The following post was originally written in http://www.longboard.net/wwwboard/ but I reckon Paul`s words also deserve a go in Swaylocks: “Where do you see surfing 20 years from now? I think the crowded surf zones will reach a point of saturated stability…In those zones there will be less tolerance for equipment beyond the norm… The mindless followers, who just follow each other, will be striving to be at the top of a pecking order that’s virtually impossible to climb… Most of surfing is not about surfing at all but rather simple human interaction, the predictable methods by which humans interact with other humans. The need to fit in, the need for peer acceptance, the need to dominate fellow males, the need to make some sort of individual statement Surfers are the least individualistic people on the planet…Yet they scream the loudest about being radical and individual…Yeah, lets all get matching tribal tattoos…How else to explain most guy’s riding equipment that varies microscopially little from that which was figured out back in '66…? The average longboard is so totally UNimaginative as to make each and every one of it’s riders blemish in embarassment, not that any of them are savvy enough to know this simple fact…Oh and how they live and die by the dimensions of their boards…A good surfer can ride anything, and not make excuses about it… The shit that’s stocked in your average whitebread surf shop…? The generic Harbor 9-6’s and Basic H 9-2’s…? The same crap that’s been perpetuated upon a clueless clientele more concerned with the latest surf fashions than true surfboard progression or their own (supposedly sacrosanct) personal learning curve. The foam and fiberglass equivalent of a Yugo sedan, and that’s WITHOUT the custom seat covers…Most of 'em just bought the lifestyle off the whitebread rack… Give ‘em 10 years and their gonna be bad ass (that’s with a small b and a) Harley boys…Throwin’ the line “yeah, I always wanted one as a kid, so why not now…?”…Next… En masse it’s beyond pathetic. Individually, I see hope for redemption, though the true individuals are getting further and further apart… The print media will continue to be a small private club, presenting a very small slice of what surfing is…The print media will have significantly less impact as the WWW grows… Fresh ideas regarding surf craft will come from the exchange of ideas via the WWW…The majority of those ideas will be developed outside the major surf zones… Wetsuits will become amazing… The waves will not change…” Paul Jensen http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/index.htm
20 years is a long time. 5 years from now - the promotion of surfing by the surf-apparel corporates will have boosted crowds horribly. There will also be an increase in the number of contests as surf-apparel corporates and others try to push the next generation of pro-surfing clothes horses. But a smart, well organised free surf movement will have emerged. This movement will be agitating against the global-corporates take over of the best local breaks at the best time of the year with court cases and negative media spinning. But before it get’s too nasty, the local free surf movements in colaboration with local government and the corporates will build killer artificial reefs near the famous breaks for the exclusive use of the corporates for the contest once a year and enjoyment of everyone the rest of the time thus easing the crowd problems and making the corporates look like they are have real surfing roots (assuming tax breaks are available) The apparel corporates may even build amazing wave pools in the centre of big cities like Paris and London so they can sell surf fashion to kids who’ve never seen the beach. The artificial reefs and wave pools will be technically possible because it’s the future.
Surfing in the year 2024. After the surrender to the Islamic countries of the world to avoid a war back in the early 2000’s the world became ruled by Mullahs who inforced strict Islamic law. Movies, rock music, tv, radio, and all other pleasurable activities where ban. This included surfing. Most of the world’s beaches where so polluted the people quit visiting them. Besides, the women ,in their black head to toe robes, found the beach just to hot. The up side was the number skincancer cases caused by exposure to the sun was at all time lows. There is talk among some of the older coastal nomads of an island in the tropics where some tribe known as the Swaylocks live. It is said they have yet to surrender to the Mullahs. OK you guys help me out. What happened next?
…Berut,1983.Herb
Surfing in the year 2024. After the surrender to the Islamic countries of > the world to avoid a war back in the early 2000’s the world became ruled > by Mullahs who inforced strict Islamic law. Movies, rock music, tv, radio, > and all other pleasurable activities where ban. This included surfing. > Most of the world’s beaches where so polluted the people quit visiting > them. Besides, the women ,in their black head to toe robes, found the > beach just to hot. The up side was the number skincancer cases caused by > exposure to the sun was at all time lows. There is talk among some of the > older coastal nomads of an island in the tropics where some tribe known as > the Swaylocks live. It is said they have yet to surrender to the Mullahs. > OK you guys help me out. What happened next? Paul- I think you are right on the money!
I was waiting for the clincher… that Paul had written that in 1983! Surfing’s popularity seems to run in cycles with frantic manipulation by the surf media/industry. They’re always trying to come up with some new (or recycled) fad to keep things fresh and compelling to the gullible masses. The die hard soul survivors, doing what they do best, will transcend the cycles and fads. They will still be around long after the kooks, wannabes and assorted mainstream trend followers have lost interest.
