MY 2018 - This is my hobby: Surfing

This post was inspired by @anomadsoul Big thanks to his initiative to get Steemians to write passionately about their hobby’s. Thank you also to @eveuncovered for going over all these posts to select her favourites to receive a boost of support!
Digital mixed media piece by @artzanolino

My favorite hobby is surfing. To get into why I surf, we will probably have to get into my relationship with the ocean first. Although I was born in France, I was raised on the Caribbean Island of Curaçao. It’s an island of 444km2 and you are always within 10 miles of the sea.

Where is Curaçao?

Since young, fishing, swimming, sailing, diving and watersports have been part of my life. As a teenager, I developed an interest for bodyboarding. Back then our surf-spot “Playa Kanoa” suffered a heavy dose of localism. The older often “white” guys would harass and bully us younger dudes (especially when we were colored). This resulted in a lot of tension for me at the spot. The surf-spot is also difficult to reach, especially without your own transport, so these things led me to put more focus on skateboarding and waterpolo. It was actually much later in life that I really picked up surfing.

In Bali

My first real encounter with the addiction of surfing, would be on a trip to Bali when I was around 22. My dad had these legendary stories of when he went there in his early 20’s, and surfed the world renowned waves at Uluwatu. I bought a board, and for two weeks, focussed on practicing to surf, so I could try and catch some waves at Uluwatu myself. The learning curve was high, and I went for waves way beyond my skills at the time. I literally almost died on one of those waves, gasping my lungs full of water, pressed against the reef bottom, I think the bit of oxygen extracted from the sea water in my lungs, gave me a the last impulse to push up, I made it, but it was a very close call. I had even started experiencing myself merge with the ocean before "the voice" urged me to give it another shot . It however didn’t deter my from my goal of catching waves at Uluwatu, on the last day of my stay, I scored 2 waves there, one for me, and one for my pops.

Uluwatu

It was that trip I realized how much I love the sport, my years in Europe however, were not very conducive to surfing. It wasn’t until years after I came back to my island, that I really picked up the sport. I was already passed the age where it’s common to be a Kook (beginner/noob). I had been really focussed on art, and stopped focussing on my physical well being for a few years. Long story short, I have a big appetite and before I knew it, I was 28 years old and weighed 99kg! My weight has always fluctuated, but I didn't want to hit a 100kg, so I decided to pick a sport I love, and to start practicing it regularly. I considered going back to waterpolo, but I already knew what I wanted to do, commit myself to surfing!

Me on the left some 22 kg ago.

I bought myself a second hand board, and the changes started right away. I started going to surf everyday possible. We live in the Caribbean, so we are very swell and season dependent. But any time it was surfable, you can bet your ass I was at the spot for as many hours as I could permit. The same bullies from back in the day were around, people still talking shit, but me no give AF. I was so happy to be in the water, getting healthy, and doing something I love. The next 3 years I would be surfing daily whenever the waves were coming in.

After surfing a few months.

I soon became a regular, it’s a small island, so I knew most of the surfers from hanging in the same circles, but acquaintances became friends, 2 of my good buds also started picked it up again, and bit by bit the vibe at the spot started changing big time. A lot of people started picking up the sport again, and now the spot is really healthy and supportive. We have plenty of groms (young surfers) picking up the sport (boys and girls). This of course drove the haters and bullies crazy, but I can tell you, the main protagonist of hate at playa Kanoa is now confined to a small corner of the beach.

Starting to get the hang of it

Anyway, I went through the horrible phases of Kookness (Kook=beginner) Being the heaviest surfer in the line-up, and just the akwardness of being 28 and getting out-surfed by kids. Being at the spot as much as I was, spending so many hours surfing + the fact that I’m not afraid of a getting pounded and was quickly going for the large set waves, made me improve fast though. I’m no natural by any means, but I put the work into the things I love. Balls and commitment go a long way in “ extreme sports”. In my second year, I made it into the quarter finals of our local surf competition, and in the third year I made it into the semis, beating out surfers with 15+ years more of experience, and actually cracked into the top 10!

