Where did you surf today ?

[Skipper]

Joy division, wellness industry, it's all a confusing fit.

well it's a bit millennial free-form, you know, something borrowed, something blue

I think surf culture has elements of both individuality and communality and that in many ways the communal, or the strengths and benefits of the communal, is not recognised as clearly as the individual.

Think of John Sevo's famed quote about this crowded world and surfing letting a man be alone with his thoughts. People love that very romantic idea of surfing (though it has a shade or two of lurking horror, who really wants to be a man alone with his thoughts very often). But the nut and bolt of surf culture arises in greater measure from the communal, the group of locals who surf together for years, the memories you gain from surf trips with mates, the interactions between shapers and clients, the shared stories, surfboards sold from hand to hand, the empirical development of surf knowledge over many years, and the simple straight up learning that goes on between surfers watching each other ride waves.

Big surf contests, when they were really open affairs, were expressions of that -- sounds like they often still are for kids and even QS surfers. In any case I think gatherings can be really good for any surfer, they open up doors that otherwise might remain closed for a long time, and it is different being in each other's presence -- it's not the same as a forum, even one as entertaining as this.

Maybe the SW one looks a bit off-putting to some, not a good cultural fit or whatever, but I can tell you it does not arise from a cheesy place in Blakey and Co's hearts, they really want to do social shit and bring people together.

so, you're saying they mean well, but are misguided?

[Skipper]

Yes, this should be in the Uninteresting Trivial Facts thread.

The Joy Division album cover image came from the doctoral thesis "Radio Observations of the Pulse Profiles and Dispersion Measures of Twelve Pulsars,” by Harold D. Craft, Jr. (September 1970). Harold was at the Arecibo Radio Observatory and started using their very sensitive equipment to analyse the first pulsar recordings.



Though I see the Surfing World graphic has altered the image.

And here i've been, mourning for the last 37 yrs, of the belief that it was an MRI of Ian Curtis' brain.

[Nick Carroll]

Joy division, wellness industry, it's all a confusing fit.

well it's a bit millennial free-form, you know, something borrowed, something blue

I think surf culture has elements of both individuality and communality and that in many ways the communal, or the strengths and benefits of the communal, is not recognised as clearly as the individual.

Think of John Sevo's famed quote about this crowded world and surfing letting a man be alone with his thoughts. People love that very romantic idea of surfing (though it has a shade or two of lurking horror, who really wants to be a man alone with his thoughts very often). But the nut and bolt of surf culture arises in greater measure from the communal, the group of locals who surf together for years, the memories you gain from surf trips with mates, the interactions between shapers and clients, the shared stories, surfboards sold from hand to hand, the empirical development of surf knowledge over many years, and the simple straight up learning that goes on between surfers watching each other ride waves.

Big surf contests, when they were really open affairs, were expressions of that -- sounds like they often still are for kids and even QS surfers. In any case I think gatherings can be really good for any surfer, they open up doors that otherwise might remain closed for a long time, and it is different being in each other's presence -- it's not the same as a forum, even one as entertaining as this.

Maybe the SW one looks a bit off-putting to some, not a good cultural fit or whatever, but I can tell you it does not arise from a cheesy place in Blakey and Co's hearts, they really want to do social shit and bring people together.

so, you're saying they mean well, but are misguided?

Nope, I mean exactly what I wrote.

[godsavetheking]

Respectfully, I would suggest that every communal aspect of surfing that you have listed is diametrically opposed to the forced homogeneity on offer at Kookfest. And while I acknowledge that someone such as yourself with a life inside capital S surfing will have a different perspective on such events, to me it just reeks of cringe

[steve shearer]

hang on, did we actually establish that Carroll is the invited legend?

Or is that still hearsay?

[godsavetheking]

He didn't deny, so as good as yes

[Skipper]

Joy division, wellness industry, it's all a confusing fit.

Maybe the SW one looks a bit off-putting to some, not a good cultural fit or whatever, but I can tell you it does not arise from a cheesy place in Blakey and Co's hearts, they really want to do social shit and bring people together.

so, you're saying they mean well, but are misguided?

Nope, I mean exactly what I wrote.

I've delineated your quote to the line I was responding to Nick. And I acknowledge that within it is yoour own reservation.
so,

if it looks off putting, then maybe it is.
if it doesn't arise from a 'cheesy place' (in their hearts) then it arises from a whatevs. a means to do something worthwhile. all good intent then.
cynics would ascribe a financial motive.

As an aside to this 'communal thing'...driving home after the screening of Gaza Surf Club last Sunday, we discussed it. my non surfing son observed the 'communal nature' of the Palestinians engagement with surfing. ( Something as a 20 yr old, he's not observed locally or personally so much)

That they (the Gaza surfers) appeared to have established their 'club' well prior to actually undertaking the mediocre - at best - surf on offer there, having established a community of like minds around the activity, some swim training, fitness and board training during the extended periods between wind swells... And, when they did actually go surfing, they did it as a group. An albeit small community, dedicated to sharing it, frothing together over it, and all the rest.
It did remind me a bit of my 70's experience.

My point in raising the question Nick, sorry you seem to think i misread you, was about the perceived misguided attempts at main stream surf culture to enter the zeitgeist of other peripheral cultural activities. It's something that's irked me about surf culture since.....
Particularly throughout the 80's, it lost it's unique, 'outsider' for want of a better term, edge. it looked to other 'edgy' activities - club/dance music, street and skate culture, fashion and manufactured lifestyle tropes to sell itself.

