Before reading any further, er – dear reader – check out the previous article to refresh yourself on the above topic right here.
All caught up? Good. So, let’s assume you’re a relatively competent surfer. You are able to paddle as well as duck dive in waves of some consequence. You can take off, do turns, and maybe get tubed on both your backside and frontside (check out some Surf Science articles on the topic of waveriding direction, here and here.)
So does this mean you automatically have to thoroughly enjoy every surf session you ever have? Think about it! Unfortunately that’s a resounding no. It’s like assuming you’ll enjoy every day you’re at work. Or enjoy any day you’re at work. Sorry folks, this negativity is partly due to Trident foreseeing more than a week of onshores looming. Fun times.
Fun and skill aren’t mutually exclusive, but…
Shaun Thompson once said: “the best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun.” What a crock as we all know.
So yes, we can all go and surf when it’s onshore. However unless you particularly enjoy bluebottle stings on your unmentionables and the entire coast smelling like a can of Lucky Star pilchards, onshore conditions remain most surfer’s second prize. Sure, the old saying rings true: a bad day’s surf beats a good day’s work. Of course, if you’re a pro surfer, this idiom is ultimately problematic. Surfing is your work, and a bad surf may mean being dropped from a sponsor, being mercilessly flogged online or being forced to sell one of your beachfront homes at only a minor profit.
So to most surfers – assuming a degree of skill – surely every moment in the waves should be bliss? Well, Trident doesn’t know about you lot, and we don’t give even a cheap block of wax how premium quality your wetsuit is – but paddling out in icy conditions ain’t the definition of enjoyment in our books. Staring at a bleak grey horizon with a howling offshore flaying the very skin from your cheeks and nose (the only part of your body not covered by a hoodie) while your eyes freeze over from the tears of frustration you’re crying is not a good time for us.
So ja – skill in these extreme cases doesn’t help much. Or does it? Perhaps you’ve learned to kinda enjoy the raw forces of nature. The cold, the wind. The current. The duck diving in heavy seas, in whose dark waters below could lurk Cthulhu for all you know. You wouldn’t enjoy heavy conditions like that when you just started out hey?
What about the average session then?
These are your everyday surfs, in mild conditions. The waves you tend to forget – and let’s face it – these are the most common kinds of sessions. Fun size, wind not on it, presumably quite crowded – and instantly forgettable. That’s unless you boost a big air or get blasted out of an anomalous barrel. Or you get injured while surfing. Being impaled with your own fins will always make a particular surf memorable – but perish the thought of being hurt.
Otherwise, most surfs pretty much blend into one another. Like, come on, do you remember the early spring surfs you had say, 7 years ago? No? Nor do we.
However, we do remember every surf we’ve had when it’s over 6 foot. Er okay… not really. But we do remember the epic, or close to epic conditions. Well, at least the absolutely epic days when we were surfing pretty well. Although to be fair, surfers of every and any skill remember the epic days. And of course, who can forget their surf trips – whether abroad or just down the road? Sure, you need some skill to thread that solid left hander you had at Uluwatu. And you definitely needed some ability to navigate those crowds of frothing Brazillians taking over at the Maldives. But what did all your hard earned skill get you that session at Snapper while visiting your cousin who emigrated to Oz two decades ago?
So, in conclusion – how good must you be at surfing to really enjoy it? Trident reckons the answer is; we don’t know. But this we do know. We all must accept the basic premise that every surf is at the very least better than not surfing. If you personally don’t buy into that? Well, Trident reckons you can do your local surf community a favour and start shooting video clips for them. Or donate all your goods to charity – and cheer up for Poseidon’s sake!
