Surfing seems to have a special fascination in our culture. Surfing has been commercialized and parodied to death. There is much more to the surfing stereotypes and media images than the Spicoli stereotype. If you learn to surf, it can be one of the most unique and fulfilling life experiences you can ever do. Here are some reasons to learn to surf:

Fun

One of the main reasons that you probably won’t even realize that you are exercising is because surfing is so much fun! Add in the sunshine, ocean water, and warm sand to the mix and you will be hooked for life! When you learn to surf, it can be frustrating at times. Like with any new skill, but those moments are overshadowed by the awesome feeling that you will get when you catch a great wave. You will enjoy that sensation of gratification after having a great surf session for quite some time.

Fitness

Surfing is a physically demanding sport. It will build any level of physical fitness at all levels of the learning process. Any given surf session will provide a full body work-out. From paddling to pop-ups, to carving wave faces, a surfer will come out of the water having worked the upper body and core strength, hips and mobility, and increased stamina. Your lung capacity will increase from duck-dives and hold downs. As you continue to learn to surf, the desire to progress will also act as a motivation. A motivation to maintain a higher level of physical fitness and potentially make healthier life choices. There is definitely some truth behind the stereotype of the ripped surfer.

Confidence

Along with physical fitness comes confidence. However, the confidence that comes with surfing is not necessarily rooted in vanity or ego. Learning to surf is not easy. Sure, learning anything is not easy. But when you are learning to surf, you need to build courage. At times surfing involves fear and even physical pain. You can not press pause on waves. When you are learning to play tennis there isn’t a wave coming overhead that can lift you up and hold you down. Building this kind of confidence is one of the most beautiful skills that you can take out of the water into other areas of your life. Knowing that you just rode natural energy on a moving piece of water, while making you glow when doing regular human activities like sitting on the subway or getting fired much more bearable.

Respect for Nature

Surfing brings you closer to nature in a unique way. From the one-of-a-kind look at ocean life to the sensation of actually moving with the water, one of the benefits to surfing is perspective. That perspective applies to both personal lives and the wellbeing of the world. Surfers have respect for the ocean and the rest of the planet. They rely on the tides and see the effects of pollution first-hand.

It’s an escape from the daily grind

There’s nothing like riding a wave to take the edge off the monotonous routine. It’s pure escapism where you can be at one with your thoughts, switch off and have some ‘me’ time without the pressures of daily life interfering. Think of it as food for the soul, essential to your overall wellbeing and something to look forward to before, after work or on the weekends!

You get to hang out at the beach

We can not think of a better place to spend your day, breathing in the ocean air, listening to the soothing sound of the waves, topping up your tan and switching off from the daily grind. It is relaxing, inspiring and breathtaking!

Learning to Surf makes for a wonderful active vacation

Surfing is one of those great activities that you can practice in different places all over the world. Many of which are popular tourist destinations, and even more that are off the beaten trail. Surfing is not just an ocean sport. While it is rarer, it is possible to surf in lakes, rivers, and even wave parks nowadays. And it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, there is always somewhere in the world with waves that are just waiting to be surfed!