Patience, Grasshoppers

Where did the waves go? Word on the street is that El Niño has taken all of the wind out of the East Coast's sails and puffed it into the Pacific, which has been active as all get out by the looks of the highlight reels on Instagram and Surfline. My Swell Info app is telling me we may get a few waves next week, but I'm not holding my breath. I check that app about 10 times a day and it is different every time that I do. The truth of the matter is that I hope it's right because if it is we're looking at 3-5 days of fun waves, and we could all really use that about right now. By this time last year we had named swells Bertha and Cristobal, which both produced pumping surf in the well overhead range. 

This brings us to the important topic of patience. You have to wait for swell. And then when it comes you have to wait your turn to catch waves. And if you're just a beginner (and by my standards this means a person with less than 3 years experience) that means you're going to have to do a lot of waiting. I have been noticing that people hire me to take them to next level in their surfing -- to start learning to judge and catch more waves -- but then when we get out in the water the reality is that they still belong on the inside, riding whitewater. When we go out the back I can help you judge waves but if you have not developed the paddling ability to go for them (commit to the vertical, as in a previous article), no one, not even me, can do that for you. You have got to want it and you have got to go for it. I am an expert coach but I cannot implant my knowledge in you as if it were a computer chip. And most of all, surfing takes a lot of time and dedication. You cannot only surf once a month, only rent boards, and expect that you're going to improve very quickly. You need to commit all of the way. Buy a board or many boards. Get your wetsuit game down. Go on surf trips. Buy a car for surfing out here or get a Zipcar membership. Go before work. Go after work. Surf all day on the weekends and paddle when it's flat. That's the kind of dedication required to get good at surfing. And when you're out in the lineup remember that as a surfer with little to no experience you're at the bottom of the food chain and not only must you catch scraps, but you must look for those scraps and hunt them down. The better you are at hunting and catching scraps the faster you will improve, hands down. 

I realize that I have just used the command 'buy' here many times. If you have already taken lessons with me then you know the power of putting your money into your surfing practice. It is just as with anything else: the more you invest the better your chances of returns. I cannot think of anything more rewarding to invest in than a life dedicated to riding waves (and getting good at it). To me that sounds better than a fat IRA. What are you going to do with all of that money if you don't know how to surf?! I know, lots of things, but still, they aren't going to give back in pure stoke wattage like surfing will. To my mind, it is just not possible. The other side to this is that if you do not invest in surfing then you only have yourself to blame for not getting good at it. And furthermore, once you start investing if you do not have the patience required to let it grow on its own you will also be disappointed and frustrated. For this reason you must revel in the small successes: paddling stronger, popping up more smoothly, watching the sunrise or set, dodging a huge set, or timing a perfect turtle roll. 

Speaking of patience, there have just been 4 (or 5?) long lay days at the Hurley Pro/Swatch Women's Pro at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, CA. I've watched a lot of the footage from the first few rounds and there's some exciting quarterfinal match-ups on both sides. My call for the men's champ is Gabe Medina and Carissa Moore for the women's. Action should be back on today. As I have written about before, watching the live events is a testament to the patience required to get good waves. I watched Nat and Owen sit for 16 minutes the other day and not catch a wave! Of course they paddled one another out of position for the first set, but still, even that proves that if you miss just one opportunity, that could be the last one in quite some time. 

There are still spots open for Montauk, the first weekend in October. Payment is required in full by next Saturday, Sept 26, to secure a spot. Payment for the CR January camps is due by December 1, and for the March camp by Jan 1. 

 

Fall is Around the Corner! Plus CSC EAST with Chris Blotiau

Oof! August hit like a pound of bricks. This was definitely the busiest month in Conatus history. We have had consistently small, fun, and surfable waves. I've been very impressed with the levels that students are reaching this summer. Lots of people catching green water and styling down the line. Others getting over difficulties with the pop. Some buying their own equipment and making the full commitment to a life filled with aquatic joy. I have even managed to get some great video clips of students doing their thing and will have an edit out by the end of the summer. Which brings me to a topic of great importance: fall is almost here! 

