Do you think that today`s surfers are having any more fun than those of > the past?>>> Dale I feel that everyone is having fun and it is all relative . It might have been different in the past surfing great breaks with just a few fellow surfers and friends. How about surfing Swami’s on a great day with only your buddies? Today there is such a huge age spread out in the line up you are going to get all kinds of attitudes and styles. I remember surfing at Tamarak in the 80’s when Leroy would still surf there. What a pleasure to talk with him and hear the stories of times gone by. Todays attitudes are much more aggressive than what I remember of those days when I was a teenager. Somehow I don’t think it is as much fun as it once was. However it still is the only game in town. I’m still going surfing and hoping for those special days that live with you the rest of your life. Jon
Do you think that today`s surfers are having any more fun than those of > the past?>>> Dale and I forgot to mention I still ride PureFun surfboards shaped by Hank Byzak.
Do you think that today`s surfers are having any more fun than those of > the past?>>> Dale Since I am a surfer who surfed long ago, took a (kind of) nine year break (living far inland), and as one who now surfs again religiously, I can say that I am definitely having more fun. I appreciate every surf, and have many different boards now. Plus, a crowd never bothers me. I paddle hard, smile harder, and always get (and give) lots of waves. I find joy in the whole experience. God must be a surfer.
Do you think that today`s surfers are having any more fun than those of > the past?>>> Dale I have to repeat it: I just love to surf. Shaping is the extension of that expression. Magoo
Do you think that today`s surfers are having any more fun than those of > the past?>>> Dale Yes, absolutely. I live in Santa Cruz and the surf schools are to use a well worn word, ubiquitous. Are the folks learning how to surf stoked? You bet! What makes anyone think they wouldn’t be? If it’s crowds that get you down because there weren’t as many people around when you learned how to surf, it doesn’t phase the new beginners. Crowds…it’s just the way it is in the modern world. They know it…and they don’t care because they’re, well, stoked. Just like we were (are) when we learned to surf.
I have to repeat it:>>> I just love to surf.>>> Shaping is the extension of that expression.>>> Magoo …I don’t know if I love it as much as I am a SURF ADDICT !Building boards is like having a clan lab,and dealing. When you call in sick to work you tell them that you have a fever…yeah…SURF FEVER !Herb
I’m w/ you my elderly brutha! Gotta teach these kids some respect because > they obviosley have none. The worst is when you get abused at the spot > you’ve been surfing for 20 yrs. by some asshole that wasn’t even sperm > when you were surfing there back in the 60’s or 70’s. Our spot here in > N.Florida is so outa control it’s just damn depressing. If you don’t go w/ > 10 of your buds and clear out a peak to totally dominate the area you risk > huge hostility. Really not what OHANA is all about. JC Whoaa, I had heard California, Florida and Hawaii where crowed places but I had never thougth it would go this far … Over here in France (Landes), summer tourists are now gone and we get to share good waves in small groups with respect and friendship. For exemple, last Tuesday on my local beach break, got out of work at 5 PM and had 2 hours of perfect 5-6 foot looooong hollow waves. We where only 5 surfers out there … I don’t know if surfers had more fun than today but I just found out how lucky I am. Pierre
Do you think that today`s surfers are having any more fun than those of > the past?>>> Dale We must all be having fun if there are more doing it now than ever. Its a hard call whether surfers now are having MORE fun. If u measure fun by less crowds, less pollution, a less complicated world, the surfers of the past definitely had more fun. What we have going for us today is, better equipment, club med type surf camps with perfect waves, wave forecasting and surf cams. Is that more fun? You decide. As for myself, Ive been surfing for a while now, and Im having just as much, if not more fun than I did when I was 18. Im blessed to be in good health, have the freedom to surf when I want to, and have the ability so shape my own equipment. Im having FUN!!!
