Got too many surfboards? Simplify. You’ll be better for it. Photo: Weisberg
The modern world is hectic. There’s so much happening in daily life that we get sucked into a lifestyle that doesn’t even resemble those of past generations. The barrage of communication alone is enough to drive a sane person mad. Many of us are fine with the pace of modern living, often relishing some kind of escape to quiet the mind. Surfing provides that respite for a lot of people, but, it, like much else, has fallen victim to this era of excess.
How many surfboards do you own? How many do you really need? It’s easy for a quiver to grow, board by board, each stick acquired to accommodate a particular spot or set of conditions. There is no question that certain crafts work better in certain settings, but we may be overcomplicating things.
A couple of years ago, finding that I neglected most of my boards, I decided to pare down my collection and keep only the essentials. I held on to my favorites, ones that provided versatility, and have never looked back. Sure, I’ll purchase a new board every now and then, but that means another has to go, on to someone else for their enjoyment. I don’t want to own more than three surfboards at a time.
Last summer I took it a bit farther. Upon trading in my thruster for a mini-longboard, I decided to ride nothing but this new acquisition for the duration of the season. Whether it was two-foot and mushy or six-foot and hollow, I rode the mini-longboard, and I found myself learning more about a single board than ever before. Surfing it in conditions that I normally would not have ended up teaching me things about its capabilities and tendencies that I would not have discovered otherwise. I felt a real connection to it.
Taking it beyond that, I resolved to contain my surf sessions to a single break that summer as well. One board, one break, one summer, surfing nearly every day. This practice became a kind of study of board and break, the relationship I had to each and both simultaneously, and it taught me a lot about myself as well as my surfing. The minimalistic nature of that summer brought me a higher sense of peace than surfing had before. When I checked the surf report every day, all I really had to assess was the wind and tide. I already knew where I was going and what I was riding. It had a purifying effect of sorts.
It was this experience that led me to believe that this minimalism can apply to multiple aspects of surfing, bringing us back to the roots of the pursuit. I know I am most content when I paddle out alone with nothing more than shorts and a surfboard. We live in the Wavestorm era now, and I see more and more gear in the water every year. Webbed gloves for better paddling, GoPros for visual evidence, helmets when there is no reef, boards powered by battery.
One board, one set of fins, a leash, maybe a wetsuit; that’s really all you need to have a great session. The more we think we need, the more we consume, and the worse off the planet’s health will be. Surfers are somewhat notorious for being bad for the environment thanks to the materials required for boards and wetsuits, as well as our desire to hop on planes destined for faraway lands. Maybe it’s time to take fewer surf trips. Wear that old wetsuit for one extra winter before you retire it. Give away some of the boards you rarely use. Get up close and personal with the break in your backyard in a way you never have. Try it. It might not be for you, but you won’t know until you give it a shot, and it could take you somewhere special.
