Surfing is a very individual sport. Unless you’re into tandem surfing (which you are probably not), no matter how many people you go surfing with, the act itself is a solitary one.
Back in the 1970s, surfing wasn’t exactly a legitimate career path. It was a mish-mash group of surfers pushing their limits for the sheer enjoyment of it. Then Shaun Tomson came along and played what might’ve been professional surfing’s most important role. He took competitive surfing to a whole new level, and in doing so started the ball rolling on the professional side of the sport we see today.
Trail running now is on the same trajectory as surfing was then. And there are similarities–both are solitary pursuits, both take commitment. Both pit man against the elements, and both make one realize just how small we really are. “I just feel like a speck of dust,” says Frank Solomon. “You’re so insignificant and so nothing… it’s humbling.”
To the Sea looks at those similarities through the eyes of runner Ryan Sandes and surfers Frank Solomon and Shaun Tomson.