"Do you think that todays surfers are having any more fun than those of the past?">>> What's Dale's answer??? Hmmm??? Paul, Talk to old surfers who experienced the roads, coastline, comaraderie and waves prior to the late 1950s/early 1960s, and youll know why I asked that question… those who are living witnesses to both sides of this question often have the best perspective. Personally, my most memorable, fun surfing has always been with no more than a few friends, or by myself. Ive never shared waves with 25 or 30 people more than 3 times in my entire life. If the beaches and waves where I grew up had looked like a set from a 1960s Hollywood movie, I probably never would have become a surfer. Dale
No way. The younger guys/groms having been raised in this > “dog-eat-dog” environment thinks today is the best. It’s all > about attitude. I thought about this topic while driving home from Santa Barbara in the middle of last night, pea soup fog billowing all around, the ocean not visible even under a near full moon. Newcomers to the sport are still having “fun”, but I bet it’s much different fun from 20-30 years ago. Just check the crappy, hostile, unsmiling looks on their faces in the surf magazines. It really is about attitude. It’s about money, which buys better waves and toys and entertainment. It’s about getting more and more and more…especially making sure they get more than the other person. Which seems to be the socially acceptable notion of what fun is. The surf schools, which I looked askance at when they first proliferated, now make total sense to me. Instant comfortable environment. Sit down and watch a session sometime. Nothing but smiles, and usually in conditions my jaded old self wouldn’t even go out in. But what happens when they graduate? The girl students will go out into the “real world”, turning to the surf girl magazines, and are educated that male surfers are all hostile, sexist, and are the enemy…to be used and abused. Witness articles advising girls to pick out longboarders, bodyboarders, older people, and then hassle them for waves. They pop out of surf schools feeling good about the surf life, and then get marketed into submission. 30 plus years ago it was about having fun. Soon we had to start surfing “the crowd”, and then with thrusters we have to surf “the board”, and now it really takes money to get somewhere somewhat uncrowded with somewhat good quality surf…doesn’t seem to be much about riding waves. It seems much more complicated now. More complicated=less fun in my book.
I thought about this topic while driving home from Santa Barbara in the > middle of last night, pea soup fog billowing all around, the ocean not > visible even under a near full moon.>>> Newcomers to the sport are still having “fun”, but I bet it’s > much different fun from 20-30 years ago. Just check the crappy, hostile, > unsmiling looks on their faces in the surf magazines. It really is about > attitude. It’s about money, which buys better waves and toys and > entertainment. It’s about getting more and more and more…especially > making sure they get more than the other person. Which seems to be the > socially acceptable notion of what fun is.>>> The surf schools, which I looked askance at when they first proliferated, > now make total sense to me. Instant comfortable environment. Sit down and > watch a session sometime. Nothing but smiles, and usually in conditions my > jaded old self wouldn’t even go out in. But what happens when they > graduate? The girl students will go out into the “real world”, > turning to the surf girl magazines, and are educated that male surfers are > all hostile, sexist, and are the enemy…to be used and abused. Witness > articles advising girls to pick out longboarders, bodyboarders, older > people, and then hassle them for waves.>>> They pop out of surf schools feeling good about the surf life, and then > get marketed into submission.>>> 30 plus years ago it was about having fun. Soon we had to start surfing > “the crowd”, and then with thrusters we have to surf “the > board”, and now it really takes money to get somewhere somewhat > uncrowded with somewhat good quality surf…doesn’t seem to be much about > riding waves. It seems much more complicated now. More complicated=less > fun in my book. Nels-I totally agree with you.Add to your list the web cam and jsut about all the fun (you know,havin’ a hunch about surf, taking off with high hopes, not knowing what to expect when you got there…that was part of the fun, for me anyways.)has been eliminated.I am fortunate to be able to get some solo sessions in once in awhile,but more often than not a couple of people show up with attitudes and zero manners and can ruin what could be a fun session for all.Their actions/attitudes ruin it for me and then when I try to explain what they are doing wrong,they get all bent, and it need not be that way.One or two out, just be mellow and try to go with the flow,no need to try and take over,especially when you are a visitor at some spot.That way, most likely all present will have fun and no bad vibes.
We must all be having fun if there are more doing it now than ever. Its a > hard call whether surfers now are having MORE fun. If u measure fun by > less crowds, less pollution, a less complicated world, the surfers of the > past definitely had more fun. What we have going for us today is, better > equipment, club med type surf camps with perfect waves, wave forecasting > and surf cams. Is that more fun? You decide. As for myself, Ive been > surfing for a while now, and Im having just as much, if not more fun than > I did when I was 18. Im blessed to be in good health, have the freedom to > surf when I want to, and have the ability so shape my own equipment. Im > having FUN!!! 12 years ago I quit surfing,got tried of the attitudes and crowds. I put the board in the rafters and walked away. Last summer my 7 yr. old daughter saw my board in shed the and wanted to see it. Then she wanted to know if I surfed. I explaned that it had been a long time since I had. Then she asked “Can you teach me?” How can any father say no. Next weekend I took her out, showed her how to wax her board how to wear the leash how to pop up I then took her out and pushed her into her frist wave she poped to her feet and rode till she burried her fin in the sand (about 10 feet)steeps off and is just beamming I’m so stoked from watching her that I’m hooked again.Now I’m back surfing every chance I get. I stay away from crowds. I’m willing to surf smallerwaves to surf by my self. When I go I always drive all the way down to the inlet just to check it out. Always the same 100 people out all attitude. Same reason I quit before. I drive 1/2 a mile back up the beach I can find waves, maybe not as good, but better because I’m out by my self, maybe 1 or 2 others. Best days are when its just me and my daughter. Can’t wait for my son to get old enough to surf.I don’t understand how I went 12 years with out doing this. Is surfing pure fun, no its more than that, way more.
