SURF MOVIE: Leave a Message

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A dreamlike wave found in an Indonesian river is stunning surf world

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Into The Unknown

Surfing not only turns back time; it makes time stop entirely.

I love the ocean, and it seems like every surfer has some kind of special relationship to it. Who wouldn’t? Surfing has to be the most exhilarating experience I know. Your body is gliding across the ocean and it feels like there is an adrenaline machine pumping through your veins encouraging you to perform radical maneuvers.

I started surfing in October 2002 at the pounding breaks of Bagasbas Beach, Daet, Camarines Norte. Some friends of mine invited me to go  and try it out. We went on a 12-hour bus ride to get to the place. As I could remember clearly, I really hated the trip as it gave my back a really hard time. But once we got there, I immediately forgot about the back pain and the long trip.

Surf Nutrition for the Everyman

An article from surfscience.com

A Great Pre-Surf Meal For Surfers

One of the best decisions any athlete can make is a commitment to make wise nutrition choices. Sports nutrition isn’t just a fancy college course for jocks anymore. Like any strenuous exercise, knowing what to eat before and after surfing is just as important as your efforts in the water. Knowing what your body needs will lay the groundwork for a good session every time out.

Surf Into Yoga

Life as a Surfer: Rochelle Ballard

An article from surfscience.com

Rochelle Ballard while filming Surf into Yoga

Yoga has long been considered an alternative to more traditional forms of exercise. Everyone from Madonna to former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield has told us the benefits of this Indian exercise routine. As more professional surfers adopt the practice it is becoming more relative to our lives. To help us reach some conclusions, professional surfer and yoga enthusiast Rochelle Ballard talked with us about her yoga experience.  

Rochelle’s first introduction to yoga occurred at 19 years old when she saw her neighbor performing the exercises in her front yard. The neighbor taught the young surfer how to use her breath through her body to find clarity. She has since found it to be one of the best ways to find balance in her life.

Best Balance Trainers For Surfers

A review from surfscience.com

Balance training is a major part of the workout routines of most serious surfers.  Professionals and hobbyists alike, there are two main reasons you want to utilize a balance trainer: improving strength when training & maintaining strength when you can't make it into the water. 

The benefits aren't limited to surfers though, professional athletes from all sports are discovering instability and balance training workouts.  The benefits come from the strengthening of peripheral muscles and forcing your body to use its core to stay balanced.  Rather than working one muscle, instability training works a whole range of muscles, even some very small ones that might get ignored, but which are crucial to your sport.

To help surfers looking to get a balance trainer, the SurfScience team has gathered most of the top options to tell you about the benefits of each so you can make a smart buying decision.  Over a few month period the entire SurfScience team took turns using each of these trainers.  Here is the grading criteria and results we came up with:

Grading Criteria


1)  Surf-likeness - How close the trainer is to emulating the feel of surfing
2)  360* Balance - The range of motion and difficulty of balancing
3)  Multipurpose - The ability to use the trainer for other workout purposes
4)  Trick Capabilities - Amount of trickability the trainer has: hanging 10, shove-its, 360, kickflips, etc
5)  Addictiveness - How hard it was to get the trainer back from the SurfScience team member reviewing it 

Fix Your Own Damn Dings!

An article by Nathan Myers. When he's not surfing, he is a freelance writer. Check out his extreme sports how-to's on www.eHow.com, his club and bar reviews on www.NiteVibe.com, or extreme sports articles on www.SoulGear.com.

Dings happen. Half of them you don't even remember, but there they are. The other ones are like bad memories: the time that guy dropped in on your wave, the time your buddy dropped your board, the time your leash broke. I can't think of any "good" dings. But when I look at the dings on my board, I feel proud. They may not be the prettiest repair jobs, but they're mine.

Surfboards, in case you don't know, are basically composed of a foam core with a fiberglass coating. The foam makes the board float, while the fiberglass gives it strength and keeps the water away from the foam. A ding occurs when the fiberglass shell becomes cracked or chipped, allowing water to leak into your board's foam core. This effect will eventually water-log and ultimately ruin your board.

The Lip is Your Friend

An article by Nathan Myers. When he's not surfing, he is a freelance writer. Check out his extreme sports how-to's on www.eHow.com, his club and bar reviews on www.NiteVibe.com, or extreme sports articles on www.SoulGear.com.

 

Learning to surf goes in phases. First you've got to learn just to paddle out, to duck dive and to hang when a meaty set starts demanding you go home. Your first days in the water you barely turn and face the shore. Then, slowly, naturally, you learn to survive in the ocean, you learn to paddle for the wave, and finally, you stand up.

