“Why learn to surf” is a question that can be answered differently for every person. Surfing has many benefits including increased strength, balance, and overall happiness. Learning to surf with proper techniques makes the joy of surfing even more rewarding. If you are new to the sport we recommend signing up for a lesson.
The profound connection that you can experience with the ocean is described by surfer Leah Dawson, “Often times, I’ll open my chest a lot and have my hands in the air, and it’s really about opening my whole heart up to the ocean.” Surfing can crack our bound hearts open and fill them with joy and happiness that we previously didn’t know existed. The sport of surfing is also fun and challenging! Whether you are a professional or beginner, every session is a learning experience presented by a balancing dance between you, a board, and the ocean.
I was athletic from birth. I have been involved in sports as long as I can remember and I enjoy moving in various physical activities. I spent my adolescent years in Philadelphia and vacationed at the Jersey shore every summer. Sea Isle, NJ is where I first stepped onto a skimboard. I began skimboarding before I started surfing, out of fear. Even though I was a strong swimmer I had a fear of going out in the deep water with the larger waves, in an element that has more force than I do. I first tried surfing during my amateur skimboarding days. I took a lesson with a local rider and learned how to paddle. I could stand up on the wave but could do nothing more. I would occasionally surf but enjoyed skimboarding more at the time. I eventually began skimboarding competitively and started my professional skimboarding career at the dawn of my twenties. My career as a professional rider has brought me up and down the east coast of the United States, to move to the west coast (twice), and overseas for competitions and explorations. Living on the West Coast in California is where surfing was welcomed back into my life. The open, inviting waves of the Pacific and the clear waters encouraged me to paddle out and play. Now, at the dawn of the next decade of my life, surfing now overruns skimboarding.
Skimboarding and surfing have changed my life and continue to do so every session. These sports and my relationship with the ocean has profoundly shaped me as a person and summing up the details into one paragraph is super difficult! I’ve created a list of several ways that surfing & skimboarding have changed my life in hopes to inspire you to try…
1. The ocean has taught me true connection and how to dance gracefully with fragile balance, in & out of the water.
2. The sports of surfing & skimboarding have taught me dedication and perseverance.
3. Wave riding helped me find comfort during change and how to find stillness during turbulence.
4. Skimboarding taught me how to follow my dreams.
5. Surfing teaches me how to overcome fears during every session.
6. The ocean teaches me how to truly respect.
7. And finally, wave riding teaching me how to experience true joy and fun!