This blog is devoted to recording my thoughts and feelings about surfing. I believe that surfing has fundamentally changed my life. In Allan Weisbecker's great surfing memoir In Search of Captain Zero he states that whenever someone asks him to teach them how to surf, he responds "Careful, surfing will change your life."
In what ways has surfing changed my life?
1. Surfing has changed how I view the ocean and being in the water.
In the summer of 2007, I started to realize that I did not enjoy being in the water. The waters off the Jersey Shore are murky and often cold. In the summer the beaches get very crowded. Bathers are restricted to guarded areas and they congregate in masses from the ages of 2 to 72. I often thought about how much human waste was being dispensed as we all tried to body surf without running into one another. There is the fish and crab factor. My toes always fell victim to the sharp claws and the stinging pinch of the crabs, while my feet and legs often brushed against something rough and scaly. Finally, the unforgiving jelly fish. One too many times, I walked out into the water jumping in pain from the sharp pinch of a crab only to see three or four jelly fish floating nearby. I hit a wall. Overwhelmed by frustration, I actually considered never going into the water again. I'd stay beach side in the warm sun, safe from the treacherous waters and the demons that lay within.
But then I tried surfing.
Now I see the water, the ocean, and the waves in a completely new light. The ocean is no longer just a depository of creepy sea creatures, human waste, and pollution. It is the source of pure enjoyment, exercise, energy, and excitement. The ocean is my playground. The surf board is my own personal watercraft. I can paddle across the ocean's surface, lay back on my board and rest, sit up and see the sights, and most enjoyable of all - I can ride the waves. I love to be in the water. Crabs, Jelly fish, even sharks can't sink my ship! Why has my perception of the ocean changed so drastically? It is because of the powerful feelings, the emotions I feel when I surf. Surfing creates a spectrum of emotions - from extreme excitement to serene tranquility and the ocean provides the venue for this wondrous activity.
