I think it’s important for you all to know how I got where I am and that I am not doing this entirely alone. So here is my deal…
My name is Annette and I have five older brothers, four of whom surf. I grew up surrounded by the San Diego surf culture. My brothers and some of my best friends all surfed (I encourage you to check out Chloe Buckley’s FB fan page. That girl has been a best friend and an inspiration from day número uno, plus she rips.). I tried multiple times to learn how to surf, but for various reasons, I never succeeded. My brothers were amazing. They would often take me to surf with them, but I later realized that they’re approach to teaching me was throwing me out into the line up and letting me figure it out. Sweeeet…Psych. Even with a buoyant surf board, I was still at risk for drowning and getting rocked by the surf.
I have listed my initial hurdles so some of you can take comfort in the fact that I was probably more pathetic than you. haha
I have listed my initial hurdles so some of you can take comfort in the fact that I was probably more pathetic than you. haha
1. I would have scored a 0 on a 1-10 scale for upper body strength.
2. I wanted to hang with my brothers, so I followed them to the outside line up. Poor life choices. The outside requires significantly more paddling in order to reach the line up and then to attempt catching waves that haven’t broken. *head nod of disapproval*
Newbies: stick to the white wash until you can stand comfortably. It’s just a waste of energy to do otherwise.
3. My brothers only had short boards to lend me…no matter how buoyant the short board, it is sooo much harder to learn on. In this case, bigger is definitely better.
4. I loathed these words: “…and then you just pop up!” No offense to the countless people who said those words to me, but seriously, enough! Do you realize that in order to “just pop up” you need to lift your feet from the board so you can hop into place? Right, well for that split second you rely on your upper body strength to keep you stable. Do you not remember in my point número uno that I had ZERO upper body strength?! So yeah, that just wasn’t an option. I eventually got a break down on an easier pop up method but it took traveling to Byron Bay, Australia for someone to utter these beautiful words, “and this is how you actually pop up”. I would have kissed him except he was a bit to crusty for my taste.
5. I was doing it for my brothers, not for me. That’s not an authentic enough of a reason to stay dedicated. Although I am looking forward to being invited to their surf trips now…hint hint wonderful brothers of mine who I love so much!
6. I did not respond well to be babied by my brothers in the water. I wanted to surf with them, but I liked learning in my own right. Every time they pushed me into a wave, it was adding another element of many elements that I could not control. At least I could control my own speed, positioning and balance when I do things myself. Even if I would fall…Thanks, but no thanks, hermanos. (I love all of youuuu!)
7. I was (am) afraid of sharks.
2. I wanted to hang with my brothers, so I followed them to the outside line up. Poor life choices. The outside requires significantly more paddling in order to reach the line up and then to attempt catching waves that haven’t broken. *head nod of disapproval*
Newbies: stick to the white wash until you can stand comfortably. It’s just a waste of energy to do otherwise.
3. My brothers only had short boards to lend me…no matter how buoyant the short board, it is sooo much harder to learn on. In this case, bigger is definitely better.
4. I loathed these words: “…and then you just pop up!” No offense to the countless people who said those words to me, but seriously, enough! Do you realize that in order to “just pop up” you need to lift your feet from the board so you can hop into place? Right, well for that split second you rely on your upper body strength to keep you stable. Do you not remember in my point número uno that I had ZERO upper body strength?! So yeah, that just wasn’t an option. I eventually got a break down on an easier pop up method but it took traveling to Byron Bay, Australia for someone to utter these beautiful words, “and this is how you actually pop up”. I would have kissed him except he was a bit to crusty for my taste.
5. I was doing it for my brothers, not for me. That’s not an authentic enough of a reason to stay dedicated. Although I am looking forward to being invited to their surf trips now…hint hint wonderful brothers of mine who I love so much!
6. I did not respond well to be babied by my brothers in the water. I wanted to surf with them, but I liked learning in my own right. Every time they pushed me into a wave, it was adding another element of many elements that I could not control. At least I could control my own speed, positioning and balance when I do things myself. Even if I would fall…Thanks, but no thanks, hermanos. (I love all of youuuu!)
7. I was (am) afraid of sharks.
So I went off to college in the bay without having learned how to surf.
