Keep the surf Karma Positive

I had one of my friends tell me a story the other day. The general idea was that he was surfing on what appeared to look like a kayak; The wave ski is actually a surf specific craft. The waves were standing up to about 9 feet on the outside with some smaller breaks on the inside of this area. Many of the surfers were staying closer in and didnt seem to be catching many waves. The surfers saw my two friends catching a few great rides further out where they could not. The person using a wave ski or kayak uses a paddle which is far more efficient when moving around compared to a surfer.



Surfers looked at my friends, made rude comments, expressed frustration, and ultimately didn't really understand what they were seeing. The wave ski and surf kayak, once on a wave, handle like a sports car. These crafts are able to move up and down a wave just like a board surfer, but one can't use their legs.

The other down side is that you are typically strapped into the surf kayak or wave ski. What this translates to the average surfer is alot more mass traveling down a wave that will hurt alot more than a surfer's body or board. Imagine you are surfing a wave next to your Bro on surf boards, the wave dumps, and you both go flying. You both bump each other but only your legs hit. Not a big deal. Now imagine travelign down a wave with someone in a surf kayak next to you. The wave Dumps. Now when your legs hit the surfer is actually stuck by a boat with a person inside being pushed by large amounts of water.

I will say that in each case the force of the water is hard on the body, but the force on a person attached to a kayak or wave ski can be far more. I have had several tiems where I capsized into a pitching wave and was instantly pinned into the back of the boat. I just waited for the water pressure to stop forcing me to lay backwards.

The bottom line, each surf type is tossed in a wave, and there is a moment of concern if there is disorentation in the wave. So to keep the karma good. Listen to others around you. Paddle away as you think about what was said, but turn around and make good Karma. Let the the people know you sometimes get alittle over zealous and certainly want to give everyone a chance to catch great rides. Shake Hands. Of course not everyone is going to be into this communication. Surfers can be territorial and that is fine.

If you can actually surf the hell out of waves then do so, but if you are out of control go practice in a place without alot of surfers. Next time you go. Show them you have the ability to surf safely. The end result will be less nervousness by the surfer if they see you are in control. I have this feeling some surfers are going to be biased if they are not catching all the awsoem rides you are or if the ego takes over. Just keep the Karma positive, because if something goes down out there, a person with the paddle can help out very quickly.

Keep the Good Vibration on the Water.