Buenos Dias! Today was awesome! The weather was warm and windy, and very sunny. Our surf sessions had great waves, though the offshore wind in the morning made them stand up quickly, while the afternoon was choppy and messy with onshore winds. But the water is so warm and beautiful, that even though you’re fighting through the sets, you are still appreciating how wonderful it is here.
It is interesting to see the dynamic of a group of people just thrown together on the basis of one similar interest. This week, there are people from Brazil, Canada, New Zeland, and the United States all staying at the complex. The unifying factor between us all is a love of surfing. We all come from such different backgrounds, with different beliefs, occupations, family lives, and experiences. While this could be destructive in some situations, I believe there is a certain respect we all hold for each other in the name of surfing, and I think, more generally, the sport itself attracts only a certain quality of person.
There is definitely a hierarchy within the surfing community, based on how long you’ve been surfing, but more importantly how advanced you are. That’s not to say the more advanced people are mean to those just starting out, though that can happen if there is someone who doesn’t handle people well. In that case, the community really shoves that person away until they can learn that behavior, such as rudeness or aggressive manners, are only tolerated to a certain extent–there is a breaking point and those that step over that point are often exiled from the community.
The above example is rare. For the most part, people are kind and compassionate, and willing to help those that are learning. It’s a tacit understanding that the more advanced surfers are to watch out and avoid the beginners, while the beginners are to do their best to learn the etiquette and follow as best they can. Most surfers are very forgiving, and the ties within the community are very strong, no matter where you go. If you surf, and you go somewhere where there is a surfing community, you are usually welcomed quite easily.
Although, intriguingly enough, surfers are mum about their favourite spots. There are places that go unshared for decades because people don’t share the spots. Mavericks stayed hidden for more than 15 years!
So I think that the surfing community itself is both open and closed at the same time, both welcoming and wary. But there isn’t any other community of which I’d rather be a part.
-22
Wanderlust 