What does this mean? First of all this means NO MORE LIFEGUARDS, which means that WE CAN SURF ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME AFTER LABOR DAY in Long Beach or Rockaway. Those that have been surfing the crowded "yellow flag" beaches with me this summer should have great cause to rejoice. It also usually means more favorable winds and waves. We are, however, set to have a slow hurricane season this year, so let's keep our expectations low. Regardless of what the swells bring, I offer the same lessons and packages throughout the fall (Sept-Dec). Surfing is not over just because summer is! Do not fear for winter, as I have packaged the Costa Rica camps for January and March and will post about that in a few days. I also have arranged a special weekend excursion to Montauk in September. This brings me to some really exciting news: 

CSC is now working with Chris Blotiau, an expert surf instructor and sailor, in Montauk. I met Chris at my friends, Martine and Juan's, dj night at Ruschmeyers in the early summer. We did the whole "what is that you do?" spiel and it turned out that we are both surf instructors. When I told him about the Conatus Method he immediately complimented me and said that that's exactly how surfing ought to be taught, and asked me how he could be a part of the program. I love that kind of respect, inspiration, and initiative. Here's Chris' bio in his own words: 

    I was born on Long Island and introduced to the ocean by my father through sailing. My first diaper changing table was the trampoline of a Hobie 16. My father’s passion for sailing and the ocean was quite obvious and incredibly contagious. The first 12 years of my life, our shared passion and motivations were completely centered around sailing and being near the sea. Despite many struggles with living situations and finances, my father always found a place to fit passion in his life and it made him the greatest father and influence of my life. Passion for the ocean led me to discover surfing on my own and when I was 11 years old I started saving up my pennies for my first surfboard. Fast forward one year and I had saved $50, actually $42. My parents lent me the extra 8 bucks so that I could buy my first used surfboard from the Lido Beach Surf Shop (no longer there), a 6’2” Hotline, glassed on thruster setup. I didn’t have anyone in my life who encouraged me to try surfing, therefore I was left to learn to surf on my own. Desire and determination are two excellent characteristics to have as a beginner in anything and I was excited to begin the journey. Learning was a long road, but I eventually started making discoveries in surfing regarding form, technique, and timing. Love for riding waves leads a surfer to travel and even if it was only a short train ride to Montauk, travelling to surf introduced a new level of passion for me. I’ve fallen in love with many places, but Montauk called me and after many years of visiting, I finally made it my new home where I currently reside, surf, and design clothing for my lifestyle brand, Live in Color.

Chris has the style and the chops. 

Chris has the style and the chops. 

So how does a lesson with Chris work? It's the same as a lesson with me except it's in Montauk and that means you may be able to get through a 3 or 5 lesson package in a week or even a few days time. The pricing on all lessons and packages are the same and payment goes through me. You do not pay Chris in cash. We are currently working on getting card readers but those charge a lot so for now it's just the "old school" way. Chris and I are really into working with people for the long term and so we'll be putting our heads together to think of more comprehensive long term packages/tuitions. If you're interested in lesson with Chris simply say so when you email or use the submission form and we'll get you set up! 

I also want to stress that I have surfed with Chris and watched him teach and he is the real deal. I do not use my judgment lightly nor would I trust anyone who I do not feel is 110% capable of treating students and the ocean with the same care and respect that I do. So if you're planning a surf trip out there, he is your man. 

If my endorsement isn't enough, here's Chris with the king. 

If my endorsement isn't enough, here's Chris with the king. 

Committing to the Vertical

Hi Everyone! Looks like I've slipped up on my goal to blog once a week. Well a lot has been going on here at Conatus headquarters, not least of which has been teaching surfing every day of the week. We've had some great windswell pulses through the end of July into the start of August. Monday was the biggest I've seen Rockaway in a long time. It made for challenging conditions for one of my bravest students, but he handled it like a champ and even managed to drop into some solid four foot waves. It's all about patience and enjoying the adrenaline that fear produces.

I have been focusing a lot on the idea of "committing to the vertical" lately. It is very common for beginning and even intermediate surfers to shy away from the takeoff by standing up too early or not paddling hard enough in the first place. It's scary to all of a sudden be almost upside down, but what is crucial is that this verticality provides you the space to get your feet under your arms in a more fluid manner. Standing at this moment also puts the weight into the center/back of the board and aids in managing the drop and picking a clean line down the face. But even if you do not manage to get to your feet you have to commit to this vertical moment usually just to catch the wave. For some softer, spilling, mushy waves you'll have the luxury of just planing forward and in these cases I have been recommending that you get the board going down the line in the "upward dog" position, which is half way between standing and laying down. What is key here is that you're not doing this at the bottom of the wave. If you're down there it's too late for you to get across. You must go to the side at the top and from the beginning. This, like committing to the vertical drop, requires a lot of timing and positioning. You need to move yourself to the apex of the peak -- the point of most power -- to enable an easy entry. Sounds simple but it takes a lot of work and requires that ever-important paddling foundation. 

