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The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

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Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#31

Post by stereosky »

paulcnichols wrote: post #3

Owning a wavestorm is actually really good for working on fundamentals, even for more advanced surfers. Most people when progressing through the sport just try and get to the smallest board they can as quick as possible. I did this too, but what you miss by going too fast is learning how to use your body weight and positioning to truly command control of the board. All the joy and style of surfing comes from these su…

Couldn't agree more, from one foamie homie to another! I often go foam when I take coaching, just so I can be sure the board is under my control when working on something new. One of my favourite sessions was one where clean 3-4ft waves just kept rolling in out back (a rarity here) and whilst everyone of us on epoxy/fibreglass got to surf, no one had wave counts higher than a local shop owner on a 9-10ft board. If I could have taken a poll that day it was clear judging by everyone's faces who would have won the vote for happiest person in the water. That to me is what surfing is all about

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#32

Post by Sir_Substance »

fapjacks wrote: post #29
ljf wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is - good surfers are like magnets. People see them catching a wave and assume that there is a good reason they are surfing there rather than up or down the coast. Also people get burnt by bad decisions - after a few weeks of surfing I struck out on my own to find new beaches and swiftly learnt the reasons they were empty - and wasted good days at bad beaches. I also think the 'pecking order' is made out…

This completely. Even in traditionally hostile places, if you show up enough times and get to know the regulars, you'll be totally fine.

>if you show up enough times and get to know the regulars, you'll be totally fine.

This makes me frown slightly in vague annoyance. Why should I need the permission and tacit approval of "the regulars" to choose to start surfing? It kind of reminds me of those groups, usually of old men, that you see occasionally decide a bar is "their bar" because they've been going there a while, and try to push other patrons out though passive-aggressive behavior.

If that's really how it is, I'd be one of those wave stealers, and I wouldn't apologize for it.

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#33

Post by noknockers »

Sir_Substance wrote: post #32
fapjacks wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This completely. Even in traditionally hostile places, if you show up enough times and get to know the regulars, you'll be totally fine.

>if you show up enough times and get to know the regulars, you'll be totally fine. This makes me frown slightly in vague annoyance. Why should I need the permission and tacit approval of "the regulars" to choose to start surfing? It kind of reminds me of those groups, usually of old men, that you see occasionally decide a bar is "their bar" because they've been going there a while, and try to push other patrons out t…

That's not really how it works in the surfing world. Purely from an observational standpoint it's actually quite amusing to watch the natural, land based pecking order get completely flipped on its head in the water. Young punks calling out police men, stoners and hippies telling CEOs to beat it, sponsored kids 'owning' the break etc.

There's definitely a completely separate water-based hierarchy, based 100% on how good you surf.

To answer your question:

>Why should I need the permission and tacit approval of "the regulars" to choose to start surfing?

You don't need anyones permission at all, but you have to remember surfing is not a team sport, you're competing with everyone else out there to catch a limited amount of waves in the time you have. Couple that with flat days, bad winds, bad swell direction, bad tides and limited time, it's not often you score it 'on', so everyone it's out there to get their share.

So you don't need permission, but don't expect people to be happy with you.. and if you drop in or snake someone (steal their wave) then expect to have even less friends.

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#34

Post by noknockers »

ljf wrote: post #24
danielharrison wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I might be able to provide some insight here. I live at one of the most crowded and user-friendly surf spots on the planet. There's constantly hundreds of people in the water fighting for waves. The one thing I noticed mostly is how many people come here and just cannot get waves, while there's tens of kilometres of empty beach within 5 minutes drive. They could literally go anywhere and get a few waves but they choo…

The problem is - good surfers are like magnets. People see them catching a wave and assume that there is a good reason they are surfing there rather than up or down the coast. Also people get burnt by bad decisions - after a few weeks of surfing I struck out on my own to find new beaches and swiftly learnt the reasons they were empty - and wasted good days at bad beaches. I also think the 'pecking order' is made out…

100%.

Depends on where you surf though. All these questions and answers are completely location dependent. If you're at a super crowded break (like where I live) it's every man for themselves. Your best friend will burn you if they see you falter for even a millisecond.