My semi-final exit in 2017

Now, how did this happen? By Love and dedication my friends. It might seem like a crazy sport. You spend a lot of time getting yourself and equipment to often remote spots, then you go out on your board, paddle into the waves crashing on top of you, trying to properly duck-dive under them to avoid getting smashed and pushed back. Some days the undertow and current is so strong, that even getting passed the white wash is an accomplishment! Once your out, you keep an eye out for incoming waves and other surfers, you need to position yourself accordingly to launch yourself into the wave. You paddle in, pop up, and try and get your feet and position correctly to maintain speed, momentum and flow into your bottom turn. You keep your eye on the wave, looking at how’s it’s forming, and at the same time plotting out a course to follow. Now you are presented with options, here the creativity, skills and communion of the surfer with the wave become paramount.

Enjoying a small left hander

There are so many different waves and each provides you with a variety of possibilities. There are also so many different boards and shapes to choose from, and they again allow for completely different ways of surfing the wave. So connecting human, object and nature are the aim of the game. You then use the live canvas to write a story. Just like in most art forms, some paint intuitively and others like to force their ideas and depend on technique.Personallu I am a fan of going with the flow and trying to connect to the higher intuition.This spiritual aspect of surfing, is to me, one of the greatest sources of satisfaction I derive from surfing. Life is full of lessons, trying to teach us to go with the flow, but also that we should take initiative and work hard for the change we want to see. Surfing in a big way teaches these qualities that are directly applicable to life.

Trying to get some cover

One of my favourite aspects of surfing is the "high" you get from it. The bliss factor… You need to be focussed to surf properly. Once you hit the water, usually any preoccupations of the mind disappear instantly. Even more so from the moment you chase and catch a wave. In those moments all that exists is you and nature. You hear the wind whistling and the water crashing. You go into tunnel vision and try and read what the wave wants you to do. You might wipeout a second later, or score one of the biggest rides in your life, but those instants, weightlessly flying over the wave, nothing else matter, what a beautiful sensation, like those moments in meditation where you feel true unification, even if only temporarily,
one-ness. Honestly, I think that feeling, that thrill that many will relate to adrenaline, is what makes surfers do what they do.

Digital mixed media piece I made of my buddy Danny

I also remarked enormous benefits in my diet. In the beginning, my arms were often already tired by the time I paddled out, so I wanted to eat in a way that was more beneficial to power and stamina. It led me to naturally change my diet to a more plant based one. I was also very impressed to find out how long and solid I could surf when eating nuts and fruits as opposed to processed foods and sugars.

Tiring out my body with sports, also helped me fix certain unhelpful sleeping patterns. I'd been nocturnal most of my life, partly due to having an active mind. Surfing allowed me to tire my body enough to start sleeping at more reasonable hours.

Bracing for impact over shallow reef... WIPEOUT!

The benefits of this hobby have been exceptional for me. I hope this post gives you a little impression of what a beautiful sport/hobby it can be. These same sensations can of course be experienced in the forests, or mountains and even in cities. But if you’re close enough to some surf, I would definitely recommend it! Not only is it good for your body ( I lost 22 kg in those 3 years) But it also develops calmness, respect for nature, a feeling of community, appreciation for life, and a craving for adventure. It makes you aware of how important it is to live in the the moment, it also makes you want to preserve nature for out future generations. It makes one travel to remote destinations, and it makes us learn how sometimes, for those moments of bliss, it's worth all the effort. In a nutshell, it's good for mind, body and soul + it’s worth a lifetime of commitment!

water-shot of me dropping a hollow right

I'm a full time artist and surfing has naturally found it's way into my philosophy and work. I hope I will keep surfing till my body gives out, just like I hope I will be creating art till the end of my days. Surfing is a hobby, but also more then that, it’s one of my passions and a mirror to life.

Wearing a suit of my own creation.

I honestly don't have very many pictures of myself surfing, so I'll be using the end of my post to share pictures and/or artworks I made of surfing.

Thanks for checking out my post and please don't be shy to get in touch.

Bless ya life!

Honor roll (some of my favorite Steemians):

@amystuff @artzone @cabelindsay @daltono @derangedvision @eaglespirit @erodedthoughts @grandpooba @in2itiveart @manouche @minnowbootcamp @nonamesleftouse @occupywallets @ofildutemps @qurator @sanddrift @sandrina.life @saywha @sid-the-kid @sift666 @spiritualmax @surfyogi @theomgbrand @wheellife