SURFING: Surfing in the rain - what exactly goes on in a surfer's brain?
Hello everyone on HIVE and especially the Sports Talk Social Community! My name is Jasper and I’m writing to you from Cape Town, South Africa! One of my topics that I tend to post about a lot on HIVE is one of my favorite sports, surfing!
So… what goes on in a surfer’s brain?
Last Saturday morning, I was on “good husband and dad” duty, spending time with my wife and baby daughter, which was actually lovely as we all shopped and had brunch together before hanging out with other parents and their baby. Eventually, from about 15:30 onwards, I got my “permission slip” to pack my boards and head for the coast.
The average person must have thought I was crazy… why?
•The rain was about to start at about 16:00 and then get heavier and heavier. It was already a cold winter’s day in Cape Town… So? Hmmm well, I was going to get cold and wet anyway… and hopefully it will mean less crowds in the surf to compete with for the limited resource of waves!
•The all-important second rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand would start at about 17:00. South Africa won the first match the weekend before. No red-blooded South African man would dream of missing this!... So? Hmmm well… rugby is fun to watch when there are no waves... hopefully it will mean less crowds in the surf to compete with for the limited resource of waves!
So… I turned up at a little local reef I have been visiting a lot recently… and saw that I wasn’t alone in my thinking! It was spring high tide, making the waves a little bit easier to catch than usual, and around 8-10 other surfers and bodyboarders were packed around the same condensed take-off spot to enjoy this fact!
At first the rain was just a soft drizzle, and I was enjoying surfing in the normal direction to the left…
The tide was so high that you could go right over a section of reef that is usually too shallow or even “dry” (visible). A lot of the people were enjoying this rare opportunity, which made for this nice image of a surfer doing the forbidden act – dropping in on me! Luckily, I’m pretty chilled – I'm sure he thought I planned on going the other way instead! Lots of hoods, booties and even gloves are helping to keep us all warm in the frigid conditions!
The rain and wind kept getting harder and harder, but we kept enjoying ourselves! Look at the happy smiles – hahaha!
Eventually it was time to go home, and by then the rain was bucketing down. The storm water drains were overflowing into the sea, and the roads were flooded with massive puddles! In these conditions it actually makes sense to just stay in your towel, rather than waste time putting your clothes back on, and drive home like that with the car heater on full blast!
So, that’s some insight into the surfer’s brain. We would do just about anything to surf, especially if it means less crowds than usual!
South Africa lost that second rugby match anyway – I’m glad I missed it! Hahaha!
THE END
Hahahah 😂
It would have broken your heart to watch South Africa lose?
Surfing seems like a lot of fun, man. The timing seemed to be right so it really seemed like there was no where else to be but out there surfing. I've never surfed neither do I live in a place where people care about surfing, now that you mention it is that how hard it is to find waves or how much undesirable it is to have many people surfing alongside you?
Posted using Proof of Brain
Haha yes, it would have been a bit sad to watch South Africa lose the rugby match, but some friends and colleagues seemed to wallow in misery for days! I'm not that crazy about rugby!
Surfing in a crowd - some people enjoy it, and I'm starting to get good enough to get my fair share of waves if I find myself in that situation, but it almost means turning what is supposed to be a relaxed and fun time into a bit of a competitive "paddle battle". Also, I tend to be very polite and unaggressive and would rather let the other surfer have the wave than have an argument about it!
So yes, typically I try to avoid crowds. Luckily if Cape Town has 50 spots, only about 10 of them are very popular, and you can often get the other 40 to just yourself and few other people, having fun politely taking turns - it just means learning the conditions that make those waves work. The popular 10 are usually more consistent and user-friendly (eg short walk from the carpark, sheltered from wind, etc) and that's why they tend to be more popular!
I get it now. Hmm, that's quite interesting, this never even crossed my mind about surfing. I thought people just got on and there was nothing about sharing waves, letting someone else just ride or something 😅.
Well, it seems you still have your fun so it's cool. 👍
In some very crowded places like Hawaii, California, Brazil and Australia I think the vibe can actually get quite aggressive and unpleasant. You even hear of physical fights if somebody does something wrong like drop in and ruin another person's wave!
I think that sounds absolutely ridiculous - surfing is supposed to be fun! Luckily, for the most part, Cape Town's surf spots are not crowded, and the vibe is relaxed enough that usually everybody gets a few waves, and we often even encourage and cheer for each other - the way it should be!
As for some of the other parts of South Africa - I have seen locals who are happy to finally have somebody to surf with, rather than being alone all the time! Hahaha - those places are magic - the dream!
I find it really interesting to learn about this hahah. It's like another world that I've never imagined or even thought might exist. Haha 😅. Thanks.
Not a problem! I'm sure you can describe things I know nothing about too!
Hehehe. Yeah sure.
Imagine missing your opportunity to have fun and just release steam only to be disappointed by the Springboks. Well surfing is one of the sports that I admire and love watching alot but can't indulge to save my life. Good enough that the rain didn't deter you and you ended up having fu
Thank you! Luckily I didn't have to imagine such a horrible outcome!
I see you're from Nigeria? Do you live close to the sea there? I think I have heard of a good wave that has been published in our local surf magazines a few times.
Yeah I'm a Nigerian but I don't stay close to the sea here. In fact I'm scared of deep waters as I can't swim
Yes, being able to swim is a must - sometimes you can lose the board if the leash breaks or comes undone. In those situations you realise that a wet wetsuit actually feels quite heavy and restricts your movement more than you thought!
Awesome! I have always said the same to landlubbers that have thought I was nuts for going out in the the rain....."well, you are going to get wet in the water anyway mate...." lol.
Today I am reading/ looking at this surfing blog of yours on my laptop compared to past ones on my phone & the larger gopro photos are clearer on it and may have satisfied my pigheaded curiosity on life.....were you putting your life in dangers in the rain hehehe.
As for the rugby....no comment.....and beyond grateful that I told dstv where to shove their overpriced subscription where the sun don't shine about eight years ago while gifting my flat screen to a needy youngster at the same time.
Hahaha - yes it sounds like you know exactly where I was!
There is a better, but usually more crowded, reef a bit further along the False Bay coast, but I usually only paddle out there on the rare occasions it has about 5 people or less! If it's actually very good, and full of people as a result, you tend to only get the best set waves if you are a known local who has put the time into the spot (like my friend Justin who is a good surfer). Otherwise, you tend to just catch the leftover waves that break a bit wide, which is also fine sometimes - but yes, I prefer to surf with fewer people and have relaxed fun, rather than haggle over waves, and so this place and its even more obscure neighbors get checked a lot!
It sounds like we're going to have a HIVE "board meeting" soon out at the backline? Let me know if you plan on going out at Muizenberg one day?
Bang hahaha. Yip, I used to frequent it pretty often in my younger years along with that electrified place closer to Muizenberg.Did my my rounds at the Brass Bell view when Robin Auld and few others were the legends of the day & a few years older than me but back then it was already quite a hustle. I watch it on cooking days these days with about 30 guys out and wonder wtf? Haha. I have also always enjoyed finding quieter spots.
A board meeting is a must and will definately give you a shout :)
The electrified place - perhaps you can catch a glimpse of it in this old post - one of my first about 3 months ago! I was using a rather poor quality water camera back then, and have been borrowing better ones from my friends since... soon I will have a good action camera of my own!
https://ecency.com/hive-148441/@jasperdick/surfing-in-cape-town-south
Yes, we must have a board meeting and any pictures I get of you must be posted! Deal?
Cool and deal 🤙
I’ve never surfed before but this has made me a little interested in trying it someday. That’s going to be a little difficult though considering I don’t live anywhere near a sea. I guess I just got something to add to my to-do list when I go to the beach sometime.
Hello! Nice to see you again! Ghana does have surfable waves according to this webpage which lists some of them: https://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Africa/Ghana/
Some of them actually sound very nice and beautiful!
Mmm interesting. I guess what is left is some free time and a bus ticket haha. Thanks:)
Super
Thank you so much! You are writing from Norway? I've never been further North than Scotland once!
Your thumbnail pictures of your posts all look beautiful! Am I going to get jealous if I look more?
Gosh you are both nuts and brave!