Surf Buddy or Nobody?

[LipService]

I was curious about the erbb’s thoughts on surfing with buddies vs. going solo.

For me, I don’t like any overhead. When the surf is firing, the last thing I want to do is wait for someone. When I was doing more surfing with “buddies”, in addition to waiting around, someone would invariably show up without a board or a wetsuit and want to borrow one from me. Then there’d be the resulting ding repair, so I absolute do not loan boards anymore (other than my foamies). Also, for whatever reason, I do my best surfing when I’m alone.

On the other hand, when the surf is heavy, I like to go with someone else. However, there’s not much you are going to do to help each other when you are on the inside getting pounded. You are basically alone, regardless.

Thoughts? Stories?

 

[nowayout]

I surf alone, mostly because the friends I surfed with no longer surf. I actually prefer it most of the time, sometimes it would be nice to have a buddy around to kinda compete with in a fun way if you know what I mean.

I do know some people that surf but we rarely connect, if it's going to be bigger most of the time we end up connecting especially if its a off the beaten track spot.

 

[Chocki]

When it comes snowboarding there are no friends on powder days bro. You ride fast and don’t fall and/or stop or you get dropped.

In general I’m not gonna go out of my way to ride with you, I’m sorry but my time at this point in life is just too precious for me to miss chairs waiting for you so I’ll see you on the hill bro.

 

[r32]

Solo all the way. In my younger years, got so tired of riding with bros to a spot and I wanted to surf it but they wanted to go to some other spot, or vice versa. Or one of us had to leave much earlier than the other and we took same car. sh!t just never worked out.

So much better to just show up by yourself. Fuck climate change. I need my water time.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

On the daily, almost always solo. I dislike it when there's a crew of people who all know each other and all sit in a glob and basically everyone else has to deal with their friend glob. Six yappers in a snake mating ball and 200 yards of one here, one there, and any time that glob that must be within 20 yards of each other descends on the rip that pops up next to you the soul peace index plummets.

Sometimes it'll be a weekend and I'll say where I'm going and we'll walk down and be sort of spread across an uninhabited zone.

Road trips I'll carpool if we're on a similar schedule/program but that's almost always to Palm Beach zone which is a packed out shitshow regardless how many people you roll with, and we're not surfing secret/protected spots.

 

[CutnSnip]

most of the time solo. got a few people that hit me up to meet up every so often and if its a mediocre day than im down. i typically like to dawn patrol, and get in an out - when my mind is set on something I dont patience for other people

on the other hand - on challenging days its nice to have someone to push you, hoot you into waves etc.

 

[One-Off]

The few spots I frequent I know lots of faces and a few names. They are my friends. On road trips I go mostly alone but have one friend I'll call just to have someone to talk to on the drive. He's also a really good surfer and will not embarass me. Maybe vice versa?

Sometimes I'll see said friend already out at a spot but at a different peak and we won't even paddle over to greet each other. We value our privacy.

I've had friends invite me to join running clubs, but running for me is a solo actvity.

 

[santacruzin]

In SC I had two surf buddies. One we would bike to town spots. the other we would make plans and try and meet up in the water.


These days its solo. Maybe shoot a text to one of my surf buds to meet me at a spot.
No time for laggers and all my friends have busy schedules these days.

 

[nolibos]

Weekday mornings we mostly make loose plans to meet at the beach and then everbody goes their separate ways to work.
Lately, on the weekends we have been carpooling out to Punto de los Reyes; Its been nice having company.

 

[GromsDad]

Solo 90% of the time. Most of the time I'm on my bicycle and look for a less crowded peak. Where I live these days you're almost never alone in the water.

 

[scooch]

Im the friend who doesnt surf anymore.

 

[sussle]

any time i go out "with" somebody, we paddle out together and that's about the end of it. they find their spot and i find mine. i like it quiet, avoid the gabbers and the hooters etc. easy to paddle down to the next break to get away.

that being said, on bigger OH days, would rather not go out solo because i'd like somebody else to be there just to notice if i don't come up, for some reason.

 

[Goofy_Footed]

Solo! Don’t like waiting on people and damn sure don’t like getting out of the water early because they have sh!t to do. If I decide to surf with someone I’ll tell them to meet me or I’ll meet them.

 

[000]

if i bring someone, thats less waves for me
its already hard to get a decent wave count alone

 

[bird.LA]

Always solo (unless my buddy who is constantly globe trotting happens to be back in town,) but plenty of chatter with the regs at the usual spot most of the time assuming we're posted up on the same peak.

 

[ElOgro]

We had a core group of four to six and never had any issues between us. Anyone else that showed up waited. That’s both here and in town. Some of the kids that had to wait on the beach have learned to laugh about those times.

 

[keenfish]

We had a core group of four to six and never had any issues between us. Anyone else that showed up waited. That’s both here and in town. Some of the kids that had to wait on the beach have learned to laugh about those times.

KOOK OF THE DAY on Instagram: "Relationship Status w/ Surfing: It’s complicated @thrift_store_paintings"

25K likes, 538 comments - kookoftheday on October 12, 2023: "Relationship Status w/ Surfing: It’s complicated @thrift_store_paintings"

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[hugh shackman]

solo 95% of the time, other 5% meet up with 1-2 friends if its really nice out and want to make more of a day out of it. Separate cars

 

[OsideBum]

I have one buddy I surf with at least once a week. We’ve been surfing together since high school, over 30 years now. Other than that I don’t mind surfing alone. However, if a get a call from either of my kids asking if I want to surf, I’m all over it.

 

[OsideBum]

solo 95% of the time, other 5% meet up with 1-2 friends if its really nice out and want to make more of a day out of it. Separate cars

Always separate cars!