I look pretty good for only surfing for one year in that picture eh? Well, it’s not me, truthfully, but I aspire to get closer to that being me over the years to come. I’ve dreamed of surfing since my early teenage years, and over this past year, I’ve been able to give it an honest go. On the week of my birthday last February, my stepson Nate and I hit the water on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica for our first surfing lesson. It was exhilarating, challenging, frustrating, harder than I thought it would be but I was instantly hooked. Part of the reason I relocated to a tropical climate was to have easier access to the ocean and surfing if I ended up liking it, so I’m super glad I did.

For most of my life, I lived very far from the ocean but surfing has always been on my bucket list. I’ve always loved being in, on, or near the water; whether it was a pool, pond, lake, or ocean, I didn’t care. My parents were avid fishers and I spent a lot of time on the great lakes in my younger years doing a variety of activities. However, the idea of standing on board, riding along a raw ocean wave without it destroying me, has always had a huge allure for me. So here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned about surfing and life over the past year of embracing my new hobby.

Surfing Isn’t Like Most Sports

When I started surfing I tried to determine the exact formula to excel and then implement it. This is what I usually do when I’m serious about a sport or life pursuit. However, surfing is different. No matter what I do, my success is highly dependent on what the ocean/wave does; the environment is constantly shifting/changing, and I have to adapt to it as best as I can on the fly. It’s nothing like the more static athletic environments you find in baseball, hockey, cycling, running, etc., where individuals and objects move but not the surface itself. I’ve definitely struggled to adjust to the more dynamic environment of the everchanging ocean and to be more fluid moment to moment. Many things need to line up to successfully catch a wave. For example, you need to be in the right spot on your board, your board needs to be facing the right direction, you have to be ready mentally and physically moving as required, and then also be attempting a wave that is right for you, at the right spot on the wave. It’s way more complicated than I initially thought, but it has only increased my desire to improve my skills.  

Without Yoga, I’d Be Dead In the Water

Maybe literally. Surfing is super hard on the body in a variety of ways, I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve avoided injury due to my level of flexibility. Whether it was waves that I shouldn’t be attempting to surf or avoiding hitting someone as best as I could, yoga has been a lifesaver. Being rigid, being restricted in your range of motion, or being unable to stay super focused can all lead to unfavourable outcomes when surfing. So, I’ve been super appreciative of my yoga practice many times over the past year. Yoga is also great for post-surfing sessions to help undo the beating you put yourself through trying to catch some decent waves. If you click here and sign up for my mailing list you’ll gain access to my #1 yoga video that has helped men all over the world achieve the flexibility they’ve always wanted.

Patience and Practice Are How You Get There

Since I waited most of my life to start surfing I’ve been a little impatient in my pursuit to master the art of wave riding. My teenage self, who has yearned for the opportunity to surf for so long, has tried to make up for lost time a few times, but that has never led to desired outcomes in the water. The best rides have been when I was being patient for the right wave and trusting all the practice/time I’ve put in to lead me to success, not when I was overly excited or trying to force things. Surfing is a lot like life: when doors open, you need to be ready to walk through them trusting that you’re on the right path and on the flip side, if it’s not a door you should go through, trusting yourself to close it when needed or simply say no. With practice, life gets easier to navigate and succeed in, just like surfing. This is one the reasons I’m hooked on being a better man in as many ways as I can while still pursuing things that make me happy, like surfing. 

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