There's been quite a lot happening in the world of competitive surfing this year. If you follow that scene, you'll know what I'm referring too. In short, it's been quite interesting. I'll spare you most of my thoughts on the matter, but one of things I've been trying to work out is why is such a hard sport to sell to the mainstream? Even amongst ourselves, why do so few of us actually want to watch a surf comp? There may be a few answers, but one surely has to be that a live comp mostly involves nothing going on. It's mostly just 2 to 4 guys sitting astride boards and waiting for things to happen. And then commentators trying really hard to fill in between. Action is fleeting.
Which makes one realise that a large part of surfing is waiting. Waiting for conditions to be favourable, waiting for the next wave. We wait. And I realise as I write this, that's the name of the blog. It's the comtemplation that bridges the time between waves. We wait, and we think. It's a serene atmosphere. You're at rest and relaxed. And its fine to let your mind bob along with current. Drifting aimlessly to wash up on an idea as it may happen. An undisciplined meditation. I'm sure Buddhists would have their own take on this.
We should cherish this time, despite it being the opposite of the reason why we actually surf. But, it's part of the total experience. And its fairly unique to surfing. I can't think of another sport that is more inaction than activity. Yet, those intense moments of riding, those few seconds far outweigh the lethargy in between.
It comes back to one of the many lessons that surfing will teach you about yourself: How you react to an inevitable wait. Do you have patience? For me, I know I'm having a bad session when I'm getting impatient between waves. And the only thing I can do about it is change my attitude.
Which makes one realise that a large part of surfing is waiting. Waiting for conditions to be favourable, waiting for the next wave. We wait. And I realise as I write this, that's the name of the blog. It's the comtemplation that bridges the time between waves. We wait, and we think. It's a serene atmosphere. You're at rest and relaxed. And its fine to let your mind bob along with current. Drifting aimlessly to wash up on an idea as it may happen. An undisciplined meditation. I'm sure Buddhists would have their own take on this.
We should cherish this time, despite it being the opposite of the reason why we actually surf. But, it's part of the total experience. And its fairly unique to surfing. I can't think of another sport that is more inaction than activity. Yet, those intense moments of riding, those few seconds far outweigh the lethargy in between.
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| Photo: Chris Orwig |
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