work, work, work, bills, mortgage, kids, family, responsibility.
is it just me or is it hard to score quality surf regularly when you get older?!

feeling your pain and iv only just left uni last year and started full time work soon after. im obviously not in as much of a position to be complaining about getting used to my much reduced water time compared to many of you, but getting back in the water this morning for the first time in weeks given the rise in swell felt amazing. even if the conditions were pretty wonky, taking a steep drop, doing a few little cutties and generally feeling some wave induced adrenaline was such a sweet feeling to be reintroduced to.

i feel sorry you for guys that have all of the above responsibilities, as im hating the position im in and all i have is full time work factor to deal with. you guys with all of the above issues must be firking frustrated!

I too have all those little distractions swalkington! My advice is get a job that offers ane equal time shift roster. works a treat for me. weekday surfs, rarely miss decent swells and usually have no one to surf with. I get to surf lefties, karaties etc (and a few other places) with minimal crowds most of the time. F**k the grind, life is for living!!

I would of thought that those places would of been busy regardless of what day of the week it is
Cheers for the heads up

sounds like me
get a couple of chances a month to get down the coast and it's hard to get good surf. So i got myself a sup and will go out in anything and still have fun

He's only missed one swell!!!!!!

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soleman said...

I too have all those little distractions swalkington! My advice is get a job that offers ane equal time shift roster. works a treat for me. weekday surfs, rarely miss decent swells and usually have no one to surf with. I get to surf lefties, karaties etc (and a few other places) with minimal crowds most of the time. F**k the grind, life is for living!!

Yep Im with Soleman on this one

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kwalkington said...

He's only missed one swell!!!!!!

One swell too many!

hahaha just wait till your kids can surf and they will still get more waves than you.

I've got two boys, 3 and 7 months. I feel like surfing is so far back on my list of priorities I barely register its existence. look forward to the day I can take em surfing.

I know where your coming from swalkington.

Def harder to get away to good wave locations when you have a young family.

I look at it from the angle that my kids are only gonna be young once, but the ocean will always be there. so lots of coastal holidays planned for when my boys are a bit older

Also as I'm getting a bit older, i don't mind missing all the average surf days. i try not to miss it if it's pumping though. build up the brownie points for those special days. then you can surf all day

My kids are now 8 and 11 and they were the ones that got me moving again..

Best bit is they are the best excuse ever

love the responses guys. when my kids are old enough to surf hopefully I will be camping out with em somewhere up north and they will be taking off deeper than me and calling their old man a slow old fart

I plan on allowing my kids to drop in on me whenever they choose to. I'm hoping to return the favour when Im too old to hassle and they're catching all the waves and taking off deeper than my older body will let me.

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barndog said...

I plan on allowing my kids to drop in on me whenever they choose to. I'm hoping to return the favour when Im too old to hassle and they're catching all the waves and taking off deeper than my older body will let me.

Good to see ya back mate

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[b]Do i still surf

After my effort today im wonding why i even bother trying..Just had one of those days

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jbshack said...

[b]Do i still surf

After my effort today im wonding why i even bother trying..Just had one of those days

Never give up shack man!!

Last year I was surfing like a crab, this year more like a crayfish

Seriously tho I was surfing badly last year but have watched a few things on TV (surf coaching stuff) and Im doing much better this year alltho I havnt surfed in any comps as I am really enjoying free surfing atm. 20min heats suck!!

surfed with a spritely 65 yr old this morning now that's inspiring...

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markass said...

surfed with a spritely 65 yr old this morning now that's inspiring...

How did he go?

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markass said...

surfed with a spritely 65 yr old this morning now that's inspiring...

Yeah that is good. Biggest part for me is fitness. If your stuffed you tend to hold back and be a wave snob and then you just lose all rhythm.

It was my first time with booties (i need to look after toe) and they felt okay with feet to board only a few times but with a moving beach break i just couldn't get there and when i did, i would lose concentration and just kook it.

I really want a nice clean point for a few more times to settle me again

Its just a faze in life mate,sure having kids will slow you down but if you have them young the fun is about to explode,I still managed to surf every now and then but did give it up for a while,three kids in 6 years.

