Drying Out in the Pool?

I haven't gone surfing in what feels like an eternity - 2 weeks. It doesn't look promising that I'll get back in the water this weekend either. Despite feeling bummed out, I've avoided the doldrums of landlubber life by taking an American Red Cross Lifeguard Training class.

In early October 2008, I went out for some fun in the waves alone. There wasn't much surf, maybe ankle high 2 footers. It was enough to catch a quick thrill and flash a smile. The waves were breaking in waist deep water, so I simply stood by my board and hopped on the little rollers as they began to crash. Despite their diminutive status, one wave had the power to violently toss me right of the board as I got caught sideways in its face. I quickly stood up and then BAM! It felt like someone hit me on the side of my head with a two by four. I immediately saw stars and felt my head tingling, my vision was blurry, and I knew that I might pass out any moment. I turned and walked to the shore - chanting "don't pass out, get to the shore, get to the shore." Thank God it was such a gentle day and I was already close to shore. I made it and sat down - head still tingling from the blow with a lump beginning to form above my right ear. I sat down, all alone - next to my board and tried to concentrate on not passing out - "don't fall asleep, stay awake, you are probably experiencing a concusion - don't pass out."

Eventually, my wife came to the beach and my senses returned. I never went to the doctor and my head ached a little but all in all I felt pretty good. This experience definitely scared me. I could easily have drowned. Surfing alone. Hit in the head. Face to face with my mortality. Afterwards, I told myself that if I were to continue to love surfing - I needed training in lifesaving skills.

Now I find myself in a class of twenty students, mostly between the ages of 16 - 19, every evening this week from 6 - 10 PM learning how to be a lifeguard. Sometimes I hate it - especially when we sit in a circle and read from the book. But other times - when we are in the water practicing life saving rescues - I feel like it is an awesome experience. Last night I dreamt that I tried to save someone's life who was choking. I calmly positioned the woman and began to administer the Heimlich maneuver. It didn't work - and I woke up before she died. But it felt really good to at least be able to do something.

My favorite times surfing are often when there are no lifeguards, no crowds, no one else around. I love the solitary, individual challenge of surfing. By sacrificing a little ego to be the old kooky guy in the lifeguard class, I may have found a new passion. Thanks Eddie!

In Search of a Good Book This Summer?

In Search of Captain Zero, is one of the best books I've read lately.  Over the weekend, I was lucky to share the company of a fellow surfing enthusiast and the conversation inevitably turned to Allan Weisbecker's book.

Weisbecker recounts the story of his search to find an old best friend, whom he hasn't seen in five years.  The only information he has of his friend's whereabouts is a two year old post card that says, "I decided to go Down South."

Thus begins Weisbecker's journey from Long Island to Costa Rica.  Along the way he shares anecdotes from his drug smuggling years that are both hilarious and disturbing.

If you are looking for a fun summer read at the beach, then you should pick up a copy and enjoy Allan's search for the perfect wave, a lost friend, and the meaning of life.

Anticipating Summer

It's almost Memorial Day - the unofficial beginning of summer at the Jersey Shore - and I am eager to spend as much time in the water as possible. Lately, I've been fighting a cold or allergies, whatever it is I definitely haven't been myself. Soon, very soon I'll revive and reclaim fitness, well being, and vitality. It'll be just like last year ... cue dream sequence.

Ah, last summer ....  I remember it so well. Enjoy this video of Julie and I surfing in the summer of '08.  Notice the cool green rash guard I wore, ala The Creep!  This summer I'll stick with Kooky Carl.

The Top Ten List

Last weekend, Julie and I headed down the shore to catch the lingering effects of a recent swell. I've come to judge the Surfline report with some skepticism - as a rating of fair to good was given the Rincon surf while Julie and I were in Puerto Rico. I thought the waves were huge that day. On many occasions, Surfline reports flat - poor conditions for the waves of OCNJ and upon arrival I find some really fun little waves to ride. Well, its pretty rare to find a Surfline report of fair to good for OCNJ and when I saw a positive rating for the Jersey Shore last week, I told Julie we had to get down there. We left Saturday morning at 10 AM and started out on the 1.5 hour drive from Narberth to 44th and West on the island. After cruising along to some morning tunes, Julie and I got to talking about surfing. She started to list the reasons whey she loves surfing and I told her to check out my last post - our lists were eerily similar. Then I told her about my favorited surfers - my top ten list. This is a list of the surfers who I think are the best.

