I know I'm supposed to be a compassionate Buddhist but the thought of there being more frustrated land locked surfers out there actually cheers me up. If instagram is anything to go by all surfers live in California/Hawaii/Oz, are tanned, have an attractive amount of sand on their bronzed butt cheeks/wear board shorts all year round and don't have to walk more than a meter for perfect waves. Hawaiians/Australians/Californians please let me introduce you to mud brown waves, don't be alarmed a sewage plant hasn't had a leak this is what the North sea looks like...
There are 365 days in a year and 52 weekends which means even if you surf just once a month that is 12 opportunities to be in the water. 12 might not seem like a lot but factor in work, relationships and other commitments and suddenly 12 seems loads! So here's a sure fire way to make sure you get your saltwater quota.
Think like a surfer.
So I have this surfer friend who to Joe Suburban might seem like he's so laid back he's practically horizontal. However this mellow attitude disguises an intensely passionate surfer who works his butt off during the summer months to afford to go live in places like Bali/Mexico etc and live the dream. So what is the lesson here? Prioritize surfing. A night out might set you back some serious coinage, so perhaps skip the booze up or at least sip water instead, save those pennies towards trips. You won't regret getting pissed when your catching aqua blue waves wearing only a bikini in the hot, beautiful sunshine!
Have a plan.
If your anything like me life has a tendency to suddenly get busy with prior engagements, important events, weddings, etc. Now this might sound radical but get yourself one of those, PAPER, yes I said it PAPER wall calenders and write down all your commitments now. Right now. Yes you, I said go and do it now! Once you have an idea of how your year looks you can start to plan surf trips around the 'can't miss' stuff.
If possible book in advance, square annual leave with your boss, have some plans in place and if it doesn't hurt the bank account pay for trips in advance so you don't have nasty unexpected bills later on.
Have surfer friends.
Find surfers and/or willing surfers and rope them into trips, widen your circle so you don't have to rely on just one person to go travelling with. I love solo travel but this is not for everyone and unless your Kelly Slater its not really safe to surf by yourself either. If you surround yourself with positive, motivated people your more likely to go surfing rather than giving in and settling down for a Netflix series!
Book flights/train travel/car shares asap
The earlier you book things the cheaper they tend to be so try your best to book transport in advance, you'll save yourself a heap of cash! If your a driver then ensure you keep a little money on the side for petrol, its amazing how much cars guzzle the stuff when your chasing the waves!
Look into alternative accommodation
Surf hostels tend to be cheap as surfers in general are a fairly easy tourist to please (room to hang a wet suit and just somewhere to sleep please). Have you explored other avenues though, especially if your just two people off on a trip? AirBnB is a fantastic site that allows you to stay in people's houses for a few days to a week. Mr Sunshine and I did this when we visited Brighton last year, we were in a massive luxury house, had tea facilities didn't see the hosts at all really and best of all it was cheaper than a caravan!!! Speaking of caravans if there's a group of you these are the most inexpensive I've found in terms of nice accommodation, don't sniff at them, they are fab! Failing that camp my darlings!
Look around your doorstep
Surfing doesn't have to mean an exotic long haul flight to costa rica, google your nearest surfing beach and try there, visit old haunts or for something really different look at local lakes to see if they do paddle boarding as an option. I recently discovered Birmingham, yes Birmingham has a paddle board club on Edgbaston reservoir, 10 minutes away from the city center. Ok its not catching waves but its still on a board!!
Happy surfing my lovelies, hope you catch some waves this year!
Stay strong, surf well
Love
Really inspiring post Sophia, love this :) Especially liked your comments about surf friends - they changed everything for me last year and I hope to meet so many more surfers this year, landlocked or coastal dwellers. Its such a positive post for the start of the year and I hope you get to surf at every opportunity you can - when you put it in terms of 12 surfs a year, it deosnt seem like a lot at all. Just do it - get out there! :)
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