It’s all about the out breath. Exhaling. Getting rid of the noxious byproduct of life and preparing to suck in the good stuff, the lifeblood. Photo: The Wave UK/Surf_Shot
We start life in water and most of us will end life on land. Somewhere in the middle some of us tread water, learn to swim or ride waves.
Every surf is like being reborn: the first breath, the washing away of a past, a fresh look at the world, bursting through liquid and powering out for the next challenge. It’s a feeling that is hard to recreate. In fact, it’s almost impossible, but we’re working hard at The Wave at trying to get close to it. To try and create an experience so rich on the senses that it encompasses many of the amazing emotions, amazing triggers that surfing can bring.
Ok, a little over the top, but this is the problem: I haven’t surfed for a while now. The Wave ironically has prevented me doing the very thing I’m setting out to do more of.
There are so many of us out there who are hooked on surfing, and it’s a blessing and a curse. There are thousands of reasons why people cannot surf, or do any of the things they love, for that matter. At least my reasons are great reasons.
I almost (almost) feel bad about what we are trying to do. Making a new breed of addicts, stoked on the feeling of gliding, the pride of nailing your first maneuver and the hope of replicating what your heroes do. It isn’t going to be as good as the ocean – there are so many things missing in that equation. The huge horizon that accompanies every surf spot in the world, the marine life, the sinking of toes in gritty sand, the unpredictability of waves and the conditions in which surfers revel.
But it’s ok, I think. The ability to know when you can go. The guarantee of flawless barrels and rippable faces. The ability to drop my three grommet boys off and know they are each going to be able to safely charge overhead waves. That’s OK. Actually, it’s pretty amazing.
There will, however, still be that anxious excitement as you roll up to the spot. The frantic scrabbling for kit and the limb wrenching wrestle with the wetsuit. The slightly manic waxing of a surfboard while trying to watch waves rolling in, the gibberish chatter of excitement and then trying to enter water without skipping in a slightly awkward anti leash-tripping dance. These things will be there in abundance, as will the waves.
So although, at the moment, I feel like I’m in a cruel experiment to see how many consecutive days I can survive before getting wet again, there needs to be an evolution. Learning to live on land and focus on the breath of life is a good discipline. It’s all about the out breath. Exhaling. Getting rid of the noxious byproduct of life and preparing to suck in the good stuff, the lifeblood.
Hopefully, I’ll see you in the ocean soon, but in the meantime I’ll keep breathing, working and making our dreams come true. Those who are by the sea right now, go get some for the rest of us. And breathe for us, with thanks.
