Just give up. Photo: Mark Tipple.
As I sit out in the water, waiting for the next set to roll in, I think about how much the ocean controls what’s going on. And how this is different from everything else – every other sport and daily life. In our society, our focus is on how we as humans can control the situation.
Perhaps this is the best thing and yet the most frustrating thing about surfing and the ocean. We can’t control it, and when we’re used to being in charge and having to give that up, there is an initial sense of helplessness and loss. But there is also the reward of liberating freedom, one where we don’t have to make that many decisions. It’s all up to the wave – to come and to form. The ocean tells us what we need to do. The ocean offers up a wave. It comes in from the direction it wants, at the speed it wants and chooses when it breaks. After some time, we as surfers develop a sense for these things – but ultimately, the ocean is offering us its selection of the day and we only get to decide whether to take it or leave it.
For example, I am having trouble with my pop up. I need to make it faster and better, especially for these heavy and steep winter season waves that I get to deal with now living in Central America. I sometimes find myself paddling for a wave and wanting more time. Thinking in my head, “Wait – I’m not ready!” But the wave is ready – the wave is going with me on it or not – and the only option I have is to pull it together and stand up or blow it. No other sport is like this. Imagine if the basketball hoop was in charge and would pull away just as you’re going for a basket if you didn’t react fast enough, or if the soccer goal just dropped out of sight if you hesitated before shooting. This is the ocean, constantly in motion, changing daily, whether we like it or not.
Dealing with these wet season waves illustrates this even more, just in the simple act of entering the water. A series of huge swells has drastically altered the beach break I normally surf, carving out a massive amount of sand, making the beach steep and difficult to deal with. Working with what the ocean offers up, timing is everything to avoid a nasty shorebreak beat down. Getting in is usually easier: wait for the ocean to dole out its set waves, then run and high-step through, launch your board and paddle like crazy to avoid getting sucked back into the impact zone. Getting out of the water is another story altogether.
So when you find yourself frustrated in the water, I find the best solution is to just give up on your own wishes and think, “Ok, what is the ocean trying to say today? How can I take what it is offering up, work with it, and use its power to my advantage?” Even when I’ve fallen off and I’m getting held down I just give up, relax, and wait for it to let me up. Every time I do this – give up and let the ocean be in charge – I start to lighten up, have more fun with it, smile, and ultimately, I surf better. And isn’t that the goal we all have to let go, become one with the power, and enjoy the exhilaration when it all comes together and we’re up and riding?
