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| post_id ▼ | thread_id | thread_title | post_number | author_username | post_date | post_date_iso | post_body |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 335710 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 21 | BeanTown | Jan 20, 2025 | 2025-01-20T17:59:55-0500 | Also, based on the time you posted this thread I'm 99% sure I know exactly which break you were referencing and I was pretty appalled at what a zoo it was too. Wasn't surfing, just watching from a bench. |
| 335713 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 22 | waveslider | Jan 20, 2025 | 2025-01-20T18:11:54-0500 | The South Bay is already home to the worst waves in California. It was fine when the fuckery was contained to El Porto. 15 years ago I could ride my beach cruiser with board under arm or fins dangling from my handlebars from 35th in MB to RAT and pick whatever close out peak I wanted and 90% of them would be solo sessions including Topaz/Sapphire. Now those close out peaks are inundated with adult learners from Michigan and kids that have no respect. Oh well, I still try and have fun. |
| 335715 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 23 | txgrinder | Jan 20, 2025 | 2025-01-20T18:22:05-0500 | "diluted the culture of respect that used to define the sport"....says it all |
| 335720 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 24 | Moustache Lou | Jan 20, 2025 | 2025-01-20T18:55:09-0500 | It seems to me that for so many people surfing today is less whatever you want to call what it was (‘way of life’/‘obsession’/etc), and more just a ‘pastime’ or ‘activity’, like golf, or hiking, or pickleball. “Hey! Let’s go surfing this morning and then we’ll play some pickleball this afternoon… after brunch and bottomless mimosas, of course!” But… What can ya do? Those people most certainly DO have the right to be in the water, so I feel it’s down to what several other folks have already said…. Keep surfing and take the bad with the good… Maybe try to ‘gently educate’ when it seems necessary (for the safety of yourself or others), and try to stay stoked. Or… quit surfing and become (even more?) bitter…. JMHO/YMMV |
| 335725 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 25 | heavymetalshop | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-20T19:23:06-0500 | I feel like I can boil this down to the general lack of respect for another person who you do not know. It’s rampant everywhere - many daily activities of life. Is it that capitalism has trickled into daily life values? Is it that nobody cares to give respect to another random person whom they do not know? If they did, they would respect that persons trip. Respect my trip, man, you might find something special during yours, mahalo |
| 335728 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 26 | Bighouse | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-20T19:45:04-0500 | Surfers used to be viewed as dirtbags by the masses. Now it’s the opposite. It’s trending, it’s hip It’s hashtag something annoying. That’s what changed. I appreciate everyday I get wet, but glad I got to witness the good ole days, the good and the bad parts. Plus, the waves were better back then anyway! |
| 335734 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 27 | b1lf | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-20T20:05:31-0500 | NCJohn said: I do think that the Duke would be ok with the acceptance and the growth of the sport overall. I believe he saw it as a gift. But I get it, I was just out there in San Diego surfing and there are crowds everywhere especially if you're limited to surfing around a 9-5 job and/or a family. I think you just have to take it for what it is - its only going to get more crowded. At least you guys have waves! Click to expand... I would love a 9-5 lol… I'd be able to surf every single day. |
| 335736 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 28 | feldo | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-20T20:18:23-0500 | Possible solutions include but are no limited to 1) be in the best paddle shape 2) ride bigger boards 3) surf earlier 4) tell kooks on soft tops to get a real board 5) manage expectations |
| 335745 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 29 | Ricksurfin | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-20T21:54:44-0500 | Be a mentor out in the water. Educate the new surfers on proper surf etiquette. And, when necessary be an enforcer as well. Never be afraid of mixing it up wnen the circumstance requires it. |
| 335748 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 30 | bencartagena | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-20T22:29:55-0500 | I like this thread because of how relative it is to each person and where they’re from. I split my time between managing and surf guiding at a surf resort in one of the most remote corners of Indonesia and spending my offseasons working 8 hours a day Monday thru friday in Santa Barbara. I do think crowds since covid have gotten pretty insane in some places but it’s not just the fault of folks working from home and learning how to surf during lockdowns. My take is that the art of keeping shit to oneself is somewhat of a lost art. If you spend time walking down beaches to find a sandbar or hiking around california cliffs to find a fickle reef, put ur phone away and don’t tell your buddies, especially if it’s a bit away from ur home break. Another thing to note, YOU ARE THE CROWD! If you pull up to a spot and see a crowd, and then decide to add to it, you’ve lost your right to complain. Everyone wants to surf and you are not special. You are no different than everyone else. If ur upset about a crowd, go find somewhere else to surf that might not be as good with less people. Otherwise deal with it and know that you are just as much of a problem as the guy sitting next to you. Surfing needs to return to being an independent hobby/ sport/ activity. I’ve seen crews of guys rent out my entire resort (12 ppl) and then complain that 12 people in the lineup is too much for whichever spot I take them too. Don’t shoot urself in the foot, it’s gonna hurt and nobody is gonna help you clean it up. Lastly, friendly lineups never feel crowded. An understanding of the fact that everyone is there for the same reason you are makes for a better surf. There’s usually plenty of waves, don’t be a dick, especially to regulars/locals. Lineups are only gonna get more crowded so best you put on a smile and try to forget that its your fault just as much as anyone else’s. |
| 335752 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 31 | Spiral Bee | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-20T23:26:48-0500 | @TudorsCooter I want to thank you for introducing the term "kook collectives" to my life, lol. I share some of your concerns, especially around overexposure of spots and the reduction of a sense of discovery and adventure (an issue that surfing shares with many other activities this day and age). But then also I recognize my experiences may be very different. I'm in New England for starters - our surfing ecosystem is different. Crowding can be an issue in 3-mil season, but when the hooded suits come out of the closet, much less so. Also, the foamies stick to certain beaches, and Surfline cams are only trained on a handful of spots. Plenty left elsewhere. At those beginner-friendly beaches, my experience has been that the folks flailing on the soft tops are actually pretty well versed in etiquette. It must be a standard part of whatever surf class they've taken. The few times I've been dropped in on they took my feedback fine. Maybe I've just been fortunate? Finally, I don't love your @kcl 's zip code suggestion! This too may be informed by where I live. If zip code determined access, most of the good spots around here would be accessible only to rich white guys. Don't get me wrong: some of my best friends are rich white guys ;-) but I'm pretty sure we can respect the locals without that level of exclusion (not that you were intending it). Interesting thread, lots to ponder. |
| 335755 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 32 | shredsickgnar | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T00:46:57-0500 | From my perspective in Canada. Surfing is only “dying” in SoCal(or other mega popular places). Up here right now it’s about 5 years past the golden years with plenty more great years to come. Same with places like Ireland, Norway or other cold surf places. Wetsuits are warm and comfortable. I surf with friends but it’s rarely crowded. If it is crowded, only about 20% of the crowd is competent surfers, so it’s usually still really easy to get wave. I mostly surf beach break and the barrier for entry to get past the white wash is generally pretty high. So that helps. Yes it does get crowded sometimes and some people get in the way but I usually have a two chat rule starting with, “hey I mean this in the nicest way possible but, you did X, or what you did was unsafe or rude” usually that settles it. Chat two is more firm but still polite. If something requires a third talking to then let the situation dictate the response. I thankfully got to surf some bucket list places this year, Honolua, Rincon, and a really nice wave in Ireland. All of which everyone was super chill and nice. I wasn’t there on the day of days but good days for sure. Respect gets respect. I did hear some agro guy asking an intermediate women surfer where she was from then where she was born when I was at Rincon and it was not a good look. 10/10 would not recommend. She didn’t do anything wrong and was just sitting on the inside waiting to turn on waves others didn’t want. I can imagine if you got to experience the glory days of SoCal then how it is down there now could seem like it’s been had. |