10. Phil Edwards - He makes the list because his book You Should Have Been Here An Hour Ago was the first surfer's autobiography I ever read. As a young boy growing up in Oceanside, Edwards was part of the California surfing boom of the 1950s and later became a pioneer big wave surfer at Hawaii's Bonzai Pipline. Edwards is the epitome of Surfer Cool.

9. Rob Machado - I don't know too much about Rob, but in the film Step into Liquid Rob seems like a super cool guy hanging out with his buddy who broke his back while surfing.

8. Occy - Wild Austrailian needs to be on this list. North Shore cast member.

7. Laird Hamilton - Mind, Body, Spirit beefcake. North Shore cast member - that costume?

6. Shaun Tomson - South African tube rider, documentarian, super cool.

5. Kelly Slater - maybe the best?

4. George Freeth - Irish and Hawaiian, first white man to really popularize the sport.

3. Mark Richards - MR rocks!














2. Eddie Aikau - World's Greatest Waterman, not only a masterful big wave rider but an amazing life guard and a hero.

















1. Duke Kahanamoku - the father of modern surfing!


Sorry no women made the list -
Honorable Mention - Louise Southerden - Her book Surf's Up: The Girl's Guide to Surfing gave me the courage to get over myself and PLF!

Why do I do what I do? No, really why?

5.3.09

I’ve finished my final paper for the MA program at Temple. Julie will edit it for me. I’ll print it out and deliver it to Professor Nguyen on Tuesday. What confuses me is how I feel – there’s no sense of satisfaction. It’s an empty feeling – like I’ve lost something that defines who I am. For the past three years, I have been a graduate student. Now I’ve graduated – what’s next?

Ah, Germain Grisez was right. In his book, Beyond the New Morality, he argues that if you base your happiness on accomplishing goals – then you can never be happy, because happiness is something in the future, something you are always striving for. As soon as you reach your goal, you must set a new one. There is no time to relax. There is no moment of accomplishment, satisfaction, or happiness. How can I break this cycle?

Maybe I’ll choose a distraction – like surfing? Do I really love surfing? Why do I surf? Why do I teach? No, really why?

I like surfing for many reasons:
1. I like the way it makes me feel. Athletic, Powerful, Excited, Stoked.
2. I like the way I look in my surf gear – I rock that wetsuit!
3. I like surf culture – it offers an alternative to mainstream society that focuses on living in the moment, The Journey, and doing something you love.
4. I like the aesthetic beauty of surfing – I could watch videos of Mark Richards and Shaun Thomson all day.
5. I like that surfing is an activity that I can share with my wife – like tennis, only its not competitive (for me anyways).
6. I like how surfing makes me aware of the ocean, the beach, and the environment in general. I feel more in touch with Mother Nature and I care more about her.
7. I like the challenge of surfing – the physical challenge of trying to catch a wave, the mental challenge of finding good surf in a constantly changing system of energy, the emotional challenge of overcoming fear.
8. I like that surfing takes place in the water and at a beach. I can spend an entire day at the beach, exercising and having a ton of fun.
9. I like how difficult it is to surf. When I actually catch a wave and stand-up for the ride, I get a huge sense of accomplishment because it is no easy task. If it was really easy to surf, a lot more people would do it.
10. I like surfing because it makes me happy. Just thinking about surfing makes me smile.

It took me less than ten minutes to come up with ten reasons why I like surfing – that’s pretty good – I think it is safe to say, I definitely like surfing.

Droppin In Mainstream? SI's Kelly Slater Article

I just finished reading Gary Smith's article on Kelly Slater in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated titled Ready For the Next Wave. This photo captures the author's intent of trying to open the door into Slater's life, "the door that's there for all of us, the one too risky for many to open, behind which lies the question: Why do you what you do?"

It definitely got my heart pounding as Smith provides a psychoanalysis of Slater and why he surfs. Slater is the face of professional surfing. When I had no clue about the art of wave sliding and the joy it brings, I still knew Kelly Slater was the best. Smith does a good job of challenging the audience to examine their own lives as he delves into Slater's.

