Surfs Up!

Surfs Up!

“I felt pressure and kind of a jiggle-jiggle tug, which I know now was teeth. They have serrated edges like a steak knife, and they sawed through the board and my bones as if they were tissue paper. It was over in a few seconds. I remember seeing the water around me turn bright red with my blood. Then I saw that my arm had been bitten off almost to the shoulder. There was just a three or four-inch stub where my limb had once been.” -Bethany Hamilton, 2004   (Taken from her book Soul Surfer)

One of my all-time favourite, inspirational athletes is Bethany Hamilton. After surviving a shark attack and losing an arm it never put her off from the waves. She never let the traumatic experience stop her and I admire her strength not just learning to use one arm in day-to-day activities but being positive throughout it all and learning to surf again with one less arm.

 

Here are some quotes from Bethany that inspire me, “Being creative on the waves is challenging, but we each create art in our own way.”  I love this quote as it just shows no matter how good we are at surfing it is our own individual experience, and we create it the way we want to. This quote is also very inspirational for everyone to think about, “Fear is something that can really hold us all back from different things in life. It's important to notice what your fears are and try to conquer them.”- Bethany Hamilton

 For this post, I decided to focus solely on surfing and explain the difference between three different boards and the advantages and disadvantages of these surfing companions. Starting with the foam boards or ‘foamies’ as they are usually known. Foam boards are my favourite as they are the safest board you can get. I am very accident-prone, and the foam top layer makes it safer if it happened to hit you on the head. These ‘foamies’ are also really good for added extra buoyancy and stability in the waves, which is why these boards are ideal for beginners starting to surf. They are a very durable board and can be used in all conditions making them an all-rounder board. However, with the added protection these boards are one of the heaviest which doesn’t make it ideal if you have a long trek down to the beach. 

                

                         (Image from the wave shack)

Next, we have the longboard! The longest surfboard type is usually between 8-11ft. This board is the oldest and most traditional board in the whole of surfing history, with its streamlined appearance and added volume this board has superb buoyancy and with its beautiful length, it glides over the water making it very easy to paddle with and pick up speed. The length of a longboard is unique making it easy to do different tricks. Although, they are big boards that make it complicated to transport and store like other boards. They are difficult to manoeuvre due to their vast size and practically impossible to ‘duck dive’. They are only good for riding green (unbroken) waves and not practical for catching broken waves like the foam board. I do confess I have never ridden a longboard before and quite frankly I am scared to as they are the heaviest and biggest surfboard making it the most dangerous to fall off. 

Now we have the middleman, the shortboard! As the name suggests they are the shortest surfboard and are capable to perform all the agile moves. It is the fastest board ideal for high-performance surfing. It is extremely lightweight making it easy to transport and store and it’s the easiest board to ‘duck dive’. All this speed has its disadvantages as the lack of surface area and volume make it more difficult to paddle and get up to speed. It is also a very advanced board and to be able to ride it takes years of practice to get the correct technique.

In my next post I will be exploring the health benefits of sea swimming :)