Time for a new board (as mentioned), didn’t want to go any more “Fishy” and reduce performance potential, and I couldn’t come at going back to a performance short board (although I won’t rule that out ever happening). I am looking for an alternative, yet progressive – not regressive, feeling in my surfing. I am chasing feel, fun, and progression in a mature, free-surfing direction. I want to see and feel new sensations, explore the potential of alternative surf craft but in a very targeted manner. If I find myself on a board that goes worse than anything previous, I’ll be quick to move on.
I’ve never surfed in a competition and I doubt I ever will, I understand the drive behind competitive surfing and the industry it has supported and in some ways, justified and delivered to the masses, yet this is not what surfing is to me.
Surfing to me is; waves that are better than expected, shared amongst a few friends (or even random surfers that happen to be on the same page), getting as much joy out of seeing your buddies score, as scoring yourself. Those unexpected moments, that provide bursts of clarity and beams of shameless joy. In the selfish pursuit, of the pure self indulgent pleasure, that is surfing.
What are you looking for?