How long did it take?

by **Moe** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:42 pm

How long did it take you to become a decent surfer? Can you even remember how difficult it was at the beginning? As a beginner most sessions are a small improvement for me and at times I feel no improvement at all. I am learning mostly on my own but I wonder how long it will take, not to rip but to be average? To paddle for waves that I want and to catch them. I am stoked even though I suck; but I am looking forward to the insane stoke I will get when I can get more out of my sessions.

by **Fish** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:24 am

In two weeks of going out a few times on saturday with my board taped to my roof of my car, I was in the "zone"

by **Stiffler** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:03 am

Mr Moe, when the waves come back you will gain skills rapidly. When the sun is up by 6am, we'll be in touch.

by **rveesurfdawg** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:51 am

Its taken me over 20 years and still counting.

by **leashplug** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:35 am

Been surfing for 17 years and still working on it. It's hard when you are limited to only a couple days a week.

Most of my skill is leftover from the college days in SD being able to surf twice a day everyday.

by **Quagmeyer** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:07 pm

I've been doing it now for about 3 and a half years, I guess I'm decent by PNW standards but whenever I travel to somewhere with a more skilled lineup, ei : mainland mex, cali etc. I'm one of the newbs.

by **The Blonde** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:15 pm

No offense but you are new here to sweetie.

by **Quagmeyer** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:22 pm

I have no problem getting waves in the Dub, other places it's harder... No offence but the level of surfing around here is low which is why by local standards I'd consider myself decent...

Whereas in other places I've travelled I've worked much harder to get waves and been severely outshined by 90 percent of the lineup... Up here I'm rarely the best surfer in the lineup, but I'm rarely the worst. I admit I'm relatively new to things though but I don't think the time I've been doing this is any indication to proficiency in the line up or on a wave...

by **rveesurfdawg** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:43 pm

Every one blossoms at there own pace.
I knew this girl in fifth grade that had the hugest knockers.
It was amazing how fast she blossomed.

by **The Blonde** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:50 pm

Quagmeyer wrote:the level of surfing around here is low which is why by local standards I'd consider myself decent...

Speak for canada.

by **fossilgrom** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:09 pm

Two years of surfing almost everyday. I finally stood up on my first wave yesterday - I am soooo stoked. Get as much water time as you can, even in marginal surf or whitewater and you could be standing up on a wave within two years too...also...whatever.

Actually, because I moved to the coast and could surf everyday improvement came pretty fast for an old fart like me. By the end of the first summer I was getting my share of waves and had even developed a subtle, yet endearing sasquatchian style. Pissing off the more skilled in the lineup with my eneptness used to kinda bum me out and I would go home disheartened and forlorne - my stoke and ego deflated; now it is what I live for. Good luck to you.

by **Quagmeyer** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:10 pm

I am speaking for Canada.....

THough in my experience down south from us the level in Oregon and Washington is as low if not even lower than in Canada, though it depends on where you surf as kook concentration varies from line up to line up....

by nm » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:11 pm

Moe wrote:How long did it take you to become a decent surfer?

I've been at this for well over 15 years. I have days where I feel like a water goddess. Other days.........well.......I can't even walk down the beach without tripping over a granule of sand.

I don't know if I'll ever be a decent surfer. Hell.........after 35 years.....I'm barely a decent swimmer.

Either way........who cares?

Do your thing. And enjoy it.

by **Doc** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:22 pm

I peaked surf ability-wise at about 20...that was after about 15 years of ocean time on various levels...with surfing constantly (i.e. daily) from about 15 to 20...that's where you see the progression.

Then I was in what I'd consider surf-maintenance mode...I surfed regularly still from about 20 to 28...but had school, work, drug use and sex as huge distractions...

Then I entered my surf wasteland period...from about 29 to 31...I lived in Michigan...some trips but not many..

Started surfing in Oregon in 1990'ish...not much opportunity to improve really...regained some dormant skills but never where I was as a young'n...

It's been pretty much a long downhill ride from there...when I go out next it will have been a month since I surfed...let's see...each day missed kills about a week of skill built up so...I figger that will have eliminated about another 1/2 a year of skill...

At this rate I'll be practicing popups on the sand in no time.

Doc

by **intrepid** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:49 pm

Being a decent surfer is such a vague catagory it's all up for interpretation. I don't think I'm a decent surfer yet.

Doc wrote:At this rate I'll be practicing popups on the sand in no time.

Did you ever practice popups in the sand?