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#35

Post by noknockers »

slg wrote: post #15
nnd wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not every place is hostile, from my personal experience surfing all around the world (Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Philippines, etc) I only experienced hostility in SoCal. So maybe it's just the US thing.

If scarcity is really the problem than I imagine it is a function of the number of surfers over the length of viable coastline. Is there anywhere in the world that has a higher density of surfers than Southern California?

Been to snapper?

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#36

Post by Dylanfm »

dogruck wrote: post #12

I wish surfing culture wasn't so hostile. Unfortunately, there are a finite number of breaks and waves each day. So as the number of surfers increases, it amplifies the tension in every lineup. It's like biker culture -- if there were only a handful of roads. The only way I've been able to enjoy surfing is by paying an instructor to help me navigate the lineup and actually catch a wave.

The hostility depends on many factors. Some areas are more hostile than others, and individual spots. Here are some things that could lead to a negative atmosphere developing, from the point of view of a non-local surfer arriving in the lineup:

- snaking (cutting in line)

- dropping in (taking off when someone is on the wave)

- sitting at the main take off with the locals (many spots it takes time to earn a place there - years where I live)

- arriving with more than 2 other people

- hassling people, putting on pressure, being too hyped up (chill and wait your turn)

- having photographers if it's a sensitive location

- just paddling out at all if it's a sensitive location

- getting in someone's way (when paddling back out and someone is riding an oncoming wave, paddle into the whitewash rather than paddling towards the shoulder)

- being loud (for many folks surfing is a bit like meditation)

- wasting waves

- being out in waves that are clearly beyond your level of experience

You don't even have to do this yourself. Someone else can and then you cop the flack. It really depends on who is local to the spot and what they're like. If the vibe gets negative then just head in and paddle somewhere else. If there are particularly grumpy locals, other locals will probably understand your position if you're cool about it.

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#37

Post by johankmagnusson »

nnd wrote: post #20
IanDrake wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been to any point breaks in C.R. in the last 5-6 years? The locals have gone from "what's surfing?" to "go home gringo!" in about 20 years. I've never had a problem in SoCal, but then I've only been to a few breaks.

Good to know, now I'm definitely skipping Costa Rica :)

I've been to CR a couple of times the past few years and the beach breaks are great and people are super nice. I've never experienced any hostility in the water there, or elsewhere in the world either for that matter. Being considerate of other surfers goes a long way and should someone act like an ass just move a couple of 100m up or down the beach. There is always another ok break close by.

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#38

Post by johankmagnusson »

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #28
dogruck wrote: post #12

I wish surfing culture wasn't so hostile. Unfortunately, there are a finite number of breaks and waves each day. So as the number of surfers increases, it amplifies the tension in every lineup. It's like biker culture -- if there were only a handful of roads. The only way I've been able to enjoy surfing is by paying an instructor to help me navigate the lineup and actually catch a wave.

Imagine if somebody built a tow line on a popular break. Then surfing could be more like skiing or snowboarding. Snow sports don't demand that you walk up the slope every run, we have machines to do that for us. And you don't have to have great timing and a lot of experience to pick a ski run. Anyway, I'm terrified of sharks. So I'll stick to the snow.

We use rip currents as tow lines so we don't need those ;) Around 5 times more people die from avalanches alone than from shark attacks each year so sell your skis and buy yourself one of those foam boards instead!

Re: The Cult of the Costco Surfboard

#40

Post by dogruck »

fapjacks wrote: post #29
ljf wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is - good surfers are like magnets. People see them catching a wave and assume that there is a good reason they are surfing there rather than up or down the coast. Also people get burnt by bad decisions - after a few weeks of surfing I struck out on my own to find new beaches and swiftly learnt the reasons they were empty - and wasted good days at bad beaches. I also think the 'pecking order' is made out…

This completely. Even in traditionally hostile places, if you show up enough times and get to know the regulars, you'll be totally fine.

This culture sounds like, "at first they wouldn't hire me, because I looked different. But I kept coming around, and they let me start sweeping the floor."
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