It’s not likely that you know Jim Barry. He’s just Jim Barry, a guy who has been surfing for his whole life for the sake of surfing. But Jim Barry is an inspiration. And he’s got some sage advice for the younger generation.
See, Jim isn’t a professional surfer. He’s not a guy that drops surf edits on YouTube or Instagram. He’s a guy who started surfing when he was 14 and never stopped. The folks over at Raw Surf Files met Jim, along with his friends Peter, Larry, Dave, Nick, and Craig, who have known each other since the ’60s. They were on Asu Island on their hunt for waves through the Hinako Islands in April, and Surf Raw Files decided to pick Jim’s brain about a life spent surfing.
Although Jim is originally from La Jolla, California, he moved to Hawaii about three decades ago. He grew up surfing Windansea, Black’s, and many other iconic spots, but Hawaii, as it does for many surfers, called him.
He never quit surfing for a few reasons. One, of course, it the health aspect, but it’s far more than that.
“It keeps me active,” he said. “I’ve just been doing it for so long that there’s a little bit of momentum. You just keep doing it and you try to stay in tune with what’s going on with the ocean. You just keep going. Surfing has always been a big part of my life. It still is.”
Age does tend to ravage the body, though, and the can of joint oil that is youth will undoubtedly go dry. Jim, like many others, felt that stiffness in his surfing, so he decided instead of giving in to age, he’d do something to keep himself limber. Nothing major — just a few mobility routines — but it did the trick.
“I went to the physical therapist,” he said. “She gave me some stretches to do. Since then I’ve been stretching on a regular basis and that’s helped a whole lot. At some point everyone’s going to have to start [stretching.] Once you get to my age, you just stiffen up.”
Jim’s got some very sage advice for those who plan on surfing until they can’t surf anymore. “Just make it part of your life,” he explained. “If you make it part of your life, it’s going to be there forever. Just don’t stop.”
