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Comment by xanadohnt | Hacker News Reader

I did about 10 surf road trips last summer in a concerted effort to really "get" it. To provide some context - and at the risk of sounding like a jackass - I typically take to a new physical activity pretty quickly. Surfing? Nope. THE toughest sport I've ever attempted. I felt I wasn't any better at the end of the summer from the beginning.

The thing is, I eventually just accepted enjoying the experience. There's zen out there in the surf, whether you're waiting for a wave or riding one. Cold, salty water on your face, in your hair, down your throat, it recharges the body & soul. It can be very social too. Which, if I had never tried, would've never known.

It's a welcome - even "needed" - break from the keyboard. And maybe just maybe while I'm splashing around out there, I'll eventually "get" it.

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I don't surf. I know people who do. I've known them for the 35+ years they have been. I think getting it ultimately means living next to a place to surf. All of those people have arranged some period of their lives around surfing by living where surfing before and after work was an option. Some still do.

Living at the beach seems part of the price of getting good at surfing.

> living where surfing before and after work was an option

Paraphrasing Steve McQueen, more like, where work in between surfing was an option.

So, I worked remote for 4 months in Hawaii. 10 mins from a few smaller breaks. I surfed almost every day, and got coaching from an experienced surfer. I went from nothing to being able to surf a shortboard in 6 ft swell. A low intermediate level. It took another few months of surfing twice a week and I am now at an upper intermediate level. That means handling 7-8 foot surf, being able to handle rights and left, varying conditions, cutbacks and snaps.

My take : surfing is really hard. Most people struggle because of the physical conditioning needed and the proximity to good waves. I thought boxing had a harder and steeper learning curve with more technical variables, especially when up against a human opponent.

Also, This guy took way too long to get good.

That's the great thing about surfing - no matter how much you suck, it's still a blast.

Get a big board. You have more to and. Our feet don’t need to be within 2mm of the correct spot to get up and going. I made the mistake of learning on a board that was much to short (basically the same size as my roommate, who could actually surf)

This. I started on a 10.5’ board.

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