Surfing is Fun

´´That´s how great surfing is. We can pile up all this commercialism and bullshit and it still survives.´´ Steve Pezman

I´ve made it back to Pichilemu, and the surf has been less than spectacular so I´ve been going through the surf magazines/videos at the language school and, with the exception of Gerry Lopez, Mark Cunningham and Steve Pezman, I´m tired of all this old surf writers talking about the glory days of surfing like its in the past.

I´m not sure if these guys realize it, but their readership is probably considerably younger and has very little connection with the seventies/eighties/whatever-time-you-want-call-golden-age of surfing. I´m sick of all these washed up surf writers (especially Sam George, who couldn´t possible seem more sappy and insincere) telling me how great it used to be (even younger Brad Melekian has fallen into this spiral). Maybe they should pull their heads out of their respective asses and realize that surfing is incredible right now (and will always be).

Here´s an idea as to what exists now.

Wetsuits: Honestly, just in my time surfing (only 15 years), wetsuit technology has improved incredibly, to the point where people are now looking at all corners of the globe in search of travel. I actually have interest in going up to British Columbia, Ireland, South Island of New Zealand and the South of Chile. I´m not sure that I would have this desire without modern wetsuit technology. It allows me to come down here, to Pichilemu, and surf for hours at a time in a 3/2 wettie that is incredibly flexible and not get any rashes. It´s gotten to the point where I´ve had conversations with Danny about how we don´t really mind surfing in wetsuits or travelling to places where wetsuits are necessary because we don´t get the rashes we would with boardies (although a good warm water trip is still highly appreciated).

Travel: Easy, affordable and goes to all corners of the globe. The emergence of cheap air travel has lead to the exploration of more and more remote places. People go to the Maldives (the center of the Indian Ocean), Easter Island (the most remote island in the world), and the Galapagos fairly easily. It takes a bit of tolerance for airplane food (which hasn´t seemed to have gotten that much better) and being able to sit in small seats for a prolonged period of time (at least many airlines have personal entertainment), but this has made so many places that much more accessable.

Surf Forecasting: Leaving for a trip on short notice? Just pick where the waves are going to be the best. Surf forecasting allows for a couple of weeks of insight, something that wasn´t nearly as prevalent twenty years ago. Then you had to look at the current weather maps and guess for yourself. Now, just hit up surfline or wetsand or whatever and they´ve done all the projections for you.


I think before complaining about what surfing was, or used to mean, they should look at what they are now enjoying because of the increasing popularity of the sport/art. So what that it´s more crowded, I gaurantee that its a hell of a lot LESS localized than it was before. I can now go surf silver strand or huntington pier and many other waves that were formally localized without incident. This was not the case a while back. Would I like if there were a handful fewer people in the water at Lowers? Of course, but I know that I can go out there, even now, on a crowded day, and get the stoke that has kept me coming back for so many years.