I used to be in a position where I could surf good waves entirely alone for weeks. No one else in sight for weeks at a time. The longer I was alone, the more my surfing would change. Waves were plentiful. You start paddling through perfect waves just limping along out on the shoulder because you want the view of the tube and there's another one behind it. And another one behind that one. And something happens to your surfing. As you get more tired, more satiated and lulled into complacency you start leaving your more effort filled "ripping" maneuvers behind. You want to go fast, hit big turns, enjoy that pressure, that flow, let the wave dictate the most efficient path, look for that tube, kick out of the wave on the inside, turn the board towards the outside and stand there feeling the speed bleed off as you look at the oncoming empty waves.
And at the time, the above is SO not what I was into. In a crowded aggressive pack of good surfers I would more than rise to the occasion. But net net, during those periods of isolation I developed this theory. We all have the fantasy of being alone on a desert island with a few boards and endless perfect/empty surf. My theory was that eventually your surfing would change. It would be less about "performance" and more about finding the speed and flow with as little effort as possible. Surfing without an audience changed your surfing. And how fvcked up is that really?
I'm not sure where I was going with all that. I was going to relate the above to midsize surfing and the modern surfer feeling anonymous enough in the midst of crushing crowds to just be honest with himself about what he wants out of a wave. Part of this is IMO, a rejection of pro surfing and endless air reverses. A rebellion almost. It won't go far, it will probably die out with the virus. Whatever. I should probably delete this. But screw it.