Surfing And The Spirit Of Exploration
When I hit the beach to surf I usually head down to Mermaid Beach. Though the waves are not among the best of the Gold Coast’s offerings, I choose this spot because of the ability to dodge the swelling crowds. Crowds and surfing: they’ve got a funny relationship. No serious surfer out there will tell you that they enjoy surfing in a tightly packed spot, yet nonetheless we all tend to exacerbate the matter by obeying certain sheep-like behavior (i.e. the “follow the pack” mentality).
On any given day at Mermaid, there will be at least 3 or 4 peaks. Typically only 1 is being surfed and by many surfers. I’ll always have a look before jumping in and invariably, I will pick a different peak to surf on. Both the quality of wave and the number of people on each peak will all play into my calculations. I’ll typically trade some degree of quality for a smaller crowd, but that’s just me.
It’s common for me to walk up to a kilometer in either direction to pick out a wave. After my deliberative process and having installed myself in a given spot however, there’s always some surfer that breaks from the pack and comes to park right on my shoulder. I am always bewildered that the person didn’t take that initiative earlier, before my arrival, given the fact that that break had been there all day. In the end, I figure it’s nothing more than a lack of imagination on the other’s behalf, remaining oblivious until someone else (myself in this case) points the small detail out to them.
This generally reflects the fact (which also bewilders me) that most surfers don’t take any time to survey the water in search of the best wave before getting in. On the contrary, they simply get in and paddle out to the same spot where everybody else is already bunching up, assuming that by default, that will be the spot with the nicest waves.
I’ve had days when I was the only person in the water, with peaks forming all up and down the beach, yet an additional surfer will come and sit on my shoulder. On these occasions, I just paddle to the next wave and continued my session there, wondering at the other person’s intelligence all the way.
In the end, this prevalent behavior obliges me to wonder: what ever happened to the exploratory spirit that used to be so essential to surfing? Where has it ended up? When did it get substituted by this sheepish behavior where everyone just follows the rest? Perhaps I am peculiar now in my eagerness for uninterrupted surfing; maybe the crowd dynamic is what most people enjoy now? It’s beyond me, yet I can’t help thinking this type of behavior is odd.
A token piece of advice: next time you go down to the beach to surf, stop for a moment and contemplate where you’ll position yourself. The spot with the big, unwieldy crowd is likely not to be where you’ll surf the most or the best waves!
Damian Papworth knows that when it comes to a surf trip, Australias Gold Coast is a ideal location. It definitely is the earth’s ultimate surf resort. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
Tags: Australia, beach holiday, Destinations, extreme sports, Gold Coast, holidays, leisure, recreation, recreation and leisure, Summer Holiday, sun holiday, surfing, travel, vacation
Related posts
September 16 2009 03:25 am | Destinations
Surfing And The Spirit Of Exploration | best design surfer shorts on 05 Oct 2009 at 10:50 pm #
[...] A nice web master created an interesting post today on Surfing And The Spirit Of ExplorationHere’s a short outline [...]
Surfing And The Spirit Of Exploration | PRO SWIM GEAR on 05 Oct 2009 at 11:32 pm #
[...] And The Spirit Of Exploration Written by This chap placed an observative post today on Surfing And The Spirit Of ExplorationHere’s a quick [...]
Surfing And The Spirit Of Exploration | Swimsuits Paradise on 06 Oct 2009 at 12:03 pm #
[...] Another decent blogger created an interesting post today on Surfing And The Spirit Of ExplorationHere’s a short outlineRelated posts: Black Terry Cloth Scoop Neck Cover Up. solid terry halter dress with ring in beach. Ultrasoft terry cloth fashions a cozy, flowy dress topped by a smocked bodice and small ruffles. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. Shop online for thousands of great items like the Smock Terry. Ruffle Skirt Anavini Hula Monkey Smocked Tee Shirt Anavini Cover up 405 South Anita G Terry Cloth Beach Coverup Auraluz Sailboat Daygown. White Smocked Plus Size Terry Cloth Ruffle Cover Up- Plus Size Swimsuit Black Smocked Plus Size Terry Cloth Ruffle Cover Up- Plus Size Swimwear Plus Size. NWT T-Bags Rayon Tiered Cami Ruffle Dress M Black 215 9.99 Orange Print Smocked Tube Dress 175 NWT T-Bags Terry Cloth Swimsuit Cover-Up Dress S 35.00. Pairs Great with a Coordinate Swimsuit Bottom, a Cover-Up, Sunglasses 7.68 Smocked Bodice. Button Ruffle Fleece Baby Hat 14.00 Girls Swimsuit [...] [...]