Reckon its possible to over surf?

[Davros]

I've heard this a bit lately, people stating they are or their mates are "surfed out".Assuming surfed out means having to many surfs in a row and losing the love due to boredom and/or fatigure.

Does it happen to you?

[FishStick]

Yep happens to me on every Indo trip when I have to force myself to get out there as I'm tired, sunburnt, sore and content with all the waves I've already had. I reckon surfing wouldn't be nearly as addictive if I lived off the coast of Sumatra where your cup truly runneth over.

[RickyG]

I'm yet to experience the feeling of having surfed too much. I might go through periods where the stoke isn't really there. I'd say it was a good thing.

[JET01]

I find that a good break does you wonders. Especially if you've had a few sessions in a row where you haven't surfed very well. I remember last winter there were a few days where i couldn't even stand up... I literally had to paddle wide into the channel at Cronulla Point and give myself some counselling... "Jet! You know how to surf...sort yourself out and get to your feet at least!"

There was a two week flat spell after that day and on the other side of it i was a new man.

Same has happened over the last few weeks... been no surf... then plenty over the last few days.

Noticed a few things have changed in my surfing. Almost made my first barrel yesterday.

[Beerfan]

Yeah, i get aches and pains if i have a more than 3 surfs in a week. Though its never that good for that long so its a rare problem haha.

I just had the snip, so i can't surf for a week or two, and im hanging already!!

[alakaboo]

not in sydney

i rarely get out because i'm buggered, normally because i have to get to work or because if i get dropped in on by one more person i'm going to go all

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don't surf in town on the weekend anymore, not good for anyone involved!

[Chillin]

No.

[Nick Carroll]

Yeah it is easily possible to oversurf.

This is very likely to happen if you travel somewhere the surf is really fcuken excellent for more than three days running. Here is what occurs:

Day one, you surf your brains out

Day two, you're a bit sore but surf your brains out again

Day three. The lactic acid in your muscles -- and the small tears throughout your surfing muscles from day one -- cause tremendous stiffness and pain, until you loosen up during a surf. This is a terrible mistake. The hard exercise involving muscles with mini-tears throughout 'em bring about a major reaction from your entire endocrine and lymphatic system.

Day four. You can barely get out of bed.

Day five, you can get out of bed but feel strangely lethargic.

Day six, you're starting to feel better

Day seven, all the minor muscle tears have healed and you're back and better than ever.

I will GUARANTEE anyone who's been on a successful Indo boat trip has passed through this arc. It can be managed with intelligent surfing through the first three or four days along with lengthy stretching sessions and a good pre-trip prep.

It is also possible to oversurf in another way -- to get to the end of your skill range and lose psychological momentum over several days. This is what happens to top pro surfers during events, when they go too hard early and find themselves floundering in the semis. It can also happen to everyday surfers during major swell events or on surf trips. To avoid this, you need considerable self-awareness and a range of extra stimuli, ie different surfboards, different waves, watching different surfers and their styles, etc.

I actually feel for surfers who've never experienced oversurf -- it indicates to me that you haven't really lived the full dimension of a surfing life.

[dUg]

Yes.

I've definitely oversurfed in both senses of the word, e.g. got to day 4 and just felt like I'd been run over by a bus, and exhausted my limited repetoire on a small selection of waves to the point it was all a bit samey.

A few times a year we get runs of swell here, and because it's so rare I tend to go pretty hard the first day ( 3 surfs ). The second day I usually get a couple of surfs, but by the third day I can usually only muster an hour in the water, and spend the rest of the time bumping into long lost mates in carparks forthing about how good yesterday was.

I also get what I call the "surf hangover", which feels exactly like a normal hangover, after a run of surf. It's a combo of many effects - lactic acid buildup as NC described, eye / head soreness, lethargy and general puffiness, and often a headache too. I treat it like an alcoholic hangover - rest, drink heaps of water, dose up on the fizzy vitamin B.

