Relax,
have fun, and enjoy your surfing and that of your fellow surfer.
It can be done! The presence of others
in the water is an ongoing fact of life in lineups worldwide. Accepting
this is the key to a healthy, flexible attitude in the water.
As Surfline.com's great old buddy Drew Kampion says:
"Life is a wave, and your attitude is your surfboard!"
More than anything else, crowd tensions in the surf can be eased
by our individual ability to flow through situations and react positively
when it's needed.
What do you think?
Discuss this bill in our
community forum.
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A positive attitude may seem to come naturally to
some people and less so to others, but the truth is that attitudes
- in the water, as on land - are made, not born. Here's a hint or
two:
Surf a range of spots, not just one place. Instead
of settling into - and eventually wallowing - in a comfy, well-protected
wave catching groove, you'll automatically develop crowd-reading
skills and learn to deal with (and appreciate) a wider range of
other surfers.
Give every other surfer in the lineup the same credit
as you supply to yourself. A conscious effort may be required on
this one, since a surfer's natural instinct is to place him or herself
at the head of any wave-catching line. Simply say to yourself regarding
your fellow surfer: "He counts as much as me." You'd be
surprised at how much difference this can make to your own mood
in a crowded situation.
Smile. This particularly goes for the better, older
surfers in any lineup. Although at times your patience is likely
to be tried by first-stage surfers who don't yet have your surf
awareness or skills, you can't influence a beginner in a constructive
way by yelling at him/her - you'll only instill fear and anger,
and wreck your own session through the bad vibe thus created in
the lineup. Beginner surfers are normally a bit scared and excessively
on their guard anyway. They'll never forget a kind word or good
advice from a skilled surfer, and down the line, they'll pay it
forward.
In the long run, that's truly the only way we can
help make crowded lineups easier places to be.
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