My Relationship with Surfing

I started surfing when I was 25 when I was invited on a trip by an old friend of mine to Cornwall, I already knew I was going to get hooked because I love to skateboard and snowboard. One sunny day in Cornwall out in Cowen Bay on a couple of large 8-foot foamies I was about to catch my first ever wave but even before that wave, I had already fallen in love with the whole process of surfing. being out in the water sitting on the board and watching the waves roll by, realizing what was possible with this Hobbie sparked a fire for it. that day I managed to catch a couple of ankle biters and rode them onto the beach with a massive smile on my face from that day onwards I was going to make this a priority in my life.

Have you ever met somebody who just inspires and changes your view on life? I managed to meet a person that summer I started surfing, his name is Tommy. Tommy had been through a lot in his life having had cancer that almost ended his life pretty early on, this had changed his view on life, and his priorities had shifted, instead of going after the money, the house, the cars (well he still goes after the vans) he was way more focus on experiences. he packed up his VW T4 and headed out for months at a time going after waves. At that point in my life, I was on the path to saving up money to do the whole settling down gig. But after meeting Tommy I had a very dramatic change of plans, I sold all my belongings and decided to go to New Zealand as I heard it was pretty good for surfing.

I guess I threw myself into the deep end (pun intended) as I didn't realize how big of a step up New Zealand was to summer waves in Devon. but I got myself a 6-foot foamy and just went for it! Getting into that wet suit got me all giddy. New Zealand was the first time I started to realize that surfing was very different from skateboarding and snowboarding in an egotistical way. I thought because we are all out here doing the same hobby, which means we have the same interests; we will automatically be friends... Not everybody was very friendly, hard to understand really. I always feel very privileged to be doing hobbies such as surfing, firstly the gear ain't cheap, secondly to be able to take the time away from life to go sit around in the water riding waves means we are in the top bracket of the luckiest people in the world, that's why I don't understand when people feel the need to be unfriendly in the water. skateboarding there's etiquette to a ramp, you just know who's going next as they have been waiting for the longest, same with snowboarding but surfing you now have to give way to somebody because they are in the right spot at the right time and errr live locally. Sometimes in the heat of the moment you just bloody go for a wave and end up on the same wave as somebody else, I see this as a magical bonding experience but some people get bloody angry, I mean that wave traveled a long way, for now, us two human beings to be sharing this moment! magic. I try to never let other people get me down especially when I'm out doing my hobbies I'm here for fun and fun only. Anyway, I've had a good rant but it felt well-needed to get this out.

As hippie as it sounds, I find surfing has taught me many lessons, and one of those lessons is that you don't always get your way in life and that no matter where you go to do the things you love there will always be at least one shit bag.

Get Shacked

The Shit Shed Shaper

Max

Picture of me and Tommy at Boardmasters rocking some swanky tights.