Mixing it up with boards helps, but also surfing somewhere else because it's "different", even if there are better spots to surf nearby on a given day. There are guys here who will surf only one reef out of the 20 odd setups they could choose, and have done for 30 years in several cases I know of. They execute the same maneuvers, wave after wave, after wave. There are spots less than 1km away they have NEVER surfed in their lives. I honestly don't know how they muster the enthusisasm for that...

[matt...]

while the above two posts are extremely accurate & logical,...
the trick is to drink that much bintang that the hangover is far worse than any muscular fatigue...
thus putting the focus on missing out on epic waves due to a hangover, not sore muscles...
THAT is enough to drag any decent surfer out of the sweaty, diesel-fuel smelling hull of a tour boat & back into the waves...

i've taken the question in two contexts:
surfing too much in one session that your get hunger shakes, spaghetti arms & jelly legs - possible
surfing too much in any extended period of time that you're going to surf worse? absolute garbage...

[Nick Carroll]

Fcuk! I forgot beer. Thanks matt.

[oldman]

surfing too much in any extended period of time that you're going to surf worse? absolute garbage...

Surfing a lot, getting tired and sore, timing out, paddling strength gone as soon as you get out there.

All can add up to a less than productive surf session sometimes.

I can never tell these days whether I am going to surf well or flap around like the worst type of kook.

[matt...]

probably focusing too much on your physical being, olds, instead of your mind & spirit!

[oldman]

probably focusing too much on your physical being, olds, instead of your mind & spirit!

Probably more to do with not being able to focus on anything at all.

[Chillin]

Like I said, no, just cos I'm farked and can't paddle, and I'v had so many waves that any surfer would be sated, doesn't mean that i don't want to just as much.

[Beanpole]

Good thread to revive.
I often go through the first part of Nick's description but how often does the surf remain good for a week so you can get through to the last phase?
Last Easter I did go through just that at Snapper but usually you hit the skids about when the 3 to 4 day run drops and your not only physically stuffed and creaky as an old door but the surf has deteriorated a notch or two. Surf cruises freak me out for just this reason. Surfed out and trapped in a boat.

I remember years ago reading a thing Joey Cabell said about preparing for riding some serious swells if you hadn't been in the water for a while. He said go out for fifteen minutes the first two days and then hit it hard on the third. Obviously he qualified it by saying if you know the swell is going to arrive which is easier in Hawaii.

The other factor is having a change of waves. Even if a right hand point has been excellent for days a session on a beachbreak with less crowds can do wonders. Maybe surfing a left
If this rain ever stops I hope to test the theory out in the next few days up the coast

[steve shearer]

I like the Cabell theory.
I don't surf for long periods, my sessions are usually pretty short and sweet, but timed for the best part of a swell/tide/wind combo. I get stoked easily and I'm happy to call it a session if I jag a couple of good waves in the first half hour. I'll call it an innings at the Point after one wave if I snag a set wave when it's pumping.

I see alot of people struggling with overuse injuries in shoulders etc etc around here where the paddles can be intense.

If I'm heading OS I'll up the ante for a month beforehand.

I don't like boat trips because I don't like getting trapped on other peoples surf programs. I'd rather hang in the jungle at G-land and run my own race. If I'm feeling it I'll stay out for hours. If not, a quick wave or two then back in.

[crabmeat thompson]

I am strangely the same as Shearer. Been known to jump off the point paddle to the front of the line and catch the one wave all the way in and not be seen until the next day. Especially when the crowds are on, which on the Goldy/ northern NSW is more than it isn't.

Much prefer the beachies up that way. Surf an hour twice a day on the right part of the tide/ wind rather than a big 2-3 hour sesh, where by the end I'm fatigued and clumsy. Or a downright kook.

Here in Tassie though, I've gone the other way. Take the waves when they're there and stay out for as long as humanly possible.

You know it takes 2 days for the rubber to dry out, and you know it could be another 2 weeks until you get waves again. Make the most while its there seems to be my new mantra.