Another thing I mentioned to a student this week, is that sometimes gifting yourself surfy treats is a good way to stay amped for your next time out. This could be a short john wetsuit (or any wetsuit really), a surf dvd, a bikini, a bar of wax, a magazine or book, just anything surf related. You can get stuff like this online or at a local shop and this kind of contribution to your surf 401K, if you will, will pad your stoke and keep you anxious to get out again. 

On my end, when not taking off under the lip, I'm trying to commit to the drop a little bit more in growing my business. This week and next I will roll out/ announce Conatus Surf Club lessons in Montauk with Chris Blotiau (if you're interested right now simply email me about setting something up out there) and Conatus Surf Club retreats in Costa Rica for this winter (Dec/Jan) at Rancho Diandrew. I'm really excited about both of these growth opportunities, which ultimately stem from a desire to provide intensive surf training experiences for those who are serious and keen about their surfing journey. I will have blog posts about both of them very soon. 

This weekend it looks like we have another run of fun summer surf and fine weather. Remember to both commit to the vertical and stay safe! 

Why Care About Pro Surfing/Watch the JBay Open

Whether it's in between sets or on a ride back to the train station, oftentimes I end up explaining the history and nature of professional surfing to my students. It's definitely an earful. I also have it marked out on my "surf prescription" sheets to "watch pro contests". I want to write a little more here about why I think watching pro contests can be good for your surfing. 

Surfing is a young professional sport and its structure, like its playing field — the ocean — is nowhere near as stable as that of other professional sports. The first surf contest was held in Manly Beach, Australia in 1964, and was held by what was then known as the International Surfing Association (ISA). The ISA is still around, but it is not surfing's governing professional body any longer. You can read a great history of professional surfing on their site: https://www.isasurf.org/isa-info/history-of-the-isa/. The ISA does hold competitions and crowns world champions but these are not the recognized world champs of what is now known as the governing body of professional surfing, the World Surf League (WSL, @WSL), formerly the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals). The goal of the ISA is to "develop surfing globally", including surf school accreditation (shaky at best) and lobbying to get surfing into the olympics (not worthwhile if you ask me). Thus they have their hands in a number of pies that the WSL does not concern itself with.

The WSL currently consists of an elite mens tour (known as the 'CT or 'Championship Tour'), an elite womens tour (also called the 'CT), a big wave world tour, and a qualification series for the mens and womens tours (both known as the 'QS or 'World Qualifying Series'). The WSL is funded by a gazillionaire named Dirk Ziff and has strong corporate backing from Samsung (read: when you watch pro surfing events live on the internet you will see a lot of Samsung commercials). Formerly the big named surf lifestyle brands — Quik, Billabong, Ripcurl, et. al. — were asked to pony up to provide the infrastructure and prize money for all events. This kind of backing has not gone away entirely, e.g., the Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles, Ripcurl Pro at Bells, Quik Pro at Snapper Rocks. The difference now, however, is that the tour is not 100% reliant on endemic brands. 

I could go on and on about the crazy history of pro surfing and could even explore the sustainability (or lack thereof) of the way it is structured, but for now I am going to leave it at that and say a bit more about watching pro events. First of all, the gateway to watching all pro surfing events is through the WSL's website and social media outlets. This is a blatant plug for following @WSL and getting the app for your phone, signing up to receive alerts via text and email, and playing both the WSL (tab is on their site) and Surfer Magazine's versions of Fantasy Surfing. You can even join our club (same on both sites): search "clubs" and find 'Conatussurfclub' and ask to join (password is: morewavesmorejoy)!!! 

There are about 12 contests a year. The men start the year with three contests Australia, travel to various other global locales, and end it in Hawaii, with the always (well mostly always) exciting Pipe Masters held at the world famous Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu. The women's year resembles the mens but is not identical to it — they start the year with the same three events  in Australia, and follow it up by going to Rio and Fiji with the guys, but by July the tours depart from one another, with the women also finishing up in Hawaii except at the famed righthand point break of Honolua Bay in Maui. (The inequality in between the mens and womens tours in prize money, attention, and overall infrastructure is something that is currently being debated and addressed on a variety of fronts — it is necessarily connected to the ways in which men and women are differently marketed and understood as participating in surfing culture). 

