oregonsurf.com

I cared for a long time. I cared. Every day I paid attention and made sure to get wet for the best part of a decade. I missed job interviews, pissed off girlfriends, remained a stagnant layabout b/c nothing mattered more than the pursuit of waves.

Then, like many of you, I moved 80 miles inland like a right twat. And it sucked. And I suffered. I suffered in the way only a young privileged, white, straight male can suffer. The worst. I forgot how to surf and tried to relearn. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't. Everything was fine as long as I was on but when I was off, or the waves were off, I was down a deep dark hole. The weekly wave hunt dictated how the rest of my week went. Mostly terrible.

Then it got more crowded, I got fatter and balder, with less time, less stoke, and even the surf seemed to deteriorate. I started to hate you, hate surfing but still punished my self. Like a wolf that licks the bloodied blade over and over again, until it realizes the blood on the blade is its own. Maybe a new surfboard would help? Maybe a new quiver? 1/4" here, 1/4" there, damn gone up a wettie size...

Now I'm old and surrendered. For real middle age not pretend. And I've found the Middle Ground like an ugly, unfit unenlightened Siddhartha and its not great, not bad, not wonderful or even good, its just a whole lot of 'fine.' A nice peaceful white noise hum. A soothing ride towards death. But it also means I still surf, sometimes several times a week, sometimes not for weeks. Sometimes, I think I'm ripping, but I'm not. Mostly, I'm like an oblivious seal, floating around, not really doing much but waiting to get chomped until a half decent wave picks me up and carries me gently to shore. If I'm lucky I'll link three turns and then sink in the shallows, half satisfied.

Then I have a beer on the beach (usually under 5% ABV these days) and drive home ever so slightly under the speed limit. And put my surfboards away (never thinking about getting a new one), rinse my wetsuit (same wetties for several years now) and put one foot in front of the other mediocre foot.

Sometimes, I cycle past that Cosube surf shop at the burnside bridge head and it doesn't even piss me off any more. They can have it. Their interpretation of surfing has nothing to do with me. I might even go for a pint at Up North, providing there's a weak and watery enough lager on tap.

Well said Spent...

Once you give up the rest comes easy. I too gave up and won. If I can get out; great. If not, that's okay too. Even a shite session gets you out, gets you some exercise, and if you're fortunate, perhaps a bit of zen-like one-on-oneness with the ocean. I was out of the water of most of my 30's, getting reinvigorated and motivated just a few years short of 40. Well past my surfing prime.

Yet with middle age comes a altered state of confidence, regardless of how well you surf anymore. It's much easier to laugh off the testosterone, adrenaline-fueled aggro comments and conflicts in the water. It's easier to strike up a BS conversation with no pretentious side-eye undertones of "how good does this guy really surf? Is he better than me? You gonna snake me?" Who gives a crap? It's getting crowded on the peak? Screw it - I'll paddle 50 yards down. It's shifty-sandbar-Oregon... unless you're on the point, it's not like any of us are getting seriously pitted. Sure, some of us get our epic days up here, however few and far between.

I'm getting old. But if I can still get motivated enough to drive out, suit up, paddle out, and scrap into a couple waves once a week or once a month, well, I've won too.

Think this Cosube guy surfs Point?

That's actually you, isn't it MajorLaz?

Nah Im old and built more like.....

Just For Men ad -the millennial edition

Hmmm

X-squid wrote:Just For Men ad -the millennial edition

Nah Gen X for sure. Its all about carefully placed single tats vs. full on sleeves these days.

On another note surfs been pumping!

Has it? Just got back from a month in board shorts. Looking pretty flat 'round here. Gonna be tough pulling on the 4/3 again for summer slop.

X-squid wrote:Has it? Just got back from a month in board shorts. Looking pretty flat 'round here. Gonna be tough pulling on the 4/3 again for summer slop.

Lucky you..... how was it, pics? That's about when it went to shite in my experience so good timing. Who knows thou I tend to avoid the coast in July taking a break from it, don't really log, and do other stuff as I surf year round. Rivers are quite nice right now and it easier to get away from humans in the National Forests. You'll need a 5 mil, waters cold AF from upwelling (actually did surf last week during little 3' 4' 10 second bump but ended up being summer maintenance at best)

Never got *really* good unfortunately - one typhoon rolled through that looked promising but was too close to shore to generate anything really good... that said, most days 2-4' and clean, water temp around 73. Only didn't paddle out one day out of the 20 or so that I could surf. Wasn't exclusively a surf trip, so overall I'd say it's a win. Got both my kids into some waist high waves as well.

Sounds 10X's better than Portland assuming that where you live.

Major Lazer wrote:Sounds 10X's better than Portland assuming that where you live.

Yeah I do -yet like anywhere there's pluses and minuses. The summer crowds at almost any surf-able break (generally when school is out: late July through the first of September) are absolutely insane. 20 bucks to park at most public beaches; total kook-fest in the water. Luckily that only accounts for 6 weeks of the year and it's generally flat in late summer anyways.

I may end up there permanently at some point though when the timing and job situation is right.

Well that sucks balls. I really liked you when you were miserable and depressed.