'ts how it is i s'pose.

[Hatchnam]

Gave the russ short bonzer a bit of a test run just to get a feel for it. Conditions certainly weren't ideal. 3 foot plus junky conditions. The better waves offered up some reasonable fast walling bowls with a bit of length to them. Throughout the session got couple of flowing cutbacks and jammed a tight hook under the lip. The rest were shutdowns. Beefy board but turns pretty easy once it's got some speed up.

[The Mighty Sunbird]

So loofy palmed off a lemon on you

lol

[Hatchnam]

No it's fine. I've had a bonzer before. It's just "chunky". Which is fine. I can deal with volume. If you don't like single fins you aren't going to like bonzers. Best you keep away from them. You'd probably hate them

[The Mighty Sunbird]

Yeah I tried one once it was shithouse

[Hatchnam]

I like drawing turns out. Horses for courses. Then again i love twinnies also.

[Nick Carroll]

Joy division, wellness industry, it's all a confusing fit.

Maybe the SW one looks a bit off-putting to some, not a good cultural fit or whatever, but I can tell you it does not arise from a cheesy place in Blakey and Co's hearts, they really want to do social shit and bring people together.

so, you're saying they mean well, but are misguided?

Nope, I mean exactly what I wrote.

I've delineated your quote to the line I was responding to Nick. And I acknowledge that within it is yoour own reservation.
so,

if it looks off putting, then maybe it is.
if it doesn't arise from a 'cheesy place' (in their hearts) then it arises from a whatevs. a means to do something worthwhile. all good intent then.
cynics would ascribe a financial motive.

As an aside to this 'communal thing'...driving home after the screening of Gaza Surf Club last Sunday, we discussed it. my non surfing son observed the 'communal nature' of the Palestinians engagement with surfing. ( Something as a 20 yr old, he's not observed locally or personally so much)

That they (the Gaza surfers) appeared to have established their 'club' well prior to actually undertaking the mediocre - at best - surf on offer there, having established a community of like minds around the activity, some swim training, fitness and board training during the extended periods between wind swells... And, when they did actually go surfing, they did it as a group. An albeit small community, dedicated to sharing it, frothing together over it, and all the rest.
It did remind me a bit of my 70's experience.

My point in raising the question Nick, sorry you seem to think i misread you, was about the perceived misguided attempts at main stream surf culture to enter the zeitgeist of other peripheral cultural activities. It's something that's irked me about surf culture since.....
Particularly throughout the 80's, it lost it's unique, 'outsider' for want of a better term, edge. it looked to other 'edgy' activities - club/dance music, street and skate culture, fashion and manufactured lifestyle tropes to sell itself.

'ts how it is i s'pose.

Well let's face it, much of what people in western nations have built around surfing has been based on pretence.

That whole outsider shtick, from what did that arise? Partly from the nature of surfing, the way it sorta requests that you somewhat abandon a template of Western tradition (ie regular working hours) and instead respond to the day as it is, surf wise.

But even that remarkably simple thing was swiftly co-opted into a kind of cheesy stance of rebellion against everyone's scary parents, yawn. Far better and more enriching was the actual surfing.

I just have come to believe that connection is better than most things, for surfers or most people really. And I almost don't care how that connection happens, as long as it is coming from a good impulse, ie one that does not connote harm to others.

[foamy]

But Nick, you hate yoga*.

* The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root yuj which means "to join".

[alakaboo]

I reckon the adult learner quotient would be high at that event.

I find the surfing community/tribe thing a bit weird.
(Yes, I realise where I am posting.)
Perhaps because I am an adult learner myself, sort of.
I can see how it would be different if you grew up doing it with friends.

I've got a few friends I surf with, but still 80% of my surfing would be solo. Often in heinous crowds, but still essentially a solo pursuit.
And mostly I am pretty good friends with someone before I would surf with them, not the other way around.

Has anyone, as an adult, become close friends with someone they met in the surf?
Or become friends with someone because they surf, and that's how they got introduced at a BBQ?
If someone says to me
'Oh, you and Phil both surf, you'll have heaps to talk about' I can pretty much guarantee Phil's going to be a bellend, just like everyone else there.

The way I snowboard is completely different, BTW, I love sharing a run with someone I know and have travelled great distances to ride with mates.

[steve shearer]

99% of the surfs I have are within 20k's of the house. 98.5 within 10 k.

Vast majority of them are in small/moderate crowds of people I know and who know me.
So my experience is communal and camaraderie and mutual respect are the dominant motifs. I enjoy that, I feel a richness from that. That creates an ongoing community narrative that I contribute too and which contributes to the meaning I experience in everyday life.

Mostly when I travel I end up mates with crew and we keep in touch. Some of them have turned into lifelong friends.

I kind of agree with Carroll in that we've been sold a pup in terms of being educated to see other surfers as enemies or some kind of threat.

[buddy]

I grew up searching for empty peaks and often feel uncomfortable in crowds. I'm working on it.

[steve shearer]

depends on the crowd for me.

if it's 20-30 guys at the Point I'm happy to sit in my spot and wait for my wave.

if its 500 at Snapper I'll probably shine it.