Fast forward six years to last September. I was doing some reflecting and I realized that I really did want to be included in the surf community. I live in an area of SF flooded by surfers, my friends are surfers, my brothers are surfers; how the hell did I slip through the cracks?? The second thing I realized was I could do this without my brothers coddling me in the water (again, I love you, dear brothers!). Lastly and most importantly, I needed the ocean. I’ve always needed the ocean. Since I was young, I would do solo beach runs then sit on the beach for hours. There is something so calming and consistent about the ocean. I became restless sitting on the sidelines. I wanted to play and connect with the ocean, not just run next to it.
So many issues arose when I started thinking about logistics.
Q: Who would I go with?
A: My friends were too good to want to come with me to the learning beach all the time, but it’s too dangerous and less fun to go alone. So I joined the Pacifica Meet Up group. Best decision of my life. Just because I say I am a “solo” surfing female does not mean I do not have a support group. Everyone should find a support group. There are more conventional routes like a friend, bf, family member to show you and then there are more unconventional routes such as a meet up group. To each their own. This meet up group have been such a blessing. My brothers are in SD or Mexico and so my conventional routes were exhausted. These people have been so amazing. I am so fortunate to have made friends with such a supportive and genuine group of people. I encourage everyone to find a group of people that will motivate and support you. It is a game changer.
A: My friends were too good to want to come with me to the learning beach all the time, but it’s too dangerous and less fun to go alone. So I joined the Pacifica Meet Up group. Best decision of my life. Just because I say I am a “solo” surfing female does not mean I do not have a support group. Everyone should find a support group. There are more conventional routes like a friend, bf, family member to show you and then there are more unconventional routes such as a meet up group. To each their own. This meet up group have been such a blessing. My brothers are in SD or Mexico and so my conventional routes were exhausted. These people have been so amazing. I am so fortunate to have made friends with such a supportive and genuine group of people. I encourage everyone to find a group of people that will motivate and support you. It is a game changer.
Q: Board?
A: I searched and searched until I found what I needed. I will discuss the board search in the future, but for now craigslist and surf shop’s used board racks. I also researched and asked every surfers opinion that was willing to talk to me. You could also rent a foamy or borrow a board from someone. Pacifica surf shop rents foamies.
Q: Wetsuit?
A: I fortunately had one from San Diego, but it was too thin and falling apart. I repaired it, but I knew I would need a thicker suit for the winter. This is the best investment you could make when surfing in the Bay Area. Surf shops also sell used suits, just make sure it is a 4’3” and snug. Again, I’ll go over all surfing materials more in depth later.
Really quickly: Booties are good too, but I’ve been surfing since October without them. I’ve received some beautiful black and blues on the bottom of my feet, but I suggest spacing that purchase out so you don’t go for broke.
A: I fortunately had one from San Diego, but it was too thin and falling apart. I repaired it, but I knew I would need a thicker suit for the winter. This is the best investment you could make when surfing in the Bay Area. Surf shops also sell used suits, just make sure it is a 4’3” and snug. Again, I’ll go over all surfing materials more in depth later.
Really quickly: Booties are good too, but I’ve been surfing since October without them. I’ve received some beautiful black and blues on the bottom of my feet, but I suggest spacing that purchase out so you don’t go for broke.
Q: How the hell is that 7’10” board supposed to fit into my Honda Civic?!?!
A: Thank god it fits inside. Eventually I will get racks and when I do, I’ll document that, too. You will need these if your board does not fit. Apparently, there are many options and it can get expensive. Ugh, surfing investments are always so damn expensive. You can get a hatchet and towels to temporarily tie down your board, but that can be kind of sketchy.
A: Thank god it fits inside. Eventually I will get racks and when I do, I’ll document that, too. You will need these if your board does not fit. Apparently, there are many options and it can get expensive. Ugh, surfing investments are always so damn expensive. You can get a hatchet and towels to temporarily tie down your board, but that can be kind of sketchy.
That was pretty much the first round of hurdles that I encountered. It’s not as hard as it seems, but it can get expensive and tricky. The thing is if I can find a way, anyone can find a way. That is the honest truth.
So now you all know that I do have brothers and I do have a support team, many of whom are men. At the end of the day, it’s me who gets my booty into the water. I will leave you all with that as my segue into the next post.
Love to all,
Annette
Mermaid in Training
Annette
Mermaid in Training
P.S. I received complaints from my brothers to the length of this post, so I will make sure future posts are not as verbose.
No comments:
Post a Comment