Each event, whether for men or for women, has a "waiting period" of around two weeks. The events are held at places during a time of year when there is normally a good chance for great waves. Part of the fun, drama, and pedagogy of following pro surfing is to pay attention to the event forecasts. Will they get swell? Will the swell coincide with clean winds? Are the tides cooperating? You can check the forecasts for those surf spots the same way that you can check them for our spots here in NY/NJ — they're all readily available on Swell.info, Surfline.com, and Magicseaweed.com (and if you don't have these apps on your phone you need to get them now). 

Let's use the current event, the JBay Open (July 7-19), as a prime example of why it's beneficial to watch world tour events. First of all, JBay is one of the best righthand point breaks on the planet. I have not surfed there myself but I have consumed so much iconic surf media from there that I can practically see the long offshore lines, aloe plants, Occy's filthy backhand hacks throwing sheets of spray to the horizon, and Curren's fluid speed arcs etched on the backs of my eyelids. The forecast for this two week window is super dicey. Two whole weeks and not a ton of significant swell forecasted. But the show must go on. Commissioner Kieren Perrow (former world tour competitor and Pipe Masters champ) must assess the forecasts and conditions each morning and "make the call" of whether to run it or not. He meets with the surfer reps and they make a decision, which is broadcast on the Dawn Patrol morning show by a motley crew of "professional" surf broadcasters: Ross Williams, Martin Potter, Peter Mel, Strider Wasilewski, Todd Kline, Roseanne Hodge, Ronny Blakey, and Joe Turpel. For side entertainment you can always read the Twittersphere commentary on the commentary. Watching the morning show is a good way to catch up on action you missed and to hear what these surf nerds have to say about it. Or you can just go to the 'heat analyzer', an awesome feature that rolled out a few years ago that allows you to watch any previously surfed heat unfold as if it were live, or, if you get impatient (like me), you can just skip to the highest scoring rides by clicking on them in the timeline. 

KP (Kieren Perrow) and the crew have managed to eke out the first three rounds of competition in marginal (by JBay standards) surf. The first day was kind of onshore and junky. The second day was the best day by far, with clean 4 foot waves (still not as big as we like to see it) and offshore winds, and the third day was lully with bad winds in the morning heats and cleaner winds but dying swell for the last throes of Round 3. I caught a little of the Rd 1 action, almost all of the Rd 2 action, and just watched the highlights of Rd 3 on heat analyzer. JBay is 6 hours ahead of us, so you either have to not go to bed to watch the whole thing or you can do what I do and go to bed early and wake up reasonably at 3 or 4a to catch the action. If you're in tune with the swell forecast you'll know which days to write off and sleep in. 

There's something to be learned in every condition that an event is held. For us jaded veterans, we don't really like to watch the junky stuff unless we really have to, but sometimes just seeing how hard those conditions can be for an elite level surfer is heartening. It's not like the glossy surf videos where the conditions and edits are always perfect and the pros never fall. And besides the forecasting this is the bottom line of why watching pro surfing is so good for your own surfing: it makes surfing more human. You see the rhythms of a place and the rhythms of surfers rise and fall. You get to watch Kelly Slater dig rail. You might even find yourself asking yourself why one fellow looks so inferior to the other fellows. Well, why? Try to break it down. What are the in rhythm surfers doing right? Why are they getting scores in the excellent range? Being able to answer these questions will not only up your surf IQ but it will be secretly working on your own wave judgment and surfing habitus. 

The heat of the contest (for me) so far was the Rd 2 heat of Joel Parkinson (Aus) v. Ricardo Christie (NZ). Besides the fact that the waves were on fire, these two went toe to toe with some brilliant, smooth, on-rail power surfing, which is the stuff I can relate to and therefore really like to watch. Parko ended up winning the affair 18.84 to Christie's 18.13. Had Ricardo been in any other heat, his total would have smoked the whole field. As it is, he got a dreaded 25th place. Parkinson, however, did not survive the junk surf of the next day, and was defeated by a hot rookie goofy footed Brazilian named Wiggolly Dantas. Parko, by all means one of, if not the most, stylish surfers on the tour, has drawn a 13th place. So there you go, in rhythm one heat, and off the next. 