The article probes into the personal life of Slater to expose the forces that drive him to succeed. According to Smith, Slater grew up "as the child of alcoholism and divorce." This shaped his self-image, personality, and how he copes with the world. As the middle child, "Kelly was the mediator, the boy who yearned to be the bridge" in arguments between his mother, father, and siblings. As a skeptic, I initially found Smith's article too cliche - the superstar finds his strength by fighting to turn his troubled childhood into the fuel for his excellence. Great material for a magazine story, but maybe overly dramatic.

Yet, there is something about Slater. It could be that I've heard about him, but I can't recall ever really hearing from him. No interviews pop into mind and he's rarely quoted in the article. It reads from the perspective of the arm chair analyst providing details of the patient's life as the source of his anxiety, self-consciousness, and depression. Kelly comes across as this silent surfing giant struggling to overcome his own personal demons.

Slater's story rings true for me. The article left me feeling uncomfortable and a little upset. I've found myself at 33, trying to avoid the whys of my own life. Why am I a teacher? Why do I study History? Why am I here? David Byrne's lyrics - "This is not my beautiful house, this is not my beautiful wife, my God, how did I get here?" have much more meaning to me now than when I was a teenager. I can identify with Slater. What worked for me as a child: getting good grades, trying to forge my own place in a big family, ignoring the chaos, seeking to please authority figures - doesn't cut it today. Currently, I find myself teaching in a very chaotic environment where strength and attitude are rewarded while compassion and generosity are considered weaknesses. As a result, I suffer from a lot of anxiety, worry, and panic about my teaching, graduate school, and the future. Sometimes I can't enjoy the good times because they are always fleeting. I can understand how Slater could be a world champion surfer and still feel unsatisfied with life.

Smith's article definitely intrigued me. As a surfer, I liked seeing the exposure of the sport and its perennial king. Hints of the future - Surf Stadiums with the Perfect Wave Machines, and Olympic gold - also stoked my enthusiasm. Smith pulls the curtains back just enough on Slater's personal life to leave me wanting more. The next surfer biography I'll read is Slater's Pipe Dreams. Hopefully, it will allow me to open the door and walk into Slater's world.

You can check out the article at: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1155067/index.htm

Jersey Shore Surf!

August 25, 2009

First time in the water: Ocean City, NJ
44th street. In the break between 45th and 43rd streets.

Observations: Mostly sunny. Light cloud cover, high small cirrus clouds. Above average temperatures – 70s. The sun is directly overhead. Sunlight sparkles off the wave, like diamonds in the sea. Water temperature – cold, maybe the coldest water I’ve ever been in – feels like pins, prickling / stinging my feet and hands. Wetsuit works great, offered protection from hypothermia. The stoke of wave riding kept me warm – no time to think about being cold when you are scanning the peaks on the horizon for the next perfect wave to glide down.

As I returned to the waters of Ocean City, NJ – I also reverted back to my kooky-style of surfing. With a nice sandy bottom, no coral reef to worry about destroying, no sea urchins with their nasty needles to dance around, I could just stand next to my board and wait for the waves, hop on at the last minute, paddle one or two strokes, and then hold-on tight, rise into my cobra pose, climb up from my knees to my feet and viola! Stand, surfing, for a solid 3 seconds!

Sure, my first day in the water after Rincon, PR was a bit of a let down, but only for a few seconds. As soon as I caught my first wave and rose to my feet, I only thought, in that moment, fully focused, that this was awesome! Also, I was super jazzed to find nice little 1 footers to ride at the 44th street beach. This is my beach. This is where I surf and its nice to know that on any given day, I can get out in the water. I don’t care if it is flat. I don’t care if it is cold. I don’t care if it is crowded. I know I can get out there and have fun, every time.

There are no great tales of unforgettable rides to tell after this first day. I was excited on two separate occasions to be able to take one step forward on the board in my ultimate pursuit of walking the nose. There was one moment though, when a group of birds were flying in the migratory V-formation, north along the beach toward Atlantic City. The amazing thing was this flock of about twenty birds flew just a few feet above the surface of the ocean and directly in my direction. I laid prostrate on my board and just watched as they flew over, so close I could clearly see that they were ducks. In the same frame of sight, the sun sparkled off the water creating an amazingly beautiful testament to the pure beauty of mother Earth. I was overcome with awe on top of the stoke I’d already received.

What a great day!