Well, it’s that time of year again, time to get out the old wet suit and buy some new wax. That’s right; surfing season is upon once again. Now surely you are asking yourself “how in the heck is the beginning of winter a good time for surfing?” Your question will be answered soon enough. This week’s column will give an inside look of the exciting, rip roaring, ten hanging, extreme, and at times, extremely peaceful world of surfing.
For those of you who haven’t heard anything at all about surfing, I will start at the beginning. Surfing originated in the Hawaiian Islands and could have started as far back as 1500 A.D. The native Polynesians called this sport nalu. The first documentation account of this sport occurred in March 1779, by a European Captain named King, who traveled to the Hawaiian Islands and was deeply fascinated by this strange sport.
Today it is an extreme sport that is tremendously popular around the world. Some stereotypical ideas of surfers include the dull, long blonde haired surfer “dude” who only gets excited if there’s a ten foot swell or if his buddy is lighting a joint. Movies like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” or “Orange County” popularized these images of what surfers are like. But really people from many different walks of life surf. Office execs, waiters, models, actors, construction workers, any type of person you can think of can be a surfer while the stereotypical “dude” is just a minority of the surfing population.
For those of you who have never attempted to try this wet and wild sport now is the perfect time to get out there and give it a try. Yes, as you asked earlier, fall and winter are the best seasons for surfers. With the months of November, December, and January come many storms that cause the seas to swell with high and consistent waves. The early Hawaiians called these months ‘ikuwa’ or months of deafening wind. Now if you’re a little skittish about starting out with some prime surf, and you want to start small, you should wait until the weather is warmer and the storms die down. But if you’re ballsy enough to take on the big waves right away, go out and get started.
The fundamentals of surfing are theoretically easy, as amateur surfer Sean McGee will tell you. Sean has been surfing for two years but was hooked after the first outing. You can find him spending his time looking for a great set over at Linda Mar beach in Pacifica.
“I would always hang out at the beach,” recollects McGee. “I figured I would give it a try. I mean if I didn’t like it I would only have to do it once.”
Of course after the initial experience he never looked back. McGee, like many other beginners, started with a rental surfboard, a wetsuit and diving head on into the surf. If you are a beginner you should start with a soft foam rubber long board, which is great for catching smaller waves and gaining balance in the water. Finding your balance on the board usually takes a few tries to get the hang of so don’t get discouraged. After you begin to get the hang of catching waves with a long board you should consider upgrading to a shorter wooden board, which is better for catching larger waves. Of course every surfer has his or her own preference of board so just go with what feels best.
As well as being a great sport for adrenaline junkies, surfing is also very therapeutic.
“There is no greater feeling in the world than when a wave grabs you and you are able to ride it out. The force and speed of the water is exhilarating” states McGee as he scans the ocean. “But when you’re out there and just laying on your board in the water waiting for a wave, there is nothing else out there. No work, no hassles. There is only you, your thoughts, and the ocean.
So if this article has peeked you curiosity, go out as soon as you can and give surfing a try. If you don’t like it at least you can say you gave it a shot. But if you find that this wet and wild sport is your calling good luck, hang ten, and get stoked for the up coming ‘kuwa’.
Check out a slideshow from a trip from Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica:Surfing
Here are a two websites; the first has a list and critique of various Northern California surfing locations, and the second has a list of surfing lingo so you won’t look like a newbie your first time out.
www.posthoc.com/surfing4.htm
lingo
www.kidzworld.com/site/p3347.htm