I was waiting for the clincher… that Paul had written that in 1983!>>> Surfing’s popularity seems to run in cycles with frantic manipulation by > the surf media/industry. They’re always trying to come up with some new > (or recycled) fad to keep things fresh and compelling to the gullible > masses.>>> The die hard soul survivors, doing what they do best, will transcend the > cycles and fads. They will still be around long after the kooks, wannabes > and assorted mainstream trend followers have lost interest. I’M STILL KINDA WORRIED ABOUT THE HORDES OF LESBIAN SURF DIVA’S THROWING ROCKS AT ME AT THE CLIFFS, THEY ARE ALL READY MOVING IN FAST!!!
I was just a punk kid in 1970 and standing up in the white water rode a borrowed Dewey Weber Performer to the shore. That day changed my life immeasurably. We just need to remember to connect the past and future, no matter what happens the stoke is available to anyone who paddles out, the rest will just fall by the wayside.
I’M STILL KINDA WORRIED ABOUT THE HORDES OF LESBIAN SURF DIVA’S THROWING > ROCKS AT ME AT THE CLIFFS, THEY ARE ALL READY MOVING IN FAST!!! …What will the REEF girls be like in 20 years?Herb
…What will the REEF girls be like in 20 years? …They are todays newborn…Think about it… Paul http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/New.htm
The following post was originally written in longboard.net but I reckon Paul`s words also deserve a go in Swaylocks: That post was a combination of my thoughts and the thoughts of a friend…I’m not all THAT smart… Paul http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/New.htm
I was just a punk kid in 1970 and standing up in the white water rode a > borrowed Dewey Weber Performer to the shore. That day changed my life > immeasurably. We just need to remember to connect the past and future, no > matter what happens the stoke is available to anyone who paddles out, the > rest will just fall by the wayside. Who knows but i know one thing there will still be waves to ride and boards to be built… I only hope thru the years we help create the future. A future of peace… Where our children can raise there kids without fear… Learn the past, watch the present, and create the future.–Jesse Conrad The one thing i do see for sure is Pop Outs will fall to the wayside with all of our other mistakes… Long Live the Underground… http://surfnwsc.com
Despite media proganda and lies the authentic underground will thrive and everyone else will look on, jealous.
Let’s see…First the Good News: Baby Boomers are dead or close to it so longboarding will have finally died for good. The long awaited changes in construction materials will have resulted in boards that are 6’-7’ long but float like 10’. The price of a new stick has not changed in 20 years. Surfing is now a fringe sport (like windsurfing is now) so the crowds are back to 1950’s levels. Global Warming creates great swells. Coastal property is dirt cheap. Coral finally graduates from high school. Herb finally wins his suit against the Homeowners Association. Now the bad news: There is no such thing as a custom surfboard. You buy boards like snow skis…different lengths within set models with predetermined performance characteristics. The Jihad Wars have relegated the travelling surfer to the “Good ol’ days” memoirs and vids. Besides, the increase in sea level across the globe has drown most of the Indian Ocean and South Pacific reefs. The remaining surfers can ride only at extreme low tides or during the bigger swells. Night surfing is now common to take advantage of both low tides. Upper atmosphere pollution has only a minute effect on Global Warming. There’s nothing anyone can do about it…The rise in sea level has resulted in catastrophic sea cliff erosion and coastal flooding. Herb can’t remember why he started the lawsuit in the first place. Newbs
Paul (and friend?) accurately described a lot of what surfing is today. Many other responses offered up speculation and humor. It’s a topic which makes the mind reel. I can tell you now, artificial reefs will never happen in any quantity enough to make any difference at all. Never. Why? Because they change nature. They change geography, and for the express benefit of surfers? The same outrage felt against oil spills will be applied to reefs which might inadvertantly change littoral flows, undermine roads or home or business foundations. Forever, I might add. Wave pools? There is the future and the solution to the overcrowding. There is a mental adjustment which needs to be made - a seperation of the act of riding waves from the exclusive location of an ocean. This will further divide surfers but the deflation of crowd pressure will eventually, or would eventually, allow this to co-exist. Look to the sport/trad climbing thing for a guide. The effects of the media and “industry”: I’ve gone around this block over and over. The low cost of the internet will indeed be the lifeline for alternatives, underground thought, loony craftspeople, and free thought. The key concept is the term “free”. There not only isn’t a fortune in the internet, there is hardly a living. Sometimes you just gotta do it, hope for the kindness of strangers, or have faith it will lead you into something else. There is a fine line which I like to dance on, from Jack Kerouac: “I don’t care about craft, man. I want FEELING.” That doesn’t apply to glassing schedules, but to whatever keeps you up until 2 in the morning to finish whatever project you are working on. Once upon a time the surf media sustained a volley between reporting what was happening and feeding the heads to keep it moving. It was good for everybody. Those days pretty much started to end with the advent of modern pro surfing, but oddly it wasn’t pro surfing contests which caused so much damage as the related business quests for surfer money. There are notable exceptions, among magazines and people involved. Anyone who is looking forward to the Baby Boomers kicking the bucket ought to think that through in a manner the California school systems apparently did not: They breed. What does the secular media call it? The Boomer Echo, something like that. And from what I see the Boomer Brats as a whole weren’t taught manners, respect, or much common sense. There is a tv show on one of the nether Fox channels called “You Gotta See This” that might as well have been titled “Eat S*&t and Die”. I laugh myself into asthma watching guys accidentally snowboard into their own trucks for a friend with a video camera, causing serious injury. I don’t even wince as they show the bloody closeups. This is the incoming crew, fully believing they will have 20 year old bodies forever and the longboard is a relic. See you in 20 years, guys, if you can get out of the SUV. Equipment: ??? Who knows. I’ll speculate a 60/40 ratio of “popouts” to customs. Popouts in this sense would be everything from soft and “stock” boards through molded/manufactured boards. Customs would be for those who want to vary a design they’ve already tried at a lower cost on a “popout”, OR, for custom colors/spray jobs. That’s something any custom guy looking to make or keep a living wage ought to consider right now. I know it sounds lame to some degree, but it’s a motivator for the surfer to absolutely love the way a board looks, and as surfboard shaping becomes increasingly mechanized that will be one key element of distinction between product. A revolution? Not likely. The final frontier in urbanized areas (i.e. the entire U.S.; Oz, Europe; SA) is either wavepools or junk surf. Any life-altering surfing revolution is going to happen between your ears. It can happen, it can bring peace and prosperity to your life, although I’m not sure it can bring both of those latter items at the same time, and it can make for a better surfing world for everybody, but it isn’t cheap and it isn’t easy. Anyhow, that’s my view from the Cheap Seats.
