Author Topic: Surfing alone  (Read 3809 times)

dpmaui

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Surfing alone
« on: October 16, 2020, 02:12:03 PM »
Just came back from surfing Kanaha all by myself this morning for almost 2 hours. Where the heck was everybody I kept wondering, found out later there were waves on the south side, but heck, I'd rather surf north shore anyday. Waist to head high, glassy with light offshores, a little wait between sets but made paddling back out easy. Got picked off by the biggest sets cause they broke farther out than most. With the park closed till 7am. nobody else wanted to walk in. After 1 hour and 50 minutes I finally saw 2 people paddling out.

Badger

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2020, 02:49:19 PM »
I've had that happen a few times at my favorite spots. Primo conditions and the whole place to myself for hours. It makes up for all the crowded days. It may have been better somewhere else but I felt like I won the lottery.

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« Last Edit: October 16, 2020, 03:06:51 PM by Badger »
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surfercook

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2020, 07:07:06 AM »
Nice. Always a bonus when it's empty and pumping. Reminds me of this day when I decided to bail on the groin which had over 15 guys on it. Headed to my local to find it empty with only one on it.

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supthecreek

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2020, 04:42:37 AM »
Nice DP.... scoring a solo session with good waves is always a gift!

PabstSUP

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2020, 12:49:49 PM »
There's a bit of a secret spot I like to surf at where on a sizeable swell you can't really access it at high tide.  During the Teddy swell a few weeks back, I drove there parked myself on a bit of an island  after some others surfers left and spent the next few hours getting some work done on the laptop between sessions.  The spot has an outer bar where the waves break softer and is less critical than the barreling beach break nearby so I felt comfortable enough surfing alone, though that's also because I'm a pretty strong swimmer and can deal with having a leash break 300yds offshore, which of course happened on my first session...  Once the tide dropped and some friends showed up in the afternoon I had been able to surf the break along for over 4hrs over the course of the morning and early afternoon...  This is the same spot that I caught a wave and surfed with a pair of dolphins a couple weeks back - though thankfully I wasn't alone that time and my surfing buds on the inside witnessed the event - a pretty magical moment. I caught a shot of a dolphin playing in the surf before I headed out that day. 

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OkiWild

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2020, 12:44:02 AM »
It's just the best, isn't it? Last three days I was by myself. Today I was up north on our east side. Some surfers showed and made the paddle out to the peak I was on. So I just moved out to the point where no one ever goes  :)

Badger

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2020, 06:10:05 AM »
Some surfers showed and made the paddle out to the peak I was on.


I assume you mean prone surfers or shortboarders/longboarders. Don't call them surfers as if you are something different. You are just as much a surfer as they are.
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dietlin

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2020, 07:38:02 PM »
you tell 'em, girl!

Badger

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2020, 04:52:09 AM »
you tell 'em, girl!


Lol. If SUP isn't considered surfing by now, it never will be.
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OkiWild

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2020, 06:27:14 PM »
Some surfers showed and made the paddle out to the peak I was on.


I assume you mean prone surfers or shortboarders/longboarders. Don't call them surfers as if you are something different. You are just as much a surfer as they are.

LOL. I group them all together. I like having my own peak.

PonoBill

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #10 on: October 25, 2020, 06:39:18 PM »
Some surfers showed and made the paddle out to the peak I was on.


I assume you mean prone surfers or shortboarders/longboarders. Don't call them surfers as if you are something different. You are just as much a surfer as they are.

Nah. They are surfers. We're SUP surfers or foil surfers. That's not the hill I'm going to die on, but I puke when people say "snow skiers" because they water ski. It's skiers. if someone starts surfing with a powered board are you going to call them surfers? I'm not gonna.

Are wind surfers just surfers when they get in a wave? I didn't think so.

Surfers surf. If you stand up and do it with a paddle you are stand up paddle surfing. If you do it with a sail you are wind surfing. Calling someone a prone surfer is kind of ridiculous unless you need to call out the difference.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2020, 06:45:54 PM by PonoBill »
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Badger

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #11 on: October 26, 2020, 05:34:45 AM »
Paddling a board through the water, whether by hands or with a paddle is not surfing. Only when the board is being propelled by the wave is a person surfing.

All that's required to be a surfer is that you ride waves on a surfboard. SUPs designed for surfing are surfboards just as much as longboards and shortboards. Having a paddle in your hands does not change anything.

Saying you're a SUP surfer is the same as saying you're a longboarder. It defines the type of surfboard you use.

Oki had the right attitude all along. Just group them together.

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OkiWild

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #12 on: October 26, 2020, 07:10:19 PM »
you tell 'em, girl!


Lol. If SUP isn't considered surfing by now, it never will be.


As a life-long prone surfer, I just don't get it. I've even talked to Anthony M about it quite a bit, as he's from SoCal.  In one of his recent videos from the NE, he alludes to the "California hate." All over the world, there are popular main breaks, where they don't like the SUP in the lineup for whatever reason, but there's no SUP hate just because because it's not a shortboard, and outside of the popular peaks, no one cares. We have sort of the same thing here, and it involves longboards, etc. A break might be "exclusive" to shortboards, which doesn't mean longboards can't surf there, but etiquette says they don't. It usually revolves around the peak shape and bigger boards being in the way.

I know it's Japan, but if I have prone surfers show up to an unnamed peak I'm on, they'll usually ask if I mind if they join me. A month ago, about 4-5 pronies showed up in a little boat, and the same thing happened. Shortly after, I moved to the next peak, and someone paddled over to tell me that I was welcome on the first peak, probably because they were worried they drove me off...  Pronies I don't know will smile and say something as they're leaving the parking area, or whatever. People I talk to from all over the world seem to have the same experience: It's friendly if you mind the etiquette and you're not a dick.

The hate for just surfing on a SUP seems to be very California-centric, and  maybe popular name-brand spots where SUP has joined the lineup. Everywhere else, it's seems to be pretty well accepted.   


I don't know. Although pretty reclusive, I'm pretty friendly in the water now that I've grown up  ;D and I'm sure attitude has a lot to do with it. 

supthecreek

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Re: Surfing alone
« Reply #13 on: October 27, 2020, 04:32:09 AM »
I appreciate dpmaui's and Oki's stoke on how special it is to seek out a Solo session.
It is something I do a lot.... tiny summer sunrise session or bigger winter snowstorm swells.

Something extremely calming and soulful about the quiet enjoyment of the moment.


 


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