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As surfers we are built for adventure. We love chasing the next swell, heading down the coast or jumping on a plane to some faraway land. We love the thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline and the sense of community and camaraderie we establish when sharing the stoke!
Then all of a sudden, when something stops us from pursuing our passion, the world comes to a screeching halt, like suddenly nose-diving on a big take off you were sure to make... and we’re left pondering what we can do next.
For those who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic in lockdown, movement restrictions or home quarantine, here are a few things you can do to use your time productively.
There’s no better time to sort out your equipment than when your surf time is restricted. Now is the time to get that old dirty wax off your board, polish up the bottom deck and give everything a good once over.
Most people have their own routine in de-waxing their favourite sled, so go with what works best for you.
Here’s a few technique’s we’ve employed over the years.
Put your board(s) out in the sun a little. Just enough to get the wax nice and soft, but not long enough to melt it right off your deck, grab your preferred wax scraper and do your thing. Some have been known to use boiling water to remove old wax with a little less effort. When using this method, make sure you have an old towel or t-shirt to stop the melted wax running over your rails and onto the bottom deck – it’s much quicker and requires a little less elbow grease. And it goes without saying, hot water burns, so be careful!
Once you’ve removed the majority of the wax (gone back over with the scraper and taken off those annoying remnants) grab an old towel and give the deck a vigorous rubdown. You’ll have your baby looking like new in no time!
The same applies for the bottom deck... that old t-shirt will come in handy when giving the undercarriage a good old fashion buffing!
Just because your favourite aquatic past time might not be possible, we all want to avoid turning into a couch potato. That means staying as active as possible and watching what we eat – not rocket science, but sometimes motivation can start to wane while in isolation!
It’s easy enough to jump onto Google and find a home workout that suits you. Or just follow what RYD team rider and WSL championship tour surfer, Caio Ibelli recommends.
Watch this clip and put on repeat every morning after your green smoothie, egg whites and smashed avo with goat’s cheese and lemon on rye. You’ll be surprised how addictive it can be. Not sure about the egg whites though.
If you’re anything like us, life is full and finding that all-important balance (read: doing house chores, maintenance and tidying your storage) can prove to be rather elusive. If you do have some spare time on your hands, it’s a great opportunity to do a spring clean of the shed, garage or man-cave – wherever you keep your surfing gear.
Start by pulling everything out and sorting it in groups. Boards, wetsuits, leashes, boards, fins, boardcovers... that old crusty t-shirt that you thought someone had stolen from your car.
Throw out what you don’t need, give away the things that could stoke someone else out and after a good sweep, start to re-pack systematically and orderly. And if you’re a little pedantic like some of the RYD staff... all your boards will be set up from smallest to longest, your wetsuits all hung up on hangers and your fins and fin key’s all neatly packed in compact plastic (multi-use of course) containers. But, whatever blows your hair back...
While we don’t want to encourage too much extra screen time, we acknowledge it has its place in these strange and unprecedented times (yep, parents of teenagers, we’re hearing you). But if you can learn something from a bygone surfing era, hear the stories of those who have pioneered before you or catch up on some classic heats from the world championship tour, you might be OK. And if it’s all in the name of education, it’ll probably get a tick from the parents too (you’re welcome teenagers).
The World Surf League’s website is a great place to start. Hit https://www.worldsurfleague.com/watch and choose from the WSL Vault for classic event match ups, the WSL Studios Original Series or the latest Podcasts with Dave Prodan to mention just a few.
Otherwise Surfline has done a great job in curating a diverse movie playlist for you to scroll through. Tee up your evening viewing here.
The business landscape is changing rapidly out there and the fluid nature of all the imposed changes is putting a lot of pressure on many businesses all over the world.
Not everyone in the world is free to move around like normal right now, but in many places small business is (just) surviving by the support of their local communities. If it’s not possible right now due to the restrictions where you are, you can start by making a list of the local businesses and services you want to make a point of supporting through this time (where possible)... and definitely once all this is over.
Why not sent them an encouraging DM and let them know you’re there to support them when you can, give them a shout out on social media or drop by and support those who are still open. A little bit of kindness goes a long way and supporting local builds strong communities!
If you’ve made it this far, you’re doing really well! Next stop, pick one and get started! May things be good where you are, even if you can’t surf right now!
