Not really a bad thing...but... Maybe a decade or so back, I started getting bad headaches when paddling prone after being out for a while. The headache would lead to a kind of motion sickness, puking, and everything else that comes with it. Had all the tests, CT's MRI's, all clear. Maybe just something with tension in the back and neck muscles/nerves when paddling? Or hitting my head too hard too many times.

Anyway, I had completely forgotten about it because I've been on a SUP for the last four years, or so, with only the occasional rip to show a grom how to do something. Fast forward... Wanting to get back into a few breaks that are way too sketchy for a SUP, I decided to get a couple of new boards from my long-time friend John Parks in Makaha HI. Most mids seem to be shaped for "California" waves, but John has surfed here, and shaped these boards specifically for the breaks I intended them for, and my style of surfing. 7'6" and 6'10".

Long story short, I can't even ride them... While these boards were being shaped, I tried surfing a few times on borrowed boards, and even tried my first soft top . It takes about 15 minutes of paddling prone before the first twinges of that migraine show up, and it happens every time... Interestingly, paddling a SUP prone does nothing.


I've given myself a concussion while surfing plenty of times, and even twice since on a SUP. The last time was pretty scary, having to paddle about a km back to the put in point while dizzy and puking. Amazing how hard water is when you hit it hard enough... Helmets. Not sure why it helps when you hit your head on water, but there's a night and day difference, and I've taken to wearing one when it gets a little meatier.


Anyway, not sure what the point is with this post. I guess I'm just lamenting about days gone by, and coming to grips with the fact that at 52, I should probably take it down a few notches, and stick with the softer waves and bigger boards. I'm really thankful that I have SUP to enable me to continue to surf.

Have you had a physio check out your neck?

Sorry to hear about your nausea but at least sup good has come of it. The only thing that makes me sick about prone surfing is the amount of waves I miss out on compared to a sup.

And those boards in your piccy ( the 7'6 particularly) would arouse some interest in the long board room, there's a mid length thread there that the guys drool over boards like that.

TIL there is a Surfer's neck syndrome, appearing at 40 years...www.surfertoday.com/surfing/what-is-surfers-neck

I would encourage you to look into stretching programs. You have to dedicate some daily time to it, and the benefits are slow to come (but steady), and I regret a lot only starting them at 60... Youtube has plenty of good info nowadays to find the programs that work for you.

Sorry to hear of your trials Oki. Every time surfing when the waves start to juice and the skilled shortboarders start to really carve the pocket, or I watch them duck dive a set that washes me in, all I want is to return to the prone life. But my shoulder tendons sadly won't have anything to do with it. You headaches are at quite another level compared to shoulder pain. I hope you find the solution. But I tell you what, getting the two new beautiful sticks must be tough.

OKI .i also hit a mild stone in my life at 5O ,Mine was the back ..1 hour of prone surfing and i was cactus ..had to go in ,as got to sore ..i did not surf for 4 years ..then SUP came along and saved my life ..i have tried to go back to prone a couple of times ,but ....to sore too hard ,and yes i'm too old ..lol, 57 SUP surfing ok ..life is good and i'm a SUP surfer now and proud of it ...

Once you find your groove nothing wrong with sticking with it, occasionally testing yourself out only to find you are on the right path is not such a bad thing.

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les71 said..
Have you had a physio check out your neck?

Oh yea. That and everything else.

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colas said..
TIL there is a Surfer's neck syndrome, appearing at 40 years...www.surfertoday.com/surfing/what-is-surfers-neck

I would encourage you to look into stretching programs. You have to dedicate some daily time to it, and the benefits are slow to come (but steady), and I regret a lot only starting them at 60... Youtube has plenty of good info nowadays to find the programs that work for you.

Thanks colas. I'll check that out.

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surfinJ said..
Sorry to hear of your trials Oki. Every time surfing when the waves start to juice and the skilled shortboarders start to really carve the pocket, or I watch them duck dive a set that washes me in, all I want is to return to the prone life. But my shoulder tendons sadly won't have anything to do with it. You headaches are at quite another level compared to shoulder pain. I hope you find the solution. But I tell you what, getting the two new beautiful sticks must be tough.

Yea, but the upside is that while they were all waiting in line on the next peak over, I was on a merry-go-round with wave after wave...LOL Not super bummed about it.

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Tardy said..
OKI .i also hit a mild stone in my life at 5O ,Mine was the back ..1 hour of prone surfing and i was cactus ..had to go in ,as got to sore ..i did not surf for 4 years ..then SUP came along and saved my life ..i have tried to go back to prone a couple of times ,but ....to sore too hard ,and yes i'm too old ..lol, 57 SUP surfing ok ..life is good and i'm a SUP surfer now and proud of it ...

Kind of the same situation, where I just tapered off to the point of surfing once a year for five years. Then SUP came along and saved me.

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bobajob said..
Sorry to hear about your nausea but at least sup good has come of it. The only thing that makes me sick about prone surfing is the amount of waves I miss out on compared to a sup.

And those boards in your piccy ( the 7'6 particularly) would arouse some interest in the long board room, there's a mid length thread there that the guys drool over boards like that.

Going to gut me to sell them. Maybe I'll just hang them on the wall

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Souwester said..
Once you find your groove nothing wrong with sticking with it, occasionally testing yourself out only to find you are on the right path is not such a bad thing.

Yea, I'm fine with it and thankful that I can still surf.

"coming to grips with the fact that at 52, I should probably take it down a few notches"
wait, WHAT??
Okiman, you are still killing it!
You have a few good decades left in you before gearing down!

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supthecreek said..
"coming to grips with the fact that at 52, I should probably take it down a few notches"
wait, WHAT??
Okiman, you are still killing it!
You have a few good decades left in you before gearing down!

maybe 4 if you follow in Rick's. footsteps....

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supthecreek said..
"coming to grips with the fact that at 52, I should probably take it down a few notches"
wait, WHAT??
Okiman, you are still killing it!
You have a few good decades left in you before gearing down!

LOL. Thanks Creek.

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supsean said..

supthecreek said..
"coming to grips with the fact that at 52, I should probably take it down a few notches"
wait, WHAT??
Okiman, you are still killing it!
You have a few good decades left in you before gearing down!

maybe 4 if you follow in Rick's. footsteps....

He's my inspiration.