Surfing: It Is Supposed To Encourage Exploration

When I hit the beach to surf I usually head down to Mermaid Beach. Though the waves are not among the best of the Gold Coast’s offerings, I choose this spot because of the ability to dodge the swelling crowds. Crowds and surfing: they’ve got a funny relationship. No serious surfer out there will tell you that they enjoy surfing in a tightly packed spot, yet nonetheless we all tend to exacerbate the matter by obeying certain sheep-like behavior (i.e. the “follow the pack” mentality).

A typical day at Mermaid Beach offers surfers roughly 3 or 4 peaks, though usually only one is being ridden, and by a ton of surfers. Before jumping in and paddling to a certain spot, I always have a good look to make a smart choice. My ultimate decision is always influenced both by how good the waves are and by how many surfers are already there. Usually, I’ll sacrifice a bit of quality to have more room for myself, but that’s a personal preference not everyone shares.

I’ll sometimes end up walking about a kilometer in either direction to determine which wave I really want to catch. Once I’ve caught one however, it’s almost invariably the case that one of the surfers crammed into the pack will branch off and come surf the spot I’m at. It’s not clear to me why they didn’t do so at an earlier point, since the wave had been breaking there all day long. It seems to be a matter of a lack of imagination on the other surfer’s behalf, not realizing the wave was there until I chose to catch it.

It never ceases to amaze me how many surfers arrive at the beach yet make no effort to seek out the best wave. Instead, they merely paddle up to the spot where all the other surfers are, automatically assuming that that’s where the ideal conditions are.

There have been days when I was the only surfer getting wet on days with excellent conditions all along the beach. Yet when another surfer gets in, they come sit on my tail instead of taking advantage of the ample space. In such scenarios I simply paddle over to the next wave to keep surfing, wondering the whole way there about the other surfer’s intelligence.

In the end, this prevalent behavior obliges me to wonder: what ever happened to the exploratory spirit that used to be so essential to surfing? Where has it ended up? When did it get substituted by this sheepish behavior where everyone just follows the rest? Perhaps I am peculiar now in my eagerness for uninterrupted surfing; maybe the crowd dynamic is what most people enjoy now? It’s beyond me, yet I can’t help thinking this type of behavior is odd.

Some food for thought though: each time you hit the beach for some quality surf, take a minute or three on the beach to really observe the waves before paddling out. There will probably be a better option than the most crowded one and you will definitely get to catch more waves.

Damian Papworth knows that for a surf trip, the Gold Coast is a great location. It definitely is the world’s ultimate surf resort. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory