How to Decide Whether or not you Should Surf
All thoughts and ideas have a series of forces working on them in our heads. Thoughts of things to do get metaphorically whipped by sticks or incentivised by carrots. Whether to go for a surf, or not, is a good example.
We all have a tipping point from when we think about something to when, or whether we do it. Some people, perhaps in Hawaii, just ask themselves, “Will I go for a surf?”. Maybe they make a quick check on a surf forecast or if they are lucky, they look out the window. It is probably pumping as per usual. They sling on a pair of boardshorts. Grab a board. Off they go. Simple. 2 hours later they get out of the sea after heaps of barrels and burying the rail from tip to tail on every turn. They go home, have a cold one, have a feed, kick the feet up and watch what happened during the session which was filmed by their partner and relax till their next session... There is a lot of carrot and not too much stick in this scenario.
That’s the dream and for 99.9% of us that’s all it is.
In the North of Scotland, where the surf is fickle, charts are difficult to read, massive tides make spots work for limited periods, the water is cold, the days are short, cold winds whistle from all sorts of directions, thick layers of expensive rubber restrict movement and boots and gloves make for clumsy extremities. That is a fair old pile of sticks just waiting to whip the idea of going for a surf.
When I was a bit younger, I would sometimes lie in bed in my van listening to crashing waves without even opening the door, usually a result of the previous night’s antics. The sticks annihilating any glimmer of hope of going for a surf. Often there would be some other smelly person lying nearby in a similar near comatose state. If we were lucky, we would have made it into sleeping bags and not be hypothermic. We would rise for a surf later in the day making no connection between surfing terribly, being at the wrong spot and what had happened the night before. I don’t regret those nights spent with friends, running riot, making stories, launching metaphorical and actual fireworks, doing stupid and fun things. In fact, I still have my moments, but most of the time, age has forced me to choose one or the other and I have realised that I like surfing more than carnage.
The biggest juiciest carrot in surfing for me is when I study all the charts, make the call and am in the right place at the right time using the right equipment. Avoiding the crowds is, as far as I am concerned, a priority, so early mornings are a must.
Once you have navigated all the sticks trying to stop you from going surfing you need to make sure you have all the right equipment. Last week I went up to the north coast and surfed a spot with the wrong board which still grates. I put a lot of effort to be in the right spot at the right time but to then use the wrong equipment was daft. I even had the perfect board but left it in the van.
The same thing applies to your wetsuit, boots, and gloves. They are often overlooked as pieces of equipment that need to be looked after but they are essential. After overcoming all the sticks to be at the right place at the right time then having forgotten a boot or a glove makes forgiving yourself a bit tricky.
The c-monsta wetsuit hanger has been designed to reduce the number of things stopping you from surfing. You will be less likely to forget any kit, you will have peace of mind when you know the c-monsta is in the car or van, your shower will no longer have a smelly wetsuit, boots and gloves sitting in the tray and you will be less likely to have to get into a wet wetsuit. You may even enjoy using it and have turned a stick into a carrot!
Do yourself a favour this winter, get a c-monsta.
Keep it together.