What is it about surfing?

Visually, it’s beautiful in a visceral way, yet it’s very nature is to be ephemeral, sometimes lasting just a brief few seconds. A wave heaves its energy as it reaches the point of breaking and begins to topple. This life-ending act often enriches another, the surfer, and enables him to achieve far more in life merely from having been a part of the event.

Perhaps this is the one aspect of surfing that results in a brief instant in time that can touch a person to their very core and lead to life altering, lasting change. According to long-time surfer Rabbitt Kekai “once a person rides their first wave surfing gets in their blood and they’re hooked for life.”

No doubt almost everyone loves the beach and rich, blue-green water, but is that all it is? Surfing has so much to offer people both visually and spiritually. If not, why are so many people enamored with surfing even when they don’t surf? Is it because they want to somehow feel touched at their very core and grasp a piece of what every surfer feels? A connection with the ocean; the life-blood of our species?

For me each wave ridden enriches my life to a point that I know I’m better off on days that have included riding waves. My body, mind, soul all feel exercised in a very fundamental and important way.

Could it be that this is what people seek when gazing wistfully at the surf? I think in many respects it is, they’re just not fully aware of it. Some have said that what draws people to surfers is that they are comfortable in a medium that is deeply troubling and ominous to most. There is no doubt that this is alluring to the non-surfer, but can that be it? I expect to most people it's not and goes far deeper. I think everyone desires to be touched to his or her very core, and unlike so many that trod thru their daily lives searching for meaning, only surfers truly feel it.

Ask anyone who wishes they could surf what attracts them and often times you’ll get an almost unintelligible response of “…it’s, it’s…just, oh I don’t know there’s just something about it.”

Revealing Too Much

I suspect the argument could go back to when Lieutenant James King first recorded Captain Cook's findings of natives in Hawaii surfing waves. The question always seems to be just under the surface; is it good or bad to write about adventures into a foreign land? When you toss surfing into the mix; opinions vary greatly.

A recent surf trip led me to submit an article to popular surf site and to my amazement; it was picked up and posted along with some pictures. Following what I believed to be the protocol for such a piece, I only revealed the country and avoided the obvious mistake of naming towns or spots. Just general descriptions for a few of the breaks we surfed. I also mentioned how friendly the people are and bit about the folks we encountered. Based on having read so many surf books and magazines over the time I’ve been surfing, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what is and is not open to mention.

Not long after the piece was posted I started receiving responses from it. Most inquired about the area, and where to go. A few of them were from those who think I should be admonished for a heinous transgression. I’ve been asked what would fathom me to write such a piece and been told “you revealed an unknown jewel.” I strongly endorse everyone’s right to an opinion, and questions raised did cause me to ask myself and ponder; what is revealing too much and going too far?

There’s no question that mentioning the town visited or spots surfed during a foray into strange lands would be too much. Even worse would be to spill the beans by giving detailed tide and swell information and climatology that causes breaks to turn on. That’s going too far. The piece I wrote was about a perceived “…unknown jewel.” According to some, mentioning the country was bad enough. To one even the general descriptions about the places we visited and surf spots were “over the line.” When I sent him an email asking whether he could name the spots, let alone find them using my description all I got back was a terse “no.”

Clearly there is an interpretable line and opinions vary on where it’s drawn. It’s no wonder the question neither has nor will likely ever be answered.