Watching J Bay, South Africa WSL tournament

[oldmansurfer]

If you watch the commentary they say they don't see anyone out there but clearly there were people surfing during the post show

[BaNZ]

Yes indeed, there are some surfers with massive balls out there.

[jaffa1949]

Please understand, stupidity is not the same as balls .

[dtc]

The guy surfing post show was Derek Hynd, who is a bit of an oddball perhaps. Quirky I think is often used. He surfs finless boards and, at 60 odd, is still a fantastic surfer

When Peter King asked him if he thought it was a good time to go out. He [Hynd] responded “I waited an hour.”

Check him out here (especially the finless glide turn around 40 sec in)

http://stabmag.com/derek-hynd-first-in- ... -vs-shark/

[benjl]

That's pretty impressive but I sure wouldn't be going out there an hr after the shark!! Such mint looking waves

[oldmansurfer]

The guy surfing post show was Derek Hynd, who is a bit of an oddball perhaps. Quirky I think is often used. He surfs finless boards and, at 60 odd, is still a fantastic surfer

When Peter King asked him if he thought it was a good time to go out. He [Hynd] responded “I waited an hour.”

Check him out here (especially the finless glide turn around 40 sec in)

http://stabmag.com/derek-hynd-first-in- ... -vs-shark/

Awesome. That is interesting. What a long board! and notice he said it could be fixed. Well long ago the Hawaiians rode finless wood boards that weighed 100 pounds. He has obviously improved on that. But if you look in the background you can see him paddling out and other guys allready surfing. Maybe he is paddling back from a wave? Anyway interesting guy but I am sure the shark was on to other things by then. While I am not too scared of sharks but if they come into the lineup that's it for me for the day (usually...unless the waves are really good)

[BaNZ]

Watching Derek Hynd makes me wonder if there are better surfers than the ones who are professionals and goes to competition?

[oldmansurfer]

Better in what way? I guess that is open for discussion. Most of the pros I hear discussing the topic have a person who they say is better that doesn't compete. What is it that makes a surfer a better surfer? Because they can ride a finless board? because they can do aerials? They ride the biggest wave? They don't fall down I know that is the usual measure for the nonsurfing public. I saw Kelly Slater ride a door and a table on waves does that mean he is better? I guess the deffinition of better has to do with contextual things such as equipment used size of waves age of surfer and maybe gender too. There was a recent competition called Ultimate Waterman that had surfers competing on several different kinds of wave riding equipment/waves which might be more along the lines of determining who the better overall surfer is but once again there maybe surfers who were better who didn't compete. So I guess ultimately there are probably surfers who are better who don't compete in any of the formats or conditions.

[BaNZ]

I guess better isn't a good word to use for comparison here. Since it is hard to define it in this context. But I guess what I mean is that the professional have surfing as their job. That's what they do for a living and they can focus on it. Whereas other people who just do surfing as a hobby, can they ever reach the professional levels without spending so much time in the water?

[oldmansurfer]

Well however you define it there are probably better surfers who don't compete. Surfing used to be a bunch of nonconformists many of whom thought that competing was ......sacreligious and killed the soul of the sport of surfing. I am sure there are still those who feel similarly. But to have one that spends less time surfing........... Now that would be an extremely rare person but perhaps there might be one. However if they competed with the pros they probably would have a hard time. Competitive surfing is a whole other skill set that can only be learned surfing competitively.

[dtc]

Yeah, there are a bunch of surfers who make a living from surfing but aren't competitive, or at least aren't WSL competitive. A lot of them make money from videos and being 'team riders' for Red Bull etc, or are big wave surfers, or aren't shortboard surfers (Alex Knost, for example). Laird Hamilton, I don't think has ever competed seriously (some events, but he has never tried to become a pro competitive surfer). Dave Rastovich the same

For these guys (pretty much all guys, although there are a small number of women), surfing is their profession but just not competitive surfing.

Then there are people who free surf not for money. Some of these people spend just as much time in the water, moving to Indo and living on $10 per day and surfing all day. Some may want to be pro surfers but don't have the drive or skill or focus; others just want the lifestyle.

I think, as oldman says, competitive surfing is a very specific skill set, from the mental games in 2 on 1 heats to the time pressure of picking the best wave in 20 or 30 min periods, to being able to surf in a way that maximises points, not maximises your enjoyment, to the need for consistency every heat every competition. I can smack a golf drive 300yds down the centre of the fairway, but I cant do it 50 times out of 50.

Also, while I'm thinking about it...there are many surfing competitions below WSL level, from state to country to regional. There are an awful lot of surfers trying to be competitive surfers; often the guys hanging out in Indo or Baha or wherever will be competing during the rest of the year, just not getting anywhere.

See if you can find a film called 'Blue Horizon' which deals with some of these issues (Rasta vs Andy Irons, free surfer vs competitive surfer - although the film ended up being a bit different to what they intended)

There are a few documentaries about people trying to become pro surfers. There is one called Rio Breaks, which is more about poverty in Brazil than surfing, but surfing is a central part of it. I have also seen a doco on a rich American guy who decided to spend two years with a coach trying to break into pro surfing (but failed) - but I cant remember the name of it.

Anyway, you probably didn't need all this stuff! Its an interesting question, the difference between pro and 'true' surfers - comes up in some other sports too, generally the ones that see themselves as a bit rebel and non conformist. Skateboarding is a classic, rock climbing is another.

[jaffa1949]

A potted history on Derek Hynde, he is eccentric and he was a competitive surfer and member of the Newport Plus crew along with Martin Potter, Tom and Nick Carroll and a whole crew of hot surfers. Derek lost an eye in a surfing accident and became a surf journalist and written commentator, his style of writing is a s convoluted as his surfing on finless boards.
He has worked with the Sydney Chamber Orchestra and their surf and violin virtuoso on a number of surf video and music projects.
Google him if you want to check out an interesting character of surfing

[oldmansurfer]

More from Kelly Slater about the attack.

[billie_morini]

Hey, that's neat, Ol' Man. It provides a good example of the manner in which Kelly' is funny and good natured. He truely has a good and gentle.sense of humor.

[waikikikichan]

Watching Derek Hynd makes me wonder if there are better surfers than the ones who are professionals and goes to competition?

Some of the best surfers I know, will never ever do a contest. I can just sit in the channel and watch them literally ride circles around other surfers. They're not "soul surfers ", they just surf. There are guys that surfed together as kids where one became a world class competitor, while the others started a family or got a "real" job. But to me those guys not competing are just as good.

Want to see unreal surfing ? Check out the Waikiki life guards on 8' sponge Costco wavestorms during their break time.

[oldmansurfer]

well lots of pro surfers make more money than me so surfing pro is a real job