A surfer is probably one of the last people that comes to mind when seeking out thoughtful life advice. Surfing, however, is an unpredictable and dangerous sport. The athlete needs to be physically conditioned, and more so mentally conditioned to keep calm in dicey situations. Because once you’re in the “tube,” you either ride it out to the end, or go down crashing with the wave.
There is a lot to learn from someone who throws themselves into waves that can tower over sixty feet high and continue to surf during the cold winter months. Here are a few of those lessons from some of the top big wave surfers in the world.
Do What You Love, Even if it Kills You
Professional big wave surfer, Mark foo, once said, “It’s not tragic to die doing something you love.” He died doing what he loved on December 23th, 1994, during the first day of the Mavericks big-wave surfing competition in Half Moon Bay, California; Foo drowned.
Many children grow up believing there is a major difference between work and fun — almost polar opposites by definition. And that may still ring true for adults. More adults, especially in today’s tech driven industry, are finding it harder to decipher where they should be spending most of their time: making a lofty income or pursuing a dream.
For those under a ton of financial stress, or who have a family to care, for will likely have a hard time resonating with the idea that they can just drop everything to pursue their dream. It’s unrealistic. Mark Foo mentioned nothing about profiting from what you love, but just make time for it and have fun with it, even if it’s just for a moment.
Don’t Let Fear Guide You
A carefree pioneer in big wave surfing was Charles “Buzzy” Trent (AKA: King of Beasts). Matt Warshaw, a journalist for Surfer.com writes, “Trent made a lot other surfers nervous. He was a chatterbox, and liked attention, and on a lazy afternoon among friends he’d hold court for hours, telling jokes and stories, pulling faces, and making big sweeping gestures with his arms. Everybody laughed—but Trent was a little off somehow, as if all settings had been turned up to ‘10’ and left there.”
Buzzy’s quote, “Waves are not measured in feet and inches, they are measured in increments of fear,” is part of his incredible legacy. Waves that big can literally sweep you off your board and drag you thirty feet deep under water, but the waves aren’t what hinders the euphoria of risk taking, it‘s fear. It’s one thing to be afraid of a big wave, it’s another thing to let that fear guide the board.
Nature Doesn’t Judge
“We’re all equal before a wave.” Said professional surfer Laird Hamilton. Surfer Magazine has labeled Laird as “the sport’s most complete surfer,displaying almost unnerving expertise in a multitude of disciplines, and flat out surfing’s biggest, boldest, bravest, and the best big wave surfer in the world today, bar none.”
A president, a stay-at-home parent, or a homeless person; the ocean doesn’t care. The ocean doesn’t care about income or skin color, it doesn’t care about famine or disease, the swell doesn’t come more relaxed because you’re hungover. The ocean just is, and treats all inhabitants equally. The wise surfer will be mindful of the ocean’s power as to become a better surfer. This was Laird Hamilton’s message.
Laird Hamilton was such a major influence to the sport that there was a Sundance winning film about his life called ‘Take Every Wave’. Hamilton is now working as a coach for various athletes at XPTlife.com.
All Things Will Pass
Life will have moments of suffering, as it will have moments of great joy. Both of which will pass. Author of a handful of bestselling books, Jon Kabat-Zinn, is in fact not a surfer, but he did part with us many inspiring quotes, one of which has been passed around in the surf community, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” Illustrating the wisest way to handle a stressful situation is to notice it and ride it out. Many surfers will agree that surfing is indeed more of a lifestyle than it is a competitive sport.
Pass On The Knowledge
Professional surf coach, Leandro Dora, worked with some of the top competitive surf athletes in the world. Dora, in his interview with SurfSimply.com said, “With time I began to work as a personal trainer, where I followed each athlete’s daily development, accompanied them on surf trips, developed career and training plans, etc. It was a very natural process and something I’ve always enjoyed doing, Plus, the respect of the athletes that I work with added a great deal of value to my work.”
Developing a coaching philosophy transfers into all aspects of life. What knowledge someone gains as an individual will only be improved by sharing it with the next generation. This is how an industry and a community grows.
Great coaches see things as they are. They have a firm grasp on the truth, and are honest with their students about where they stand for improvement. A good coach with take the necessary risks to help their students break through to the next level. This includes showing them how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, like how much sleep they should be getting before a workout, what foods they should be eating at certain times of the day, and why whey protein is best taken after a workout.
Pro surfer, Phil edwards said, “The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun.” Having fun is what people make of it, it’s finding the good in whatever they’re doing, regardless of their situation. When a surfer says they’re “stoked,” that is an actual state of being. It has to do with ionized water particles in the air that is either inhaled or ingested. This is the kind of attitude that translates surfing into life lessons; combining the unstoppable force of nature with a curious and adventurous individual creates a lifelong relationship between teacher and student.
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