| 335761 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 33 | txgrinder | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T08:04:35-0500 | TudorsCooter said: Loving the responses here-just trying to spark some good convos! Hey Chicago boy @BeanTown , this isn't about telling people to "go fuck themselves." It's about new surfers understanding that they can't just paddle out to these reefs and shoulder-hop waves like it's Malibu on a summer weekend. The problem is normalizing this "sharing is caring" mentality pushed by TikTok chain wearing fucks who don't know any better. Sure, Tourmaline has always been a zoo, but now those kook cults are spreading like wildfire to breaks that used to be more quiet. It's easy to say, "Just surf less crowded spots," but that's the thing-we've already done that. The lesser-known spots we moved to in order to escape the chaos? They're just as crowded now as the popular ones. When I was a kid, I paddled out at Windan with a brand-new shortboard and accidentally got in someone's way while duck diving. I got absolutely ripped a new one. Didn't matter that I was 12, I learned da rules that day after getting screamed out of the water. In highschool, I caught a wave too quickly after paddling out at PB Point and got a board jammed into my ribs by some old guy. He told me straight up not to hog the waves. These moments weren't fun, but they taught me respect for the lineup. That's what so many of these newer surfers are missing. They don't learn those hard lessons and think it's fine to paddle over the face of a wave while ruining someone's turn, all to avoid taking a splash from the whitewash. My point is bigger than just these examples: Respect is earned-it's not given right away in either direction. When you paddle out at a new spot, you've got to work your way in. Sit on the shoulder, wait your turn, and even if it means catching scraps for a few weeks, that's how you earn your place. Over time, you get to know the group, say hi to the regulars, and only then do you start going for the set waves. That's how it's always been up till recent, and that's how it… |
| 335762 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 34 | txgrinder | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T08:10:58-0500 | heavymetalshop said: I feel like I can boil this down to the general lack of respect for another person who you do not know. It's rampant everywhere - many daily activities of life. It is that capitalism has trickled into daily life values? nobody cares to give respect to another random person whom they do not know? If they did, they would respect that persons trip. Respect my trip, man, you might find something special during yours, mahalo Click to expand... You lost at capitalism. "Capitalism" doesn't have a fucking thing to do with any of it. What does affect the current condition of society is lack of consequence for bad behavior, and I have seen that with both genders, all races, any age, right or lefty thinking. Leave the politics and SJW shit out of it. |
| 335764 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 35 | gigamots | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T08:25:14-0500 | I, too, have had a bad session. Surfing is dead...until the next session. See yall in the water |
| 335765 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 36 | _ctrlb | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T08:47:03-0500 | NCJohn said: At least you guys have waves! Click to expand... I'm with John |
| 335766 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 37 | SDBoardHoarder | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T09:06:40-0500 | When crowds have you frustrated head south, more empty waves than you’ll know what to do with. Theres also about a million more people in our county vs the 90’s, so popularity and more people. But the root of the problem is the foamie. It really can all be traced to the 99 dollar costco foamie. |
| 335768 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 38 | Hullmaster | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T09:38:20-0500 | TudorsCooter said: It feels like we all know what's happening here… Since COVID, the number of surfers in the water has skyrocketed, and I think most of us can relate to the frustration. Breaks that used to see 5-6 people on an average day are now flooded with 15-30, even when the conditions are mediocre. Is this what Duke envisioned when he shared surfing with the world? I can't pinpoint one single cause, but it seems to come down to a combination of things: 1. Foam Boards and the "Soft Top Invasion" The explosion of cheap foam boards is not new, but it feels as though every day a new one pops up-Costco Wavestorms, Catch Surf, Almond, Jerry's and the like-have filled the lineup with people who might not otherwise be there. These boards have their place, especially for teaching beginners or messing around in shorebreak, but they've turned every break into a free-for-all. Foam boards make it easier for inexperienced surfers to paddle out into conditions they're not ready for, leading to dangerous collisions, reckless drop-ins, and a lack of respect for lineup etiquette. They lower the barrier of entry so far that breaks once frequented by skilled surfers now feel like playgrounds for clueless newcomers. Just the other day I saw a girl contemplate paddling out at one of San Diego's hardest reef breaks with her foamie because she thought the wave looked nice. Wtf. 2. Surfline and Social Media Live Streamers Surfline cameras and green conditions have completely killed the element of discovery. It used to take dedication-you'd check tides, track swells, and drive around to see what was working. Now, anyone with a phone can check Surfline or Instagram, see a glowing forecast, and flock to the break. Social media influencers exacerbate this by glamorizing certain spots, sharing exact locations, and turning surfing into a trendy spectacle. These platforms have stripped away much of the soul of surfing, replacing the joy of exploration with a rush to overcrowded bre… |
| 335769 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 39 | Zzz | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T10:04:32-0500 | I tried to “not follow the crowd” and keep to myself a lot in San Diego starting sometime around 20 years ago. I surfed a lot of reefs starting on the wrong tide and leaving as the crowd arrived with the tide getting right. I found spots that were still fun with light on shores and would surf during Chargers games (it’s hard to believe now but the Bolts had a decent following in SD at one point). I had a particularly memorable session with just one other guy at a normally very localized reef during a Chargers vs Steelers playoff game. I also found a spot near home that worked under certain conditions that most other nearby waves didn’t but was smaller than the few others that broke. On small days it broke in super shallow water and required some local knowledge but it broke completely (versus backing off in a channel at the end) and I just loved that spot. I never took anyone else there but over time got to know a few other locals and we were all friendly with each other. I miss that spot like crazy. Even though it’s in plain sight in one of the most crowded surf zones most people chose to not surf it despite the much heavier crowds nearby. Many years ago I was visiting a friend who had moved to Costa Rica and we ran into someone he knew. This acquaintance started talking about how crowded a particular break was and then said, “well you know surfers, they’re all monkey see monkey do” and I’ve always thought that was a very poignant insight. In New England these days I still try to avoid adding to the most crowded spots when possible. There’s one zone I’ve kind of written off due to crowds. But where I go most frequently when the surf is good I’m surprised at how few people are on it. |