I vote Nels should be the senior editor AND baby sitter at Surfer AND Surfing. You rock man.
I vote Nels should be the senior editor AND baby sitter at Surfer AND > Surfing. You rock man. Thanks, although I would like to add to the oil spill/artificial reef comment that I did not mean that we shouldn’t be outraged or horrified by oil spills anywhere - just that others will see artificial reefs with much the same outrage. As for Surfer and Surfing, once upon a time while running up huge phone bills in an editorial office there researching a travel issue I came upon a “Bathroom Poll” posted in the men’s room. It read something like this: “Are you in favor of drug testing? If so, which ones.” The earlier responses by staffers, many from San Diego State, ran the genteel gamut, including “The little white ones we had in college to stay up all night”. I was older than many of that magazine era, and a freelance outsider from the North (of L.A. ) hinterlands, and I couldn’t resist writing “All of them, but not necesarily at the same time”. That seemed to kill the thread for some reason. This was years ago but but this episode seems to haunt me still, as if it illustrates the difference between the regular surf media and surfing. Once upon a time it was ALL wild fun…
Surfing 20 years from now? The whole thing spiriling down in to a fiery hell. The overbearing sea of humanity spilling out in to the lineups, forcing the culture to canabalize its young. Give a wave? Yeah right! Give a black eye sounds more like it. The youth will be raised in an increasingly competitive environment of hatred and twisted morals. The tattooed loud mouth punk will be king. We’ll reminice of the good ol days when having your tires slashed or getting the $hit kicked out of you was the worst that could happen on your merry trip to the beach. The surfboard has been stuck in a rut for the last 30 plus years, there’s no indication that things will change in the next 20. Corporations will realize there’s no money in surfing. What little cash that’s left in the industry will dry up like a spit wad on the hood of your car in the middle of summer. 20 years? Who needs to wait 20 years? The future is now! We’re headed down a f#cked up road in desperate need of someone to grab the wheel. It’s all downhill from here friends. I’m just glad I got in while it was still good. See ya on the flip side.
Surfing 20 years from now? The whole thing spiriling down in to a fiery > hell. The overbearing sea of humanity spilling out in to the lineups, > forcing the culture to canabalize its young. Give a wave? Yeah right! Give > a black eye sounds more like it. The youth will be raised in an > increasingly competitive environment of hatred and twisted morals. The > tattooed loud mouth punk will be king. We’ll reminice of the good ol days > when having your tires slashed or getting the $hit kicked out of you was > the worst that could happen on your merry trip to the beach. The surfboard > has been stuck in a rut for the last 30 plus years, there’s no indication > that things will change in the next 20. Corporations will realize there’s > no money in surfing. What little cash that’s left in the industry will dry > up like a spit wad on the hood of your car in the middle of summer. 20 > years? Who needs to wait 20 years? The future is now! We’re headed down a > f#cked up road in desperate need of someone to grab the wheel. It’s all > downhill from here friends. I’m just glad I got in while it was still > good. See ya on the flip side. Man, I remember this question from Social Studies in High School…and I got a C-. I thought we’d of had anti-gravity skate boards by now. And, no the industry is not going to dry up. But, people are going to have to learn some tolerance in the line up. And, we are going to need to explore outside of Southern California and it’s contiguous areas to find un-crowded surf. There will be or have been some hot little grom from Indonesia or China that will have oblitorated all preconcieved limits to surfing. And, we’re all going to have to learn to earn our own keep and respect others whoever they might be or we’re not going to make it.
OK you guys help me out. What happened next? I see the beautiful beaches and waves of Europe. No oil. Pollution free except for the Germans and Swedes[smile] (My family is German and my wife is from Sweden).