Black wrote:Would be nice to hear some personal (& honest) stories about why you would be possessed to take up surfing in later life..........
I often think its the last thing I would do at my age if I hadn't already been doing it.
Good for you! So you had the inclination all the time but it never actualised until you were 55. Also shows how a few negative words can derail enthusiasm but who can say if you would still be surfing now if you'd started back then? Some months back I met an "older" chap who used to be a competition surfer and he was just starting to get back into it again, so something must have sparked a bit of enthusiasm back into him. Thanks for the reply Paul C.Paul C wrote:Thought about it in my younger days but back then there wasn't nowhere near as many surfers as there are now and not easy if you didn't know anyone who surfed and to my knowledge, although I might be wrong, I don't think there were any surf schools back then.
As I didn't go to Newquay much in those days I only saw the odd one or two surfing at Gwithian occasionally.
I did mention where I worked once that I would like to try it but back then in the Camborne area there were a lot of old fashioned pessamists who said (Cornish accent) ''What ee wunt do that far, you cen't do that, you'll look daft out there, people on the beach be laughing at ee''. There were some miserable assholes in those days.
Many years later, one day I thought about it again but still didn't know anyone who surfed. I saw something on TV about a surf school with lessons on the sand before going in the water, I think it was Newquay and I thought, 'I could try that, what have I got to lose!' It crossed my mind again a couple of nights later when I was having a glass or two of Jack Daniels and listening to a CD by The Beach Boys (older readers would understand) so I looked up surf schools on the internet and found one in Newquay which I contacted and asked them if I am too old at 55 and how good a swimmer would I have to be and they said ''No way are you too old and at the beginning stages you only need to be waist deep.'' Following that I went over to Newquay and had my first lesson which I couldn't even stand up on the foamie. I went with them again a couple more times and then I splashed out on my own board and wetsuit and have gone from there and never looked back.
Those pessamist assholes are long dead now but if only they could see me catching waves today.
I intend to keep surfing for as long as I can, hopefully many years yet, might only get so far with it but I enjoy what I do.
zboy wrote:Midlife crisis
Black wrote:Would be nice to hear some personal (& honest) stories about why you would be possessed to take up surfing in later life..........
I often think its the last thing I would do at my age if I hadn't already been doing it.
JJGreenberg wrote:Black wrote:Would be nice to hear some personal (& honest) stories about why you would be possessed to take up surfing in later life..........
I often think its the last thing I would do at my age if I hadn't already been doing it.
Hi guys n' gals...my first post. I'm 48 and a complete noob. I live in a tiny town in western Canada called Tofino. I just started surfing a month ago when my wife, out of nowhere, rented a couple surfboards and wetsuits and we took a few days off at the beach with our 6 year old daughter. I didn't think much of it at the time. At first I just played with my daughter in the surf and pushed her around the waves. She had an amazing time. Then my wife took over that and I tried to surf. Within about 10 minutes it hit me...I became completely absorbed by it. I started dreaming of swells at night and can't get it out of my head. I've since changed my lifestyle (became a health nut) and surf whenever I can. Surfing is the next phase of my life and I could'nt be happier right now.
Cheers to all!
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