| 335770 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 40 | TudorsCooter | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T10:09:04-0500 | Spiral Bee said: @TudorsCooter I want to thank you for introducing the term "kook collectives" to my life, lol. I share some of your concerns, especially around overexposure of spots and the reduction of a sense of discovery and adventure (an issue that surfing shares with many other activities this day and age). But then also I recognize my experiences may be very different. I'm in New England for starters - our surfing ecosystem is different. Crowding can be an issue in 3-mil season, but when the hooded suits come out of the closet, much less so. Also, the foamies stick to certain beaches, and Surfline cams are only trained on a handful of spots. Plenty left elsewhere. At those beginner-friendly beaches, my experience has been that the folks flailing on the soft tops are actually pretty well versed in etiquette. It must be a standard part of whatever surf class they've taken. The few times I've been dropped in on they took my feedback fine. Maybe I've just been fortunate? Finally, I don't love your zip code suggestion! This too may be informed by where I live, If zip code determined access, most of the good spots around here would be accessible only to rich white guys. Don't get me wrong: some of my best friends are rich white guys ;-) but I'm pretty sure we can respect the locals without that level of exclusion (not that you were intending it). Interesting thread, lots to ponder. Click to expand... I did not recommend the zip coding lol, but loving the feedback! Thank you for sharing |
| 335771 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 41 | Sbbcc | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T10:26:09-0500 | Sounds like you could solve the problem by no longer surfing |
| 335778 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 42 | alvar | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T11:15:48-0500 | TudorsCooter said: It feels like we all know what's happening here… Since COVID, the number of surfers in the water has skyrocketed, and I think most of us can relate to the frustration. Breaks that used to see 5-6 people on an average day are now flooded with 15-30, even when the conditions are mediocre. Is this what Duke envisioned when he shared surfing with the world? I can't pinpoint one single cause, but it seems to come down to a combination of things: 1. Foam Boards and the "Soft Top Invasion" The explosion of cheap foam boards is not new, but it feels as though every day a new one pops up-Costco Wavestorms, Catch Surf, Almond, Jerry's and the like-have filled the lineup with people who might not otherwise be there. These boards have their place, especially for teaching beginners or messing around in shorebreak, but they've turned every break into a free-for-all. Foam boards make it easier for inexperienced surfers to paddle out into conditions they're not ready for, leading to dangerous collisions, reckless drop-ins, and a lack of respect for lineup etiquette. They lower the barrier of entry so far that breaks once frequented by skilled surfers now feel like playgrounds for clueless newcomers. Just the other day I saw a girl contemplate paddling out at one of San Diego's hardest reef breaks with her foamie because she thought the wave looked nice. Wtf. 2. Surfline and Social Media Live Streamers Surfline cameras and green conditions have completely killed the element of discovery. It used to take dedication-you'd check tides, track swells, and drive around to see what was working. Now, anyone with a phone can check Surfline or Instagram, see a glowing forecast, and flock to the break. Social media influencers exacerbate this by glamorizing certain spots, sharing exact locations, and turning surfing into a trendy spectacle. These platforms have stripped away much of the soul of surfing, replacing the joy of exploration with a rush to overcrowded bre… |
| 335780 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 43 | txgrinder | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T11:24:31-0500 | SDBoardHoarder said: When crowds have you frustrated head south, more empty waves than you'll know what to do with. Theres also about a million more people in our county vs the 90's, so popularity and more people. But the root of the problem is the foamie. It really can all be traced to the 99 dollar costco foamie. Click to expand... Nah, the issues became apparent before the foamie...or we would not have had localism, but he foamie didn't help. |
| 335783 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 44 | Darth Waver | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T11:37:41-0500 | SDBoardHoarder said: When crowds have you frustrated head south, more empty waves than you'll know what to do with. Theres also about a million more people in our county vs the 90's, so popularity and more people. But the root of the problem is the foamie. It really can all be traced to the 99 dollar costco foamie. Click to expand... You are going to resurrect Pancake Mix...Pancake Mix... |
| 335784 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 45 | Spiral Bee | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T11:41:37-0500 | TudorsCooter said: I did not recommend the zip coding lol, but loving the feedback! Thank you for sharing Click to expand... Oh damn, sorry about that. I conflated two separate posts. I'll do a quick edit with strikethrough for the sake of posterity. |
| 335785 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 46 | Shaka Khan | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T11:49:23-0500 | I feel this especially with the rise of how prevalent social media has become. Anytime I open Instagram I see someone logging their "experience" learning how to surf, or an influencer trying to sell some product as they put on a wetsuit to go straight on waves at a crowded beach break. I have also tried to surf off the beaten path since growing up in San Diego. It seems even the shitty little reef breaks I used to share with the same group of guys for years now have gotten crowded! |
| 335786 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 47 | Ricksurfin | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T11:49:38-0500 | That’s it, I quit. All this doom and gloom has pushed me over the edge, lol. |
| 335789 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 48 | Austin from SD | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T12:00:29-0500 | I didn't start going until the early 2000s, so never experienced the golden age of surf travel in the region but the other thing that drives me nuts is how crowded basically everywhere in Baja California is now. Places that are well known and easy to get to are obviously swarming with people. Last winter I watched a full on group yoga class on the dunes above a popular point break. It appeared many people were doing it on their lunch break while they "worked from home" out of their lifted Sprinter with StarLink. I've been avoiding those places for awhile so whatever, but now even the places that are difficult to get to that were mostly empty 10 years ago are overloaded. You can certainly get lucky and you can improve your odds by putting in more effort than the next guy and going farther, but it is still a bummer. |
| 335790 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 49 | SoftScrambledSkeggs | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T12:08:07-0500 | I surf alone in LA regularly within 5 miles of millions of people, and have had some A+ sessions (on a "eh that was fun!" curve). I have boards that make it fun, and treat it like the gym, quantity over (but not always) quantity. I also surf Malibu regularly, it's abject chaos, but there's 10 people I don't burn, and the rest are nameless, faceless "They Live"-esque drones that don't exist until they do. I've been injured, sent people in, fucked up and burned the wrong person, and had some of the best days of my life with only 400 of my closest friends alongside. It's a mosh pit, but I don't ride shit I care about, tell people (politely, with a sprinkling of asshole) when they err or are oblivious. I'll also try and help if I see someone blowing it, paddling with poor form, etc. I'm aware of my position, positively and negatively, and exploit it, and try not to be a dick about it. Some days I fail. But that which tips the scales toward gratitude is this: I still surf. Not own a surfboard, not like surfing, not "still get out there a couple times a year". In the immortal words of MC Nay Nay, "I sURf!". Picture everyone you know who you've surfed with, and now catalog who is still about it… I'm not the best but I'm committed, and that fact affords me an equilibrium that no amount of wavestorm fuckery, spot-blowing microblogging, or "this is my job" pro-surfer jockiness can shake. I'd write more but I heard on TikTok Rincon's firing and there's only 200 people out… sounds like my kinda party… |
| 335794 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 50 | PeakMaster | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T12:45:55-0500 | I'm down with giving one warning to any asswipe that shows up with a drone. Leave or get your ass kicked and your drone smashed. I got a ton of shit from some of the resident douchebags here awhile back when I was on a mission to go after this asshole in Monmouth county that had his drone spotlighting every decent break North of Sea Girt. |