12 years ago I quit surfing,got tried of the attitudes and crowds. I put > the board in the rafters and walked away. Last summer my 7 yr. old > daughter saw my board in shed the and wanted to see it. Then she wanted to > know if I surfed. I explaned that it had been a long time since I had. > Then she asked “Can you teach me?” How can any father say no. > Next weekend I took her out, showed her how to wax her board how to wear > the leash how to pop up I then took her out and pushed her into her frist > wave she poped to her feet and rode till she burried her fin in the sand > (about 10 feet)steeps off and is just beamming I’m so stoked from watching > her that I’m hooked again.Now I’m back surfing every chance I get. I stay > away from crowds. I’m willing to surf smallerwaves to surf by my self. > When I go I always drive all the way down to the inlet just to check it > out. Always the same 100 people out all attitude. Same reason I quit > before. I drive 1/2 a mile back up the beach I can find waves, maybe not > as good, but better because I’m out by my self, maybe 1 or 2 others. Best > days are when its just me and my daughter. Can’t wait for my son to get > old enough to surf.I don’t understand how I went 12 years with out doing > this. Is surfing pure fun, no its more than that, way more. Good on you! Pure fun :]
12 years ago I quit surfing,got tried of the attitudes and crowds. I put > the board in the rafters and walked away. Last summer my 7 yr. old > daughter saw my board in shed the and wanted to see it. Then she wanted to > know if I surfed. I explaned that it had been a long time since I had. > Then she asked “Can you teach me?” How can any father say no. > Next weekend I took her out, showed her how to wax her board how to wear > the leash how to pop up I then took her out and pushed her into her frist > wave she poped to her feet and rode till she burried her fin in the sand > (about 10 feet)steeps off and is just beamming I’m so stoked from watching > her that I’m hooked again.Now I’m back surfing every chance I get. I stay > away from crowds. I’m willing to surf smallerwaves to surf by my self. > When I go I always drive all the way down to the inlet just to check it > out. Always the same 100 people out all attitude. Same reason I quit > before. I drive 1/2 a mile back up the beach I can find waves, maybe not > as good, but better because I’m out by my self, maybe 1 or 2 others. Best > days are when its just me and my daughter. Can’t wait for my son to get > old enough to surf.I don’t understand how I went 12 years with out doing > this. Is surfing pure fun, no its more than that, way more. Thank’s dude, I needed that…Surfing and being a surfer is ‘way more’. I am going to seek out what i’m missing by avoiding the negatives and stoking myself with new shapes long and short! Watching a little kid thrilled to death about every little wave is the best! Their stoke is something to be admired. 32 years of this game, pieces get chipped away, time to re-evaluate, seek the source. We really are the enlightened ones…
After reading through the responces all I could think of was this : What if “fun” is purely subjective ? An opinion that varies from one to the next ? Surfer “A” might love the crowds and the attitude because that is what is familiar ; while surfer “B” has fun in less crowded situations. What if my thoughts on whether others are having fun are irrelevant sine I can only define fun with terms, feelings and thoughts that only I know ? In the 80’s early 90’s, I liked that atmosphere of lots of people out there, there was an energy that appealed to me at that younger age. Now, I would prefer no one or only a few people on smaller waves simply because that is what I like at this stage of life. All that I can think is that if a person is out there having a great time in his/her own way, then great. The only thing that I would like to see added to that is that what would be better is if each person out would do their best to not kill the fun of the other people around (have some respect for everyone). But, with many of the attitudes you find, that would be in fairytale-land. Coral seems to write a lot about gnomes and fairies, maybe she knows where that is.
Thanks Tim!!! I’m going surfin!!!
After reading through the responces all I could think of was this :>>> What if “fun” is purely subjective ? An opinion that varies from > one to the next ? Surfer “A” might love the crowds and the > attitude because that is what is familiar ; while surfer “B” has > fun in less crowded situations. What if my thoughts on whether others are > having fun are irrelevant sine I can only define fun with terms, feelings > and thoughts that only I know ? In the 80’s early 90’s, I liked that > atmosphere of lots of people out there, there was an energy that appealed > to me at that younger age. Now, I would prefer no one or only a few people > on smaller waves simply because that is what I like at this stage of life. > All that I can think is that if a person is out there having a great time > in his/her own way, then great. The only thing that I would like to see > added to that is that what would be better is if each person out would do > their best to not kill the fun of the other people around (have some > respect for everyone). But, with many of the attitudes you find, that > would be in fairytale-land.>>> Coral seems to write a lot about gnomes and fairies, maybe she knows where > that is. She ? More like an it if you ask me.
She ? More like an it if you ask me. But, nobody asked you, Dil-do(sp)!