Once you're standing up regularly, a whole new world opens up. The wave changes when you see it from a standing position, and you learn to pump for speed, to carve and turn, and you even start doing little S-turns. Soon you're looking for barrels and wondering what else the wave has to offer. For a long time your surfing will probably plateau at this level. There's a lot to learn. You learn to compete for space and survival with the peeling face of the wave, racing to stay ahead of the foam, and relishing the rush of speed. For those of you surfing this plateau, ready to take your skills to the next level, this little bit of advice is just for you.

On Death

Sad news has made its way into the surfing community as reports have confirmed the untimely death of 3x World Champion, Andy Irons.

Official Billabong Press Release:

HONOLULU – (November 2, 2010) — The world of surfing mourns an incredibly sad loss today with the news that Hawaii’s Andy Irons has died. Andy was a beloved husband, and a true champion. Irons, 32, withdrew from a professional surfing event in Puerto Rico last weekend due to illness and passed away during a layover en-route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii. He had reportedly been battling with dengue fever, a viral disease.

News such as this are often times hard to believe, considering that Andy was at the prime of his life and career. Isn't it funny that even though we constantly see death around us, part of us still thinks that it will never happen to someone like Andy nor even to ourselves? Or, even though we know in our hearts that death will come but because we are so attached to life we believe our appointment with death will not arrive just yet.

Surfing to Nirvana

 An article by Jennie Lay. She is a freelance journalist who lives and writes from her off-the-grid cabin near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She writes about the environment, land conservation, and travel adventure. Her stories have appeared in High Country News, Ski Magazine, and Paddler.

Beyond the breaking waves, I sit balanced atop a surfboard as my feet slowly churn the warm Pacific waters. Ocean swells rise, then gently lift my body as they roll toward shore. It's early, not long after sunrise, and I am lured to this perch thanks to Jessica, my surf coach and yoga teacher for the week. Last night, over dinner, she spoke reverently of this "special, magical time of day for surfers" and the cathartic joy of floating in the morning sea. And just as deftly as she had guided me into Savasana during morning yoga, I became transfixed, intent upon exploring the mystical morning surf.

So here I am, a novice surfer looming near the reef break on a stunning half-moon bay in Mexico. I breathe deeply, then grin at the smattering of surfers and the rhythm of the swells. Leaning over to lie on my belly, a position vaguely reminiscent of Upward Dog, I nod to the mermaid emblazoned across my surfboard, glance back at an oncoming wave, and start paddling.

Surfing – The Coolest Sport on Earth

This article is by Steve Moriarty from http://www.welovesurfing.co.uk.

Can There be a Cooler Sport than Surfing? There is no doubt that the coolest sport on earth, is surfing. It is a passion, a way of life and state of mind. It is for those who want to live a natural uninhibited life that revolves around the sun, sand, sea, surf and your surfboard. 

The very first time you ride a wave; you will know why surfing is here to stay and why it is the fastest growing sport worldwide. Taking your longboard or short board out on the ocean provides you with an opportunity to challenge the elements and nature itself, although you know in reality that it can only really be conquered for a moment. This is what keeps you coming back for more. Surfing is cool, exciting, challenging and fun.

Surfing: 3 Key Elements for Beginners

An article by Steve Moriarty from http://www.welovesurfing.co.uk.

Mastering the basics

It’s true; a surfer never forgets his or her initial wave. Surfing is the coolest ever sport, but there are several things to consider before you take the ride of your life.

Learning to surf

Lessons are your first priority and there are surf schools to be found on most decent beaches. You may even be lucky enough to have a surfing pal who can teach you how to surf. If you don’t want to risk drowning or upsetting the experienced surfers, you will also need to learn all about surfing etiquette and:

Endurance Training for Surfing

The one physical prerequisite for surfing is your ability to recover from fatigue. Every time you paddle out, stroke for a wave, then return to paddle out again, you’re getting a hard workout. At first, you’ll be out of breath and your aching shoulder muscles will cry for a rest. These rest periods become shorter with proper cardiovascular training. The activities that are listed below will do just that.

Get In Shape To Surf (Part 2)

These exercises may be done using the Core Board or Bosu Ball.

Get In Shape To Surf (Part 1)

As surfers, it’s that time of the year again to thrive on the energy of the ocean! Our phone rings and we meet up with friends in the wee-hours of the morning to start another surf journey. Our mind and bodies become restless at the mere thought of riding a fast-breaking wave. We could already feel the peeling shoulder beginning to curl over us that our senses become totally absorbed in that wet and wild moment. We see, hear, feel, and smell everything—even taste the salt that we swear we are already there just by thinking about it!