| 335798 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 51 | SdSurferguy | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T13:22:43-0500 | @SoftScrambledSkeggs nailed it. If you're out there catching waves you are lucky. Lucky to have a board, have knowledge, have access, have waves, have wheels, have health, have time. Sit deeper. Go for the outside sets. Go for inside no one wants. Down the beach. Up the beach. Burn the foamies, burn the Zonies, burn em all. Educate others kindly but firmly, provide helpful tips. Ride a beater, do ding repair. Have fun. Stoke out others. 'Hoot a kook' as the Skipper would say. Oh I surfed alone for 45min this morning, shoulder/head high and offshore. F*cking cold tho! Image processing. Refresh page to view |
| 335812 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 52 | West81 | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T15:52:06-0500 | That, and I guess the shot of heroin helped too |
| 335813 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 53 | Planktom | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T16:03:37-0500 | Order of calamitous events that have led us to this point: 1) The Leash 2) Cable telly 3) The Internet 4) Foam learner boards being 'accepted' en mass as legit waveriding tools 5) Good wetsuits 6) 'Home' working 7) Social media misinformation - 'opinions' become 'facts' if you shout them loud enough 8) Phone cameras and the associated complications when politely confronting dangerous behaviour 9) Surf schools/coaching and everyone wanting to monetise their 'passion'. Go and get a proper job. I'm sure I've missed something, but it's a start. |
| 335820 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 54 | paipodude | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T16:27:23-0500 | txgrinder said: You lost at capitalism. "Capitalism" doesn't have a fucking thing to do with any of it. What does affect the current condition of society is lack of consequence for bad behavior, and I have seen that with both genders, all races, any age, right or lefty thinking. Leave the politics and SJW shit out of it. Click to expand... Blood on the reef. Consequences of bad etiquette. |
| 335823 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 55 | paipodude | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T16:42:02-0500 | Planktom said: Order of calamitous events that have led us to this point: 1) The Leash 2) Cable telly 3) The Internet 4) Foam learner boards being 'accepted' en mass as legit waveriding tools 5) Good wetsuits 6) 'Home' working 7) Social media misinformation - 'opinions' become 'facts' if you shout them loud enough 8) Phone cameras and the associated complications when politely confronting dangerous behaviour 9) Surf schools/coaching and everyone wanting to monetise their 'passion'. Go and get a proper job. I'm sure I've missed something, but it's a start. Click to expand... 10) Loose lips sink ships as the saying goes -- in surf lingo it is some person boasting on social media that "I like so and so place because it is never crowded." 11) Movies: Gidget, Endless Summer and Blue Crush |
| 335824 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 56 | Moustache Lou | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T16:42:05-0500 | “Ride a beater.” NEVER!!!!! |
| 335835 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 57 | txgrinder | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T17:42:55-0500 | paipodude said: Blood on the reef. Consequences of bad etiquette. Click to expand... Absolutely... |
| 335836 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 58 | txgrinder | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T17:44:24-0500 | Planktom said: Order of calamitous events that have led us to this point: 1) The Leash 2) Cable telly 3) The Internet 4) Foam learner boards being 'accepted' en mass as legit waveriding tools 5) Good wetsuits 6) 'Home' working 7) Social media misinformation - 'opinions' become 'facts' if you shout them loud enough 8) Phone cameras and the associated complications when politely confronting dangerous behaviour 9) Surf schools/coaching and everyone wanting to monetise their 'passion'. Go and get a proper job. I'm sure I've missed something, but it's a start. Click to expand... My man with the wisdom of yore.... |
| 335839 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 59 | gigamots | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T18:01:07-0500 | At the risk of triggering some of our more sensitive members, it really does come down to economics... Waves are an amazing and finite resource, yet they have only gotten cheaper. Financial costs: declining ($99 foamie at a Walmart near you!) Social costs: declining (nobody gonna heckle you anymore) Physical costs: declining (that buttery Yamomoto rubber, Gath/Oakley/whatever brain bucket, floatation devices...) Want fewer crowds? Make the waves more expensive...or seek out more expensive waves (NIHI Sumba, Abu Dhabi surf mecca, [redacted super secret surf gang controlled spot], Iceland, whatever)...it's capitalism, baby |
| 335841 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 60 | SoftScrambledSkeggs | Jan 21, 2025 | 2025-01-21T18:16:39-0500 | gigamots said: At the risk of triggering some of our more sensitive members, it really does come down to economics... Waves are an amazing and finite resource, yet they have only gotten cheaper. Financial costs: declining ($99 foamie at a Walmart near you!) Social costs: declining (nobody gonna heckle you anymore) Physical costs: declining (that buttery Yamomoto rubber, Gath/Oakley/whatever brain bucket, floatation devices...) Want fewer crowds? Make the waves more expensive...or seek out more expensive waves (NIHI Sumba, Abu Dhabi surf mecca, [redacted super secret surf gang controlled spot], Iceland, whatever)...it's capitalism, baby Click to expand... Maybe more accurately a function of supply & demand - a bit more universal than the big ole 'C'. By this logic, the proliferation of wave pools & simulation headsets should satisfy the marginal supply shortage, leading us back to equilibrium and existential equanimity... a girl can dream... |
| 335886 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 61 | V.Manoc | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-21T23:07:40-0500 | " Localism is… misunderstood and misused, most of the time. The media has gone huge with a few stories about raving assholes who surf and beat people up. To me, that's not localism - that's a story about a guy with a short dick whose mom didn't hug him enough. I am a firm believer however that a line-up is safer and more enjoyable for everyone when there is a collective understanding of how things flow at that particular spot. If a surfer paddles out to a new line-up and has no interest in learning a little about that place and its people then I think that's a sign of disrespect. In a healthy line-up, one's negative actions are met with equal and opposite reactions; call it localism if you want, but I have no problem with that. If surfers don't employ some kind of self-governance then we'll soon have cops and rangers on the beach and in the line-up issuing citations, and we'll be paying their salaries when we purchase our "Dawn Patrol 3 Hour Surf Pass" from a toll booth built on our favorite beach. " Chris Malloy |
| 335903 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 62 | TudorsCooter | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T12:00:22-0500 | Just an example of some bullshit.. this dude constantly posting spots and trying to schedule meet-ups. Yeah it's fucking pump house and tourmo but come onnnnnn these spots are always nuuked and those shits flood north and feed into breaks they should not be. BTW When i messaged him to maybe not name drop so hard, this guy blocked me. https://www.instagram.com/guga_classic/reel/DEomUdGxQtN/ |
| 335905 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 63 | Darth Waver | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T12:09:42-0500 | I mostly don't care and find some shoulders anywhere but I have to admit I have recently noticed the social media effect quite clearly. A few times I have shown up somewhere and wonder why I see all these obnoxious surfers I'm trying to avoid from another break. See on instagram later that day videos from a drone guy's account at that spot. I guess he posts or shares where he's going to shoot drone footage and these chimps follow him to those spots and act like fools and hog waves to get posted on Instagram. |
| 335914 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 64 | Planktom | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T13:04:29-0500 | This applies to surfing too, although we are much farther along the path of mainstreaming in surfing unfortunately |
| 335916 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 65 | Planktom | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T13:09:55-0500 | All said, I am still very happy with my surfing life and the hook shows no sign of loosening even 40-odd years later. I am also grateful that I live in a place that is cold, often inconsistent and at the mercy of the elements along with 10M tides. All these things make it awkward enough to keep the crowds from hitting ridiculous levels, for the time being, at least, whilst local knowledge is often rewarded. |
