I’m sorry babe, but Surfing is the one for me. I knew it from the moment I caught that first wave: The rush, the fleeting joy of that first ride that left me spluttering, head over heels for you.
I was just a boy on a surf lesson, clad in a neoprene wetsuit, and a 9ft softtop at my side, my stomach knotted as I plodded into the ocean. My instructor was my wingman, setting me up for that first date that would be the start of a lifelong love affair.
Valentine’s day is all about showing love for those closest to you. So, this February at the Pacific Surf Company Broadcast, we’ve decided to show our love for Surfing, and all that it has given us. Here are 5 reasons why we’re asking surfing to be our Valentine this February.
(Photo: Kait Rogers)
1. Surfing brings joy
Riding a wave is a playful act. The whirl of sound and colour, the lift underneath the board as you glide across the water. It can’t help but bring a smile to your face. Surfing will bring you up on those down days, and then it will turn your smile into a big, ear-to-ear grin!
2. Surfing connects us with others
Surfing is social. Whether you are cheering on your friend as they catch a wave, or looking out for other surfers in the ocean, surfing requires us to pay attention to those around us. We form friendships in the water, and those interactions out past the break teach us about social interactions out of the water.
(Photo: Kait Rogers)
3. Surfing is good for our bodies
It’s no secret that surfing is a workout! A few hours surfing a week will have you feeling fit for most of what life throws at you. It develops quick reflexes as we have to respond to the fast-breaking waves, and flexibility from popping up and rotating the body during turning.
Further, if we want to be in shape to surf, we end up wanting to take better care of our bodies in general. So the goal of improving our surfing can motivate us to make better lifestyle choices in general.
4. Time spent in the ocean is time well spent
It seems like we’re not the only ones that feel this way. More and more research is surfacing showing the beneficial effects that time spent in the ocean has upon us. One of the most common things we observe in our lessons is that students come out with a blissful “post-surf” feeling. We think that the immersion in the water combined with the exercise and joy-giving aspects of surfing contributes to this feeling.
(Photo: Kait Rogers)
5. Surfing is for everyone!
The ocean welcomes everyone into its foamy brine, and there is an infinite number of ways to ride a wave. The one you choose is an expression of your identity, momentarily imprinted upon the wave.
Technique matters, but your style is your own flair applied to that technique. One of my favourite things to watch in surfing is how each individual surfers personality emerges through the way that they surf.
Surfing challenges us all and gives us the confidence to express ourselves in our own unique way.
Surfing, we love you!
(Photo: Cristina Gareau)
Blog written by Adam Tory