Hi surfers đ
Last week I returned back to the ocean after months spent landlocked.
I have thoughts, and I am going to share them with you in bullet point form, before getting on with the usual links (also in bullet point form â I like bullet points).
After the first few days back surfing in the ocean following a long time of inactivity, youâll be sore. Very sore. Surf-specific training on land in the weeks leading up to your surf trip should help â not that I would now, I didnât do anything. Shame on me.
Crowds are more manageable (almost pleasant) if you havenât surfed in a while. The angry bodyboarder got a sick wave â yeah! The local grommet just dropped in on you â go for it, kid! These magnanimous feelings last â give or take â 4 days.
The first waves after not surfing for a while are pure bliss. Hard as one tries to wipe out the stupid grin out of my face, they wonât manage to. Fact is, this does apply to 95% of the waves surfed in general (wipeouts included).
Connected to the above: how many times in life do you find something that reliably makes you happier, calmer, more focused in the moment, connected to nature and at the same time healthier? Day after day, surf session after surf session, for years on end. Better keep holding on to the feeling, better keep on surfing I guess.
Yours truly, post session stoke in Morocco.
More thoughts next week. Maybe.
And without further ado, here are the shakaâs links.
Surf injuries.
I know, not a particularly happy topic, but when you surf deadly waves, injuries are bound to happen. What happens after these injuries though? How do the best surfers in the world bounce â physically and mentally â from a place of fear back to one of control?
Leonardo Fioravanti, the best Italian surfer, went back surfing the wave that broke his back â The Banzai Pipeline, in Oahu. Insightful and exciting, this is the kind of surfing VLOG we like.
Best trip ever to worse possible situation: in this fascinating series about Billy Kemper, we follow him from his big wins in Hawaii to a harrowing injury in Morocco. Watch Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 and Episode 4.
Talking about unbelievable comebacks, it would be insane not to mention once again Bethany Hamilton: after losing her arm to a shark during her pro surfing junior career, she came back stronger than ever. Her movie Unstoppable is on Netflix and I think you should watch it.
Surfâs up.
Videos and articles from the world of surfing that made us stop and stare.
Is Switzerland a landlocked country? Yes. Are there waves in Switzerland? Also yes. While the juryâs still out about the concept of wave pools in general and I have my doubts on whether theyâre a âgood thingâ, you canât deny that surfing and then hitting the snow in the same day has a strong appeal. Watch the first video from Valaisâ Alaia Bay.
A beautiful account on the origins of surfing: âWith roots entwined amongst the royalty of Ancient Polynesia, surfing has been called The Sport of Kings. But to use this name alone is to deny the full and rightful history of the art of riding waves. It has always also been The Sport of Queens.â
Free Scrubber: Tom Current is one of the big surfing legends and 3 times world champion and at 56, he seems to be having more fun than pretty much anyone. Life goals look like this.
Thatâs all for this week.
Do you have interesting links you think everyone should see? Questions about the wonderful world of surfing? Suggestions about the shakaâs format? Complaints?
You can just reply to this e-mail. I will reply back.
Probably.
Stay stoked,
gian & the surf tribe