Another great thing about a spot like Jbay is that you can see a marked difference between when there are sets coming and when there are not. This also helps wave judging abilities. You can see the lines bending in around the back and even hear the whistles and hoots from the fans and competitors watching live. Which wave will the surfer with priority take? Will he risk giving the first wave away or will he wait for the second or even third wave of the set? These are the kinds of things that you are doing every time you go surfing. How many times do you paddle for the first wave, miss it, and turn around to see two beauties about to come and land on your head? Watching the pros play the patience game is a great way to up yours. On the flip side, what do good surfers do in slow heats when the sets do not come that often? How do they find those gems that just line up just enough? A good example of this are Mick Fanning and Gabriel Medina's Rd 3 clashes against CJ Hobgood and Matt Wilkinson respectively. Mick and Gabriel not only found the sneaky "growers" but they also used their super powers — lightning fast whips for Mick and lofty impossible airs for Gabe — to maximize what little the wave had to offer. As many journalists and commentators mentioned, Mick and Gabe made the waves look better than they were. And that's a big part of why they're world champs. 

Mick Fanning in Rd 3 at the 2015 JBay Open. Photo taken from Surfline.com. 

Mick Fanning in Rd 3 at the 2015 JBay Open. Photo taken from Surfline.com. 

Lastly, and I've touched on this already, but you get to see the surfers actually paddle for waves and stand up on them. Granted their pop-ups are faster than 99% of the surfing population, but nevertheless, you get to see this crucial part of wave riding that, aside from going surfing, you just do not have that much access to. You will see them paddle for waves that they miss as well, and also waves that are too heavy to be makable (and ooh la la you get to see a wipeout!). 

If I haven't convinced you yet, you'll just have to see for yourself. There are 5 more rounds to run at the JBay Open (Rds, 4, 5, Qtrs, Semis, Final), which will probably take almost two days of competition. There could be a bump there tomorrow, but the waves look to be be biggest on the very last day of the waiting period. It's high anxiety to wait that long. What will KP do? Who will end up the master of all conditions at Jbay? Who will have a shocker? And most of all what will you learn or notice that you had never noticed before tuning into this event? (Also important to be critical — how do you think these events could be organized better? There's still a lot of talk about this and pro surfing definitely does not seem to be 'settled' just yet.) 

A Gift from the Sea




"The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea." —Anne Morrow Lindbergh 

After having recently moved apartments and shuffled my things I came across this book, A Gift from the Sea: An Answer to the Conflicts in Our Lives (1955) by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, a former New Jersey native and the wife of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh (and an aviator in her own right). Lindbergh, while talking about how to find the right kind of shell or channelled welk, succinctly nails what the sea teaches. In this way waiting for a shell is no different than waiting for a wave—both are gifts from the sea. 

I have struggled with patience over the years. In fact when I first started teaching surfing about 15 years ago I would often not show up or cancel lessons if the waves were too good. I just was not ready to focus on someone else and to have the patience to aid them in their ocean journey. But then I grew and learned more about teaching and learning and waiting and watching. I started slowing down to speed up.

In surf lessons I spend most of my time focusing on my students and I ride the occasional wave to demonstrate proper technique and as a means to get back to the student to help him or her navigate the white wash on the their way back outside (past the breaking waves). I catch 3-5 waves per 2 hour lesson. When I go surfing on my own greed and impatience often get the better of me and I try to catch 3-5 waves per 15-20 minute periods. But I have noticed that when I just slow down and apply the waiting game I have honed in lessons, along with some strategic paddling, I often find myself in the right spot(s) for a few fun waves. And it only takes one of these to make a whole session, day, or even week or month or year or life.  

Patience takes many forms. Sometimes it's all about just taking the time to be silly and do things like ride waves on your bum! Here I am riding in to meet a student during a lesson at Long Beach. Photo: Julien Roubinet 

Patience takes many forms. Sometimes it's all about just taking the time to be silly and do things like ride waves on your bum! Here I am riding in to meet a student during a lesson at Long Beach. Photo: Julien Roubinet 

I often teach that maximum lineup mobility and paddling power ensure that one is in position to receive aquatic gifts more than others who do nothing but wait, and this is still true, but is incomplete. Such mobility must be coupled with the ability to wait for the ocean to give you a gift and then to recognize it as such when it comes. This essentially amounts to the never-perfected skill of wave judgment, which is terribly hard when you're starting out, and remains not entirely master-able even when you've achieved expert status. 

But what experts have learned, and why they catch such great waves, is that the more patient you can be with yourself and with the ocean, the faster you're actually going to improve, the more joy you're going to get out of every session. This is because this patience is, like Lindbergh suggests, 'open'—it is a letting oneself be open to both one's powerlessness and to one's hidden powers as these reveal themselves in the process of practicing surfing.