Surfing and philosophy are a pretty sweet combination. Surfing can allow an abundance of time to think. There’s a connection with nature and oneself that allows thoughts to flow and then there’s surfing itself, which is, without a doubt, a hard-to-pin-down philosophical beast.
Dion Agius and Brendon Gibbens, probably wouldn’t describe themselves as philosophers, however they have some pretty remarkable things to say about the meaning of surfing. To them it’s an art form, and they, as pro surfers, are simply artists. But that doesn’t mean it’s just a job.
“I think surfing is absurd all the time, especially doing it for a job,” says Dion Agius. “All we’re doing is going out into the ocean and riding these weird little wet waves of energy in towards the beach and wriggling around. It’s very absurd but it’s also so special, and I think that’s why it captures people’s imaginations, because it’s pure nature and you have to decode and work with it, which is a really unique situation. It’s totally absurd that we dedicate our whole lives to riding on these weird little mounds of energy in the water, but a lot of people wouldn’t know what to do with their lives without it.”
Watch the two of them tear it up and chat about the meaning of surfing in the Manera film, Surf Libre, recently released on YouTube after winning the “Staff Pick” when it launched on Vimeo a couple years ago. An oldie, but a goodie, and well worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet.