| 335918 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 66 | paipodude | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T13:18:26-0500 | Honestly, I hate so much monetizing of the sport. Appreciate some good surf shops, but the surf schools and guides, no thanks. I still subscribe in taking a little info and exploring from there. The is a spot in N. Oregon that is heavily localized and for good reason--it requires experienced intermediate to advanced surfing skills and water knowledge. There are plenty of easier, safer spots very closeby in the same cove area. In the Maryland area we would often walk south at the Federal Seashore, atleast two peaks beyond the last peak people are riding. Then guess what happens: people walk right by those peaks to "join us." Or, people with 4WD pull right up to your spot. |
| 335921 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 67 | BeanTown | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T13:28:25-0500 | TudorsCooter said: Just an example of some bullshit.. this dude constantly posting spots and trying to schedule meet-ups. Yeah it's fucking pump house and tourmo but come onnnnnn these spots are always nuuked and those shits flood north and feed into breaks they should not be. BTW When i messaged him to maybe not name drop so hard, this guy blocked me. https://www.instagram.com/guga_classic/reel/DEomUdGxQtN/ Click to expand... How are you going to gatekeep one of the most populated tourist beaches in SD? Tourmo is literally named a 'surf park' |
| 335923 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 68 | kcl | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T13:37:19-0500 | BeanTown said: How are you going to gatekeep one of the most populated tourist beaches in SD? Tourmo is literally named a 'surf park' Click to expand... I think @TudorsCooter is rightfully trying to point out that 15-20 randos of varying skill levels meeting up to paddle out to the peak en masse is problematic at any spot, especially somewhere as busy as Tourmo. Social media geotagging, in location or name, only benefits the poster and rarely anyone else anyway. |
| 335925 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 69 | seelegs | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T13:40:46-0500 | Here for some paddle tips… |
| 335930 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 70 | TudorsCooter | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T14:10:28-0500 | BeanTown said: How are you going to gatekeep one of the most populated tourist beaches in SD? Tourmo is literally named a 'surf park' Click to expand... Relax Bean boy, I'm not gatekeeping the granola crew utopia that is Tourmo-it's just not that deep. This isn't the Salem Witch Trials; I'm not coming for you because you didn't grow up here. Jokes aside, it's a little wack that you're this mad over me calling out some influencer nonsense. |
| 335931 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 71 | waveslider | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T14:18:42-0500 | Image processing. Refresh page to view |
| 335938 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 72 | RedFinManiac | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T15:26:12-0500 | Planktom said: This applies to surfing too, although we are much farther along the path of mainstreaming in surfing unfortunately Click to expand... R.I.P. Jeff.. Miss that guy. The world (&surfing) could learn so much from his wisdom. lol It's all about self expression, there's no rules to style... except... tuck you're fookin knee! oh wait.. that's right this is a surfing thread not skateboarding.. |
| 335945 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 73 | BeanTown | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T16:25:21-0500 | TudorsCooter said: Relax Bean boy, I'm not gatekeeping the granola crew utopia that is Tourmo-it's just not that deep. This isn't the Salem Witch Trials; I'm not coming for you because you didn't grow up here. Jokes aside, it's a little wack that you're this mad over me calling out some influencer nonsense. Click to expand... Hear me out - maybe it's time for some enterprising person to start posting conditions and drone videos from MBJ or OB to draw the masses farther south. That might help clear out some of the spots neighboring tourmo. |
| 335949 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 74 | Darth Waver | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T17:08:22-0500 | BeanTown said: Hear me out - maybe it's time for some enterprising person to start posting conditions and drone videos from MBJ or OB to draw the masses farther south. That might help clear out some of the spots neighboring tourmo. Click to expand... Drone footage of only sharks and rays would be better. |
| 335950 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 75 | andrew- | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T17:41:16-0500 | Sharks vs Sarfers, classic |
| 335954 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 76 | TurtleTime | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T17:58:15-0500 | I live in and surf around some of the most crowded spots in the country...it's been this way since I started in '84, however as everyone points out it has gotten WAY worse. The lesser or in-between breaks that would have nobody - a couple out are now packed, even when it's shitty. A south spot is packed on a NW swell....Since the pandemic I have had like 4 collisions, one just a week or so ago. When "educating" people, at times there's total pushback....it's insane. I'm not the biggest guy but don't mind telling people when they are very wrong...have come close to altercations many times but have yet to cross that line. I thought I was about 2 years ago when I was at my witt's end after the same shoulder hopping asshole kept doing it for 2 winters. I told him I don't know what else to do, let's go to the beach...he declined to paddle in with me... Also live in insta-kook look-at-me ground zero. People MOVE here to become pro surfers!? It's a place where "Daddy and Me" sessions are the norm. What was once the A south swell spot south of Malibu, is now a day care. Dads show up with multiple kids all on e-bikes. I mean these kids are not 13....they are fucking 5....who or where is it tolerable to have a Insta-Dad PUSH their child in to a wave that someone else is already competently riding!!??? Nowhere, that's fucking where! Lastly, as I am now a few over the 50 mark have been riding longboards about 60-75% of the time as competing with groms at the A break is just pretty much done for me. I go longboarding and have a blast 99% of the time. People are generally way cooler and I go home happy. That being said.....I have a special GRRRR in my heart for this new generation of hipsters that only ride longboards....It is also shitty competing against a 20 yr old on a fucking 9'6" doing laps....I earned my longboard spot....now get in your shitty 1978 dodge van and go ride a shortboard at Blacks or something. ps. nobody works anymore, or all firefighters or waiters? |
| 335958 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 77 | Bruce Fowler | Jan 22, 2025 | 2025-01-22T18:19:21-0500 | "I don't think this is fixable. Surfing feels like it's dying a slow death, turning into something closer to 3-hour ski lift lines than the soulful escape it once was. It's heartbreaking to see something so sacred and personal turned into a chaotic mess. I just needed to vent because, honestly, it's hard not to feel defeated sometimes." No worries, there is always a song that matches the moment.... |
| 335971 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 78 | surf1ng | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-22T19:30:01-0500 | waveslider said: View attachment 80702 Click to expand... Truth! |
