Environmentalists, activists, opinion-makers, and bloggers: they all want to blame the surf industry and big surf companies for the current state of surf soul. Is this fair? Is this leading us anywhere? Who’s really to blame? Of course, we all like to think big corporate groups are taking more than what they’re giving back to the sport (which is true), but are they really the only ones to blame? If nowadays anyone can make a living running a surf blog, website, or any other kind of “friendly surfing business,” you must be honest and say thanks to all those “big guys” who started small and became huge and made surfing a lucrative business.
A more accurate and deeper analysis shows us surfing reached a stage when people to whom surfing means nothing were dragged into the sport in one way or another. My family, girlfriend, and friends all respect surfing because they know how much it means to me. But they simply can’t understand it as deeply as I do. So the big question is: Why are people increasingly getting in touch with the sport? And what affect, if any, does it have on surf culture? And most importantly, what kind of surf “culture” would you like to exude?
A primary reason people are becoming more and more aware of surfing is because everyone involved—even those who we consider as harmless purists—sell a false, idealistic lifestyle that everyone wants to be associated with. Perfect bodies, perfect smiles, exotic places, fame, money, and status; it’s constantly being fed to people every second of the day. But is this the true reality of surfing? At least it used to not be.
For those who’ve been deeply involved with the surf culture for decades and expect nothing more than self realization, we learned that to touch gold, sacrifices must be made. Family, friends, careers, mental health, and financial and emotional stability is constantly threatened. So, when you don’t tell the truth and sell people on false reality, things get extremely distorted.
Professional surfers and beginners alike, it doesn’t matter if you’re on the “good” or “bad” side, you can’t be naive and feel that the fault is not at all yours. You must be aware that you’re also feeding the system. Is there anything wrong with that? Perhaps not. I guess that’s just the way it is. So should big business bear the brunt of criticism? Maybe, but you can’t continue to point the finger at others. You must look within. As Ben Harper says in one of his songs, “You can sell your soul, but you can’t buy it back.”
