Surfing

I posted a question over at the erBB the other day.

Would you rather do a big carve or get a tube ride?

The results were something like 9 to 1 in favor of the tube.

So this got me thinking about the surf craft I see people ride and if it truly helped the average surfer achieve their surfing goals.

Here are a few things you might do

If you don't already, get some fins and dive in.

The best thing to do to expand on your water and wave knowledge is to spend more time in the water.

One of several unfortunate side effects of surf leashes is that surfers don't swim for their boards anymore. Their swimming skills suffer considerably and they don't learn to body surf as an integral part of the surfing experience.

You might even get to be President one day!

Ride a variety of surf craft.

The variety will do you good.

Hand planes can be made for a few dollars or less and gives you a chance to shape some rails.

Boogie boards can be had for relatively cheap (except for the high end pro models) and should be in every surfers quiver. Black ball go outs, gifting a stoked grom, teaching someone to surf. These things have allowed more people to have more fun than anything.  At the Pipeline, the surfers that consistently ride the farthest back do it on a body board.

There has been enough said, printed and photographed about Alaia's recently that you probably know that this blast from the past is the latest retro fad. But the truth is in the surfing and these things are fast fun and challenging!

I ride a surf mat more regularly than anything and for me, it's the best all around surf craft ever! You can get one of the Intex mats for 10 bucks to try it out. If you decide you like it, the good ones are worth every penny!

OK, sometimes the view from the mat looks like this!

Thinking about how different designs work in different conditions expands your thinking and magnifies your stoke!

Next time I'll talk about surfboards.