| 335999 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 79 | Darth Waver | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-22T22:49:12-0500 | TurtleTime said: I live in and surf around some of the most crowded spots in the country...it's been this way since I started in '84, however as everyone points out it has gotten WAY worse. The lesser or in-between breaks that would have nobody - a couple out are now packed, even when it's shitty. A south spot is packed on a NW swell....Since the pandemic I have had like 4 collisions, one just a week or so ago. When "educating" people, at times there's total pushback....it's insane. I'm not the biggest guy but don't mind telling people when they are very wrong...have come close to altercations many times but have yet to cross that line. I thought I was about 2 years ago when I was at my witt's end after the same shoulder hopping asshole kept doing it for 2 winters. I told him I don't know what else to do, let's go to the beach...he declined to paddle in with me... Also live in insta-kook look-at-me ground zero. People MOVE here to become pro surfers!? It's a place where "Daddy and Me" sessions are the norm. What was once the A south swell spot south of Malibu, is now a day care. Dads show up with multiple kids all on e-bikes. I mean these kids are not 13....they are fucking 5....who or where is it tolerable to have a Insta-Dad PUSH their child in to a wave that someone else is already competently riding!!??? Nowhere, that's fucking where! Lastly, as I am now a few over the 50 mark have been riding longboards about 60-75% of the time as competing with groms at the A break is just pretty much done for me. I go longboarding and have a blast 99% of the time. People are generally way cooler and I go home happy. That being said.....I have a special GRRRR in my heart for this new generation of hipsters that only ride longboards....It is also shitty competing against a 20 yr old on a fucking 9'6" doing laps....I earned my longboard spot....now get in your shitty 1978 dodge van and go ride a shortboard at Blacks or something. ps. nobody works anymore, or all firefighters or waite… |
| 336002 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 80 | B2Lose | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-22T23:31:35-0500 | SdSurferguy said: ^ agreed. I wrote out a long response about everything that irks me too (the hyper-specific instagram reports kill me), but then remembered what a guy who I really respect (and he surfs circles around me) said last year. "Remember, it's just a bunch of grown men playing in the water". I'm at 12 sessions so far this year and yet to have a 'bad' one. Two of them were just me and a friend. Yewwww!!! Click to expand... You're beating me by two sessions. I'll catch you yet! |
| 336006 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 81 | mightyrime | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T00:03:28-0500 | Bodhi1502 said: Last question hits home. How the hell are so many working age people not at work in the most expensive areas in the country. I couldn't afford to surf, time or money, most of my life. I was working (multiple jobs) to afford living here then raising a family. Click to expand... Too add to this what about all the kids out in the lineup on a weekday that are like 12 to 17 years old that should be in school! I am lucky with my work schedule that I work with people in different time zones so I start early but have usually 9a-11a free and then back to meetings so I sort of surf this weird swing shift between morning pre work and the lunch time crew. Anyways I am seeing more and more young teens with their parents ( who should be working?) filming them in the beach. Are they being homeschooled so they can have some sort of future surf career? I sound like a grumpy old man but kids need more of an education than just surfing to be a well rounded human being. |
| 336008 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 82 | Midlength Fan | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T00:05:59-0500 | "Influencers", or other look-at-me types who post their sessions on social media and try to "monetize" them, are IMHO the lowest form of parasite. |
| 336010 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 83 | Moustache Lou | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T00:10:44-0500 | Midlength Fan said: "Influencers", or other look-at-me types who post their sessions on social media and try to "monetize" them, are IMHO the lowest firm of parasite. Click to expand... Like the girl who went from not surfing to 'surfing pipe' (she didn't REALLY) and lately has been posting clips of herself paddling out at Blacks (and naming the spot very clearly) on days she has absolutely no business paddling out on? Ok… ATTEMPTING to paddle out… because "My serf coach said I wuz ready!" :-/ |
| 336014 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 84 | RedFinManiac | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T01:37:17-0500 | Krojak said: Like the girl who went from not surfing to 'surfing pipe' (she didn't REALLY) and lately has been posting clips of herself paddling out at Blacks (and naming the spot very clearly) on days she has absolutely no business paddling out on? Ok… ATTEMPTING to paddle out… because "My serf coach said I wuz ready!" :-/ Click to expand... That influencer chick really pisses me off.. Every video that I've seen is so ridiculous.. |
| 336015 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 85 | Planktom | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T02:02:53-0500 | I just don't know what posseses people... There is no dignity left. |
| 336023 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 86 | PeakMaster | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T09:45:16-0500 | Midlength Fan said: "Influencers", or other look-at-me types who post their sessions on social media and try to "monetize" them, are IMHO the lowest form of parasite. Click to expand... Especially under the guise of "instructional" videos. I'm not talking about the fitness content creators, I'm talking about the phoney altruistic types that are fronting like they're giving pointers and tips. |
| 336024 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 87 | txgrinder | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T10:02:26-0500 | TudorsCooter said: Just an example of some bullshit.. this dude constantly posting spots and trying to schedule meet-ups. Yeah it's fucking pump house and tourmo but come onnnnnn these spots are always nuuked and those shits flood north and feed into breaks they should not be. BTW When i messaged him to maybe not name drop so hard, this guy blocked me. https://www.instagram.com/guga_classic/reel/DEomUdGxQtN/ Click to expand... Shows the KOOKS that flood the lineups. Blocked you? What a choad. Imagine this guy in the water with that mentality of not taking correction or respecting the culture. Bet he's tons of fun. Prolly rips too. |
| 336026 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 88 | V.Manoc | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T10:11:41-0500 | I couldn't keep up with this thread but I figured these clips could be posted here.. |
| 336027 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 89 | Bruce Fowler | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T10:38:51-0500 | Look on the brightside, the population is declining in USA & many countries (Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine). This means less opnions therefore less assholes. |
| 336032 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 90 | _ctrlb | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T11:06:27-0500 | Krojak said: Like the girl who went from not surfing to 'surfing pipe' (she didn't REALLY) and lately has been posting clips of herself paddling out at Blacks (and naming the spot very clearly) on days she has absolutely no business paddling out on? Ok… ATTEMPTING to paddle out… because "My serf coach said I wuz ready!" :-/ Click to expand... Whenever I see this style of "surf vlogger" I can't help but wonder if these people don't have friends in their life who will be honest with them about how their content comes across. Maybe they do-but the money speaks louder and they don't care? As a card carrying VAL, it has to be some of the kookiest stuff I've seen. Downright painful to watch. I will also take this opportunity to commend the local pro, Brett Barley, who goes to real effort to not blow up spots in his videos. I make my way around the island enough to know the general area he's at in the videos of his I see. (Not all dunes lines/heights/vegetation/parking lot is the same... not to mention the actual wave of course.) But he does a fair job keeping shots tight, blurring out backgrounds at times, and not dropping to many hints. I don't watch all his content but from what I've seen, if it isn't the lighthouse or the point, he doesn't name anything. One could of course argue that the better thing to do is to just not be filming spots at all-but I think it's a happy medium. |
| 336035 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 91 | txgrinder | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T11:29:04-0500 | TurtleTime said: I live in and surf around some of the most crowded spots in the country...it's been this way since I started in '84, however as everyone points out it has gotten WAY worse. The lesser or in-between breaks that would have nobody - a couple out are now packed, even when it's shitty. A south spot is packed on a NW swell....Since the pandemic I have had like 4 collisions, one just a week or so ago. When "educating" people, at times there's total pushback....it's insane. I'm not the biggest guy but don't mind telling people when they are very wrong...have come close to altercations many times but have yet to cross that line. I thought I was about 2 years ago when I was at my witt's end after the same shoulder hopping asshole kept doing it for 2 winters. I told him I don't know what else to do, let's go to the beach...he declined to paddle in with me... Also live in insta-kook look-at-me ground zero. People MOVE here to become pro surfers!? It's a place where "Daddy and Me" sessions are the norm. What was once the A south swell spot south of Malibu, is now a day care. Dads show up with multiple kids all on e-bikes. I mean these kids are not 13....they are fucking 5....who or where is it tolerable to have a Insta-Dad PUSH their child in to a wave that someone else is already competently riding!!??? Nowhere, that's fucking where! Lastly, as I am now a few over the 50 mark have been riding longboards about 60-75% of the time as competing with groms at the A break is just pretty much done for me. I go longboarding and have a blast 99% of the time. People are generally way cooler and I go home happy. That being said.....I have a special GRRRR in my heart for this new generation of hipsters that only ride longboards....It is also shitty competing against a 20 yr old on a fucking 9'6" doing laps....I earned my longboard spot....now get in your shitty 1978 dodge van and go ride a shortboard at Blacks or something. ps. nobody works anymore, or all firefighters or waite… |
