[allsunny]

i dont understand how he's surfed for so long and can still be so early in learning the fundamentals. the biggest variable is time in the water. w/ 20+ years he should be... better. the only thing i can think of is they go out very infrequently.

[beefield]

That infrequent thing seems to be the worst. You can't really calculate years, you need to calculate hours. I think I have quite solid background in some sports, and I have tried to learn surfing now maybe 6-7 years. unfortunately there are no waves in my neck of woods, so it s only traveling surfing for me. Which makes it really seldom, and yes, you guessed righ, I absolutely suck at surfing. So bad that I have started thinking about giving up completely until/if I happen to relocate myself some place where I can train more regularly.

[sjburt]

He says he’s surfed 1000 hours. I think I surf about that much in two years and I’m still pretty bad. 50 hours a year means maybe only 20 days a year which is not many.

Also, I think they’re doing what most surfers don’t do and showing their worst waves. For those that don’t recognize the band, Tom Sachs is an internationally known artist that makes large installations (such as a larger than scale replica of that Apollo Lunar Module) out of scrap and junk. This video is very much in his style.

[allsunny]

yeah, that could be it. i've been surfing for just a few years but surf a few times a week. if anyone is actually curious about mechanically how to surf, youtube took me here, it's a good video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBmijBB57Go

best place place to learn IMHO is waikiki w/ one of the "beach boys," they've probably seen more beginners than any other place, teach you the unwritten rules, and can get you going fast.

after that, just gotta put in time.

[jgwil2]

According to William Finnegan in Barbarian Days [0], people who start after age 14 or so have close to zero chance of becoming proficient.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Barbarian-Days-Surfing-William-Finneg...

[rurban]

That's wrong. I was surfing teacher, and regardless of age it takes 2-5 years to learn it. Some environments are easier, some are harder, but surfing is still both, the hardest and most dissatisfying, and then the most elegant and satisfying sport.

Many people started learning at 40, and it still needed 5 years.

[allsunny]

i started just a few years ago in my mid-30s. i'm proficient: i can paddle and catch my own waves, go up and down "the line", i can stay out of the way (very important :) do turns, etc. i moved to the beach though once i knew i was hooked. i go several times a week, sometimes twice a day. there are guys/gals out there that have been doing it their whole life who i would say... very humbly, that ive surpassed. once i moved to the beach i started progressing super fast. i grew up skateboarding a lot, so i think that has something to do w/ it.

however! i once heard an old surfer describe surfing proficiency vs being good w/ an analogy: "you're fluent in the language, but when you talk, we hear the accent." and, like i said, i skateboarded a lot and that immediately makes sense to me. when i see folks skateboard that learned later in life i can immediately recognize it just by the way they push the board, let alone ride it. i'm ok w/ having an accent.

[arbitrary_name]

I love the book but disagree. It's highly unlikely most people will be able to become proficient later in life, but that's due to the need to live near the ocean,commit to sticking at something for a while, etc which most folks just don't do