One time a surfer even pushed Gustin for not seeing him. Photo: Pete Gustin//YouTube
Anyone who has spent time in a surf lineup knows its not a particularly friendly place. Contrary to the Jeff Spicoli-fueled myth of the laidback surfer, making a wrong move in the water will often result in confrontation, sometimes even violent – with internet commenters cheering them on from afar.
Now imagine how much worse that must be if you can’t see.
Which is a predicament Pete Gustin often finds himself in. Gustin is a surfer and award-winning voice actor who was born with macular degeneration, a condition that has caused his central vision to deteriorate over time. He runs an eponymous YouTube channel, in which he catalogues his experience in the lineup.
In his latest podcast episode, Gustin outlined how surfer rage affects him – both despite and because of his condition. “Surfers are so much more aggressive than people think they are,” he explains. “I mean, one time a guy actually tackled me out on the water because I was in his spot on his wave. Another time, me and some guy bumped into each other while paddling out. I obviously didn’t see him, and he chose not to move out of my way, ’cause he couldn’t be bothered to alter his course. I decided to apologize just to be safe. He decided to start swearing at me.”
Of course, Gustin has remained undeterred. Instead, he found his own ways to avoid conflict in the water. “I always try to take tons of precautions before going out there, like surfing with the coach, having blind surfer written on me, and trying to find uncrowded areas,” he continues. “We end up doing a little extra driving in the morning, ’cause we have to find a spot that not only has waves, it doesn’t have a lot of people.”
