which would it be?

(Places on Earth are mostly inaccessible to the majority of the human race and the names of places are lost, but there are some rumours and legends and I would like a few names to juggle with. Even if they just turn up as the names of Cafes or people.)

[Real Pol]

Aberdeen Beach!
Legendary with all surfers world wide!
Wait till you see, everyone on here will agree. They all want to surf it (but are just wannabes only a hand full of us live up to the challenge).
Next question.

[Broosta]

Jeffries Bay
Snapper Rocks
Jaws
Malibu
Rincon
The Wedge
Lower Trestles
Banzai Pipeline
Teahupoo
Blacks
WindandSea
Mavericks
Belhara
Cloudbreak
Bells Beach
Shipsterns
Thurso
Back Door
Waimea Bay
Sunset Beach
Makaha
Hossegor
Mundaka
Tavarua
Raglan
Sebastian Inlet
The Severn Bore
Lobos
Supertubes
Killer Point


...to name but a few!
But I suppose if I had to only surf 1 beach it would be Lower Trestles - never surfed it but sounds like my type of wave ('a skatepark made of water'!).
Truth is I'd hate to only surf 1 beach.

[drowningbitbybit]

If you were stuck in space but you could make your artificial beach recreate the current surf conditions on one beach on Earth, perfectly, all the time, which would it be?

Thing is, right...
For the sake of the book being remotely interesting, I think you'd need to recreate what people wish they could surf

Most people here (and indeed most surfers) would love to be surfing Pipeline for instance.


...But more realistically, I'd go back to one particular day in Devon when it was a consistent 3ft at 15s for the whole day. I had the best surf Ive ever had... but it'd be a really boring story!

[RJD]

Surfing 'perfect' waves will only help your ability to surf... perfect waves.

Real world waves arnt perfect, the Pro's deal with it with an ability to wring the best out of the wave there on.

Half of surfing is physical ability, half of surfing is skill, the other half is stoke.

[drowningbitbybit]

Half of surfing is physical ability, half of surfing is skill, the other half is stoke.

Ah, I get it now - thats why Im rubbish! Im only x1 person and not x1.5!

[RJD]

Yeah, I know I'm a good half short of managing too....

[clarksville]

Aberdeen Beach!
Legendary with all surfers world wide!
Wait till you see, everyone on here will agree. They all want to surf it (but are just wannabes only a hand full of us live up to the challenge).
Next question.

Thanks. Writes down Aberdeen.