| 336037 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 92 | txgrinder | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T11:32:25-0500 | Planktom said: I just don't know what posseses people... There is no dignity left. Click to expand... There really isn't.... |
| 336069 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 93 | houseofsuffering | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T15:23:32-0500 | Midlength Fan said: "Influencers", or other look-at-me types who post their sessions on social media and try to "monetize" them, are IMHO the lowest form of parasite. Click to expand... 100% There is a homogenization that has occurred to surf culture that is completely boring and bland thanks to this crowd. Locally, I see people with average to not very good surfing skills using instagram to attempt to elevate their status, skills and sales of trinkets with a very manicured feed. Whether it's photo sessions at breaks accompanied by nauseatingly dramatic captions, aping Andy Davis artwork to sell, wearing the same style clothing copied from other eras, listening to the same music (make sure you use Khruangbin for your soundtrack to your reel!): it's a total crafted, synthetic aesthetic masked as authenticity for the sake of manufacturing an identity online. There was a time where photography was documenting the actions of a subculture. Now it seems reversed. Crafting, posing and framing actions based on some digital idea of what suring is supposed to be seems to be the endgame of these human copy machines. It's too much. The real characters are gone. It's a snooze fest of dirt staches and "alternative surf craft". |
| 336073 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 94 | TurtleTime | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T15:39:07-0500 | yeah the kids....nobody goes to school OR works. I had the day off recently and on a Wed at noon, I see a group of 6-12yr olds leaving...better be working on those 360 air reverses Kai.... |
| 336081 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 95 | Planktom | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T16:07:17-0500 | ...and the irony is that you will need to effectively be savant-level to even make a mediocre career as a high performance surfer in the next few years and beyond. |
| 336082 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 96 | Darth Waver | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T16:08:29-0500 | Don’t you know? They are all going to be influencers. Seriously, that’s what all the middle school kids tell me. |
| 336083 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 97 | Planktom | Jan 23, 2025 | 2025-01-23T16:09:28-0500 | On the flipside, my 9yr old seems to only be interested in solid surf and is not enamoured whatsoever by air reverses etc. He doesn't even really know or care what sponsorship is! |
| 336104 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 98 | SoftScrambledSkeggs | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T19:02:28-0500 | Planktom said: On the flipside, my 9yr old seems to only be interested in solid surf and is not enamoured whatsoever by air reverses etc. He doesn't even really know or care what sponsorship is! Click to expand... Bragging about your >10yo being a low key charger is the corest shit ever. I back it, give your kid a hi-5 for me. Watched a preteen have his first sesh at an outside wave and honestly, it was impressive and inspiring as a surfer and a dad. My niño is 4, and loves watching Torren get "buried" in "Tesoro Eterrado". Proud. |
| 336105 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 99 | Midlength Fan | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T19:03:13-0500 | "Aping Andy Davis artwork to sell" spot on! |
| 336110 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 100 | TurtleTime | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T19:24:07-0500 | https://www.surfline.com/lp/surf-etiquette too little, too late. |
| 336116 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 101 | nedsurf | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T20:05:31-0500 | Giggling a bit. We had many of these same discussions 20 years ago, and the guys before me had them 40 years ago. Remember when midday was old guys and hardcore, and all of a sudden nobody worked or went to school anymore and were crowding the breaks. Of course it is worse now. Skiing, climbing, flyfishing, traffic, surfing was way different when I was younger. As an old guy I'm blaming you. Sort of kidding, but you that are complaining are part of the problem. I gave up on it a few years ago cause I was getting my knickers in a knot and finally realized I needed to change. The things that make our lives easier also make our lives more difficult in many ways. As was said earlier, the gold is still out there, great sessions are still there, harder work and attitude will let you enjoy them. I might see you in the water, or not. |
| 336117 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 102 | Midlength Fan | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T20:08:27-0500 | Best etiquette video online (free!) is by Barefoot Surf, "9 rules of etiquette". I wish EVERYONE would watch it, not just the "noobs". IMHO some of the WORST offenders are skilled surfers who paddle back to the lineup after riding a wave and IMMEDIATELY spin around and take the next one, IGNORING all the other people who have been waiting! (I see younger people on longboards doing this a LOT!) |
| 336128 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 103 | Moustache Lou | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T22:05:04-0500 | Midlength Fan said: "Aping Andy Davis artwork to sell" spot on! Click to expand... Didn't he do T-shirts under the 'Free Byrd' label back in like the early 2000s? Those were rad shirts. |
| 336130 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 104 | Moustache Lou | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T22:07:57-0500 | Midlength Fan said: Best etiquette video online (free!) is by Barefoot Surf, "9 rules of etiquette". I wish EVERYONE would watch it, not just the "noobs". IMHO some of the WORST offenders are skilled surfers who paddle back to the lineup after riding a wave and IMMEDIATELY spin around and take the next one, IGNORING all the other people who have been waiting! (I see younger people on longboards doing this a LOT!) Click to expand... I kinda wish there was some way to make Matt Warshaw's 'The History of Surfing' required reading (or at least listening) for everyone who wants to start surfing. |
| 336136 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 105 | Midlength Fan | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T22:50:51-0500 | @Krojak , I seriously wish some legislation would be passed so that shops that rent out foamies would have to require the people that rent them to watch a 10-minute video on lineup safety. (I feel like that's what it should be called, the word "etiquette" tends to minimize its importance.) |
| 336137 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 106 | Ricksurfin | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T22:53:47-0500 | Next time the crowds get to you, stop and look around and realize how lucky you are. The beautiful surroundings, the view of the land from the water, dolphins playing, birds soaring waves crashing. Even with the crowds, we’re blessed to partake in what is surfing. My moto is “More smiles then waves”. |
| 336138 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 107 | Midlength Fan | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T23:01:54-0500 | @Ricksurfin , amen!!!! |
| 336140 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 108 | b1lf | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-23T23:14:32-0500 | Bruce Fowler said: Look on the brightside, the population is declining in USA & many countries (Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine). This means less opnions therefore less assholes. Click to expand... The U.S. population is increasing. In 2024, the population grew by 0.98% from 2023, the largest year-over-year increase since 2001. This growth was driven by a decrease in deaths and an increase in immigration. Source: https://www.census.gov/library/stor...lation Grows at Fastest Pace in More Than Two,growth rate of approximately 0.8% . |
