WHY?

Posted on June 17, 2007 @ 3:33 PM

“Never stop surfing. Surfing’s where it’s at because it takes you to this other place that everybody else wants to go to but can’t get there.” – Herbie Fletcher.

Hey, they’re not that profound, or complicated, or even grammatically correct, but Herbie Fletcher’s words, which he imparts as the credits roll at the end of the excellent new surf film, Chasing the Lotus, do hit a big fat nail on the head. And he delivers them with just enough of a smirk to let you know he’s kind of talking shit, but also that what’s funny about this is that the shit he’s talking also happens to be true.

It’s rare to come across an effective way of expressing why surfing is “where it’s at” – like, life-alteringly special – and this is as good an explanation as I’ve come across.

There’s no denying Mr. Fletcher is right. Even to people who have no reason to get off on it, surfing stands out. People notice it. All over the world it works as an attention attractor, a mind magnet to draw in the eyes and aspirations of the non-surfing masses. Everyone thinks it’s cool. It sells stuff. They know there’s magic in it.

But they don’t get it, because they don’t do it. (“Only a surfer knows …”) And we can’t explain it to them because although we do it and know it we can’t actually nail it verbally, either. We’ve all found ourselves trying to explain the addiction to a more grounded earthling at some time in our lives. It’s a fair bet that every one of us found it tricky, that 99% of us failed to make them understand just how special it actually is.

It’s no good just telling someone that surfing’s insanely fun, healthy, close to nature, challenging, beautiful … that “it’s a lifestyle” and all that. Plenty of other activities seem to satisfy the very same criteria. No, the act of riding a wave contains something unique, a kernel of something so special that to even try and put your finger on it is to risk having all meaning disappear up your own backdoor close-out. Which is why Herbie Fletcher’s encapsulation of it is so neat.

So, here’s a challenge: Can you tell us what the magic essence is that makes surfing so incredibly special – why, exactly, “it’s where it’s at”?

Answers in an email, please, and watch out for backdoor close-outs. Housekeeping: We have new brothers and sisters, indeed, new parents. Yep, our publishers (Permanent Publishing) have merged with two others of the same size and genre (ASM and 4130). One of the many upsides of this new family is that we’ll be able to expand our website presence (big-time) and bring more of the content of the mag to you online, including previous issues, better surf forecasts, news, etc. We’ll also be looking for people to send us reports from all over the world, surf trip write-ups, photos, videos, whatever. But alongside all of that, we want people to use our site as a point of contact for all things green in surfing, so we’ll be building in as many contacts as we can and bringing them all together online so that you can find information and contact individuals, organizations, companies, etc. that are working in that direction.

Housekeeping Point II: Introducing ... “Stuff I Like”. After 10 years of avoiding product promo, we’ve finally gone there. Why? Because thankfully these days there are enough green products out there for us to put some in front of you, to help you find them, and help their makers get somewhere in a tough market. Seen something good that fits this slot? Please let us know and we’ll do a review.

Which leads on to Housekeeping Point III: the 2nd Annual Green Wave Awards. Who deserves recognition for trying to make surfing a more planetfriendly pursuit? We urge you to look around at the surfing world and see if you can spot anyone who made a real difference during the year 2006. Email nominations to and we’ll add them to our list of potential award winners … and to our registry of contacts on our website.

Don’t forget, there are seven categories for GWA nominees: Individuals and non-profit organizations as well as clothing, surfboard, accessory, travel and media companies, plus an overall Emerald Path Award. Nominations close March 30th 2007.

One more thing: never stop surfing. It’s where it’s at. – ADR

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