By the time their 3 to 5 its back to the long family days at the beach were you'll soon be taking them with you and before you know it they will be calling you into waves you don't want to take but you have to go because your the father the man the hero in your kids mind.My son is 19 now and we have surfed many places together here,Hawaii,Bali.Now he is way better than me,life is good,we share waves and now beers.

Hang in there mate. I had a few years off surfing when my 3 kids were younger and my second diagonsied with Autism. I was so housebound I gave up on surfing for a few years. Then I took my 15 year son surfing with a couple of his mates, and I have taken my second son with Autism out on a paddle board and my younger daughter a couple of times. I can tell you that feeling of being in the ocean again, well all I can say is I'm totally hooked again. I had a few tough years and I am just grateful to be able to get in the water again. I was surfing like a kook but upped the board size and away I went. I even have the odd paddle board with a few guys, not in the surf but just in the bay.

I can hear the ocean calling. Once a surfer always a surfer.

the ole fella was doing well out there...50/50 strike rate i reckon. He was giving me a few tips which i took on board. He's been surfing for 50yrs so you can't knock that sort of advice back!

the only other sport i can think of with that sort of longivity is golf and although can be fun is nothing like being in the water

hang in there. it is a fitness thing too, swim run weights

out sunday at trigg with both my kids, takes a while but they are both competent

surf holidays are being asked for maldives, bali, down south etc

longer wider board but no mal or sup (......yet)

After 55 it gets harder quickly, the ball joints in your shoulders go so paddling gets hard. Knees another problem, a bit slow on the take-off. Eyes are the worst ... seeing the take-off especially overcast or the late surf. In the last 2 years 58 to 60 yo ... I've dropped of dramatically from making the state 4 years ago to once in a while.
So plan years ahead, you'll need a good car, the bucks to keep changing your boards and wetties as the boardshort days shorten ... stay active like a martial art or a fitness center time permitting.
You can still do pretty extreme surfing but the injuries take months to heal rather than days ... but you can do it ... once your on the wave the pain goes!

Same, 3 kids one diagnosed with Diabetes with the needles etc had many many years out of the water but once I got back into it (took a year or so to get into form surfing nearly everday day in anything) but was worth it!
Absolutely! Once a surfer always a surfer!

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Martyy said...

Hang in there mate. I had a few years off surfing when my 3 kids were younger and my second diagonsied with Autism. I was so housebound I gave up on surfing for a few years. Then I took my 15 year son surfing with a couple of his mates, and I have taken my second son with Autism out on a paddle board and my younger daughter a couple of times. I can tell you that feeling of being in the ocean again, well all I can say is I'm totally hooked again. I had a few tough years and I am just grateful to be able to get in the water again. I was surfing like a kook but upped the board size and away I went. I even have the odd paddle board with a few guys, not in the surf but just in the bay.

I can hear the ocean calling. Once a surfer always a surfer.

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swalkington said...

work, work, work, bills, mortgage, kids, family, responsibility.
is it just me or is it hard to score quality surf regularly when you get older?!

I don't have the Family,kids,mortgage or much responsibility......

So my answer will carry very little sway,however......

those things you mention that have or are keeping you from surfing should be the very reason that you should surf as much as you can......

"There is nothing a good day of surfing won't cure"

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DUDE said...

swalkington said...

work, work, work, bills, mortgage, kids, family, responsibility.
is it just me or is it hard to score quality surf regularly when you get older?!

I don't have the Family,kids,mortgage or much responsibility......

So my answer will carry very little sway,however......

those things you mention that have or are keeping you from surfing should be the very reason that you should surf as much as you can......

"There is nothing a good day of surfing won't cure"

So no job?

For me, family is everything. Surfing is fun and all but at the end of the day, my family comes first.

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Ados said...

DUDE said...

swalkington said...

work, work, work, bills, mortgage, kids, family, responsibility.
is it just me or is it hard to score quality surf regularly when you get older?!

I don't have the Family,kids,mortgage or much responsibility......

So my answer will carry very little sway,however......

those things you mention that have or are keeping you from surfing should be the very reason that you should surf as much as you can......

"There is nothing a good day of surfing won't cure"

So no job?

No job....You offering one or ????????????????

well said ados, most people would respect a hard working family man that surfs for fun, not a bludger