| 336166 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 109 | s-10 | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T05:53:39-0500 | We will hit an inflection where there will be more diapers on old people than kids. Surfing is deadly and everyone needs to remember that. I can't count on 2 hands the people I had to tell last year they should consider not paddling out or going back to the shore. One dude with a wetsuit on backwards on a big day , another with a wetsuit zipper unzipped because his suit was broken (can fill-up with water and hold you down), others in various states of confusion, at least a few trying to paddle out on the "magic carpet ride" with a wrong swell angle and getting stuck between a jetty and an impact zone, watching someone get taken away in an ambulance after taking off to close to rocks, way above his pay grade. I'm not a great surfer, but I've been in and around the oceans and running bodies of water my whole life. Growing up i spent years in the reefs of the Phillipines, surfed , fished and swam all over the world and I am to this day deathly afraid of the ocean. Anything slightly out of place and I'm not paddling out or I'm watching for it. This is what I feel is the main difference between me and an adult learner.... the fear and respect. |
| 336167 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 110 | dingpatch | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T06:09:11-0500 | I remember that day back in 1965, , , , , , , O'Club was crowded. There were 26 people out! And, but, so, on another note, , , ya sure, 'everything' is crowded now-a-days. Hmmmmmm, , , , 'Way-back-when' was so exponentially different than 'life' today. |
| 336169 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 111 | shadydave | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T08:11:07-0500 | s-10 said: We will hit an inflection where there will be more diapers on old people than kids. Surfing is deadly and everyone needs to remember that. I can't count on 2 hands the people I had to tell last year they should consider not paddling out or going back to the shore. One dude with a wetsuit on backwards on a big day , another with a wetsuit zipper unzipped because his suit was broken (can fill-up with water and hold you down), others in various states of confusion, at least a few trying to paddle out on the "magic carpet ride" with a wrong swell angle and getting stuck between a jetty and an impact zone, watching someone get taken away in an ambulance after taking off to close to rocks, way above his pay grade. I'm not a great surfer, but I've been in and around the oceans and running bodies of water my whole life. Growing up i spent years in the reefs of the Phillipines, surfed , fished and swam all over the world and I am to this day deathly afraid of the ocean. Anything slightly out of place and I'm not paddling out or I'm watching for it. This is what I feel is the main difference between me and an adult learner.... the fear and respect. Click to expand... Unfortunately common sense is a lost art. There is so much I could say in regard to this thread but it's pretty pointless. Life is all about choices and as an outside observer it seems as thou if you live on the southern coast of California everything is crowded. |
| 336171 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 112 | dropkneestraightair | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T08:26:01-0500 | Half the problem is all these goobers learning evrything from youtube instead of their peers. |
| 336176 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 113 | SeniorGrom | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T08:55:24-0500 | There is another group I’ve noticed over the years, 2 or 3 known for 15-20 years. Nice enough and we know each others’ names. I’ve never heard a harsh word and they love/like surfing. One of them even told me surfing is the most difficult thing he’s ever done. In general they are clueless and have made ZERO improvement in their skill level. Maybe a little better paddlers, maybe, hard to tell. Can’t read the ocean, don’t know which wave matches their skill, start paddling for a wave at the wrong time, basically still go straight, and probably couldn’t tell if the tide was high, low, mid, etc. Baffles me they still bob around out in the lineup. Could be it is just a satisfying social event. Two have multiple very nice handshapes supposedly to match conditions. Other locals say hi paddle on and go surf waves. |
| 336179 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 114 | txgrinder | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T09:31:12-0500 | Planktom said: ...and the irony is that you will need to effectively be savant-level to even make a mediocre career as a high performance surfer in the next few years and beyond. Click to expand... A "career" in surfing has always made me laugh. Like @SdSurferguy said...it's just a bunch of grown men playing in the water....career??? I think not. |
| 336181 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 115 | txgrinder | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T09:39:30-0500 | b1lf said: The U.S. population is increasing. In 2024, the population grew by 0.98% from 2023, the largest year-over-year increase since 2001. This growth was driven by a decrease in deaths and an increase in immigration. Source: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/12/population-estimates.html#:~:text=Than Two Decades-,U.S. Population Grows at Fastest Pace in More Than Two,growth rate of approximately 0.8% . Click to expand... Yup, if Texas is any indicator, holy SHIT it got crowded. |
| 336202 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 116 | Chilly Willy | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T12:49:08-0500 | TudorsCooter said: I don't think this is fixable. Surfing feels like it's dying a slow death, turning into something closer to 3-hour ski lift lines than the soulful escape it once was. It's heartbreaking to see something so sacred and personal turned into a chaotic mess. I just needed to vent because, honestly, it's hard not to feel defeated sometimes. Click to expand... "In this crowded world the surfer can still seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, and be alone with the surf and his thoughts." -John Severson All you need to know, and it still applies. Just keep searching. |
| 336203 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 117 | PeakMaster | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T12:57:13-0500 | houseofsuffering said: 100% There is a homogenization that has occurred to surf culture that is completely boring and bland thanks to this crowd. Locally, I see people with average to not very good surfing skills using instagram to attempt to elevate their status, skills and sales of trinkets with a very manicured feed. Whether it's photo sessions at breaks accompanied by nauseatingly dramatic captions, aping Andy Davis artwork to sell, wearing the same style clothing copied from other eras, listening to the same music (make sure you use Khruangbin for your soundtrack to your reel!): it's a total crafted, synthetic aesthetic masked as authenticity for the sake of manufacturing an identity online. There was a time where photography was documenting the actions of a subculture. Now it seems reversed. Crafting, posing and framing actions based on some digital idea of what suring is supposed to be seems to be the endgame of these human copy machines. It's too much. The real characters are gone. It's a snooze fest of dirt staches and "alternative surf craft". Click to expand... Spot on. |
| 336208 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 118 | PeakMaster | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T13:06:00-0500 | The same asswipe that was going all over Monmouth County with his drones and cameras has started an online longboard surfing school... however the fuck that works. https://longboardsessions.com/ |
| 336217 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 119 | nedsurf | Jan 24, 2025 | 2025-01-24T13:45:36-0500 | PeakMaster said: The same asswipe that was going all over Monmouth County with his drones and cameras has started an online longboard surfing school... however the fuck that works. https://longboardsessions.com/ Click to expand... Great! Think of all the money you can save on wetsuits, not to mention travel and parking. Sign me up. |
| 336278 | 20655 | The Death of Surfing | 120 | s-10 | Jan 25, 2025 | 2025-01-24T21:25:39-0500 | nedsurf said: Great! Think of all the money you can save on wetsuits, not to mention travel and parking. Sign me up. Click to expand... I think I now know why I love surfing in 35 degree water. |
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