Does surfing become boring?

I am new to surfing and have high hopes that it will replace my love for slalom skiing (tired of skiing because finding butter can be difficult with so many boaters in my area).

BUT, I was talking to a guy yesterday who has an Enzo and says that surfing becomes boring after awhile, so they don't do it much.

I know it is all a personal preference, but do alot of people feel that way?

I enjoy doing it(when I'm in the mood i guess)... but IMO it can get boring unless you're really trying to push and excel in it, which I'm not(that's wakeboarding). That said I can do 360' air out slightly ride backside poorly. But it doesn't seem to me there's nearly as much to accomplish in wakesurfing. Once again Just my opinion. When I'm in the mood, its a blast atleast for a bit.

No! Absoluely not. Personally I believe wakesurfing offers more to do than any sport available. Also, I believe in the olf addage: "you aren't bored, you're boring".

There are 4 orientations, become proficient at:

Regular side wake
Regular frontside
Switch backside

Darkside wake
Switch frontside
Regular backside

Tricks abound, those that can't do many typically refer to wakesurfing as boring. Like anything else, those with HUGE egos and minimal skills bad mouth it. Due to the fact that you aren't bound to the board you can do shuv based tricks and varial based tricks. Complete a big spin and tell me THAT's boring!

There are TRULY significantly different types of equipment that you can use:

Surf style
Skim Style
Longboard.

Certainly more than wakeboarding.

Also, you can honestly make your own equipment and ride your creation.

You can also ride doubles - I wish I had that Jeff Page picture with the young hottie on his shoulder on a longboard behind the boat.

OR!!!!!!!!

Ride a door

So...IMO, like anything else in life, IT'S not boring YOU are.

Picture time!

I do love the pink door. Just as a point of clarification - the "YOU" I referred to above is in general I wasn't referring to someone in particular

Just TRY to make a gorgeous wakeboard/wakeskate that looks any better than this:

Or you can share wonderful first time experiences like Greg and his young assisant or like Loc you can enjoy your favorite beverage and tell TALL STORIES about how hard his ride is (whatever Loc! You're standing up and drinking a beer - folks do it at bars all the time! )

I mean no offense to anyone with this comment, but...

I would think that if you sucked at a particular activity and you never try to improve your skills, that one could become bored with the activity.

Or, your so damn good that no-one gives you competition.

Which catagory do you think your Enzo friend falls into?

Personnaly speaking, my skills need so much improvement, I may get a little bored with the sport when I turn 113 years old.

You've probably heard this a million times, but it is true...when you catch that wave, you do feel like you are sitting on top of the world!

Personally I blieve that wakesurfing is at the top of the list for the use of advances techniques and materials. I am making composite sandwich board is my driveway! Curren construction involves such techniques as thermal pneumatic, vacuum bagging, molds with pressure, and handshaped. Foams range from the tried and true PolyU, EPS, Divinycell, Core-cell and composite construction involving combinations of foam, wood and carbon, etc. IMO far more unique combintaions, construction methods and esoteric materials than any other sport behind the boat.

I do love the fact that the Rohacell is radar transparent

Also, big guys and "older" folks can become proficient at it...so you can rip with your dad...I think that Sean Ward mentioned that his father boosts air and he's in his 60's. CAskimmer do you have a picure or two available? Might I trouble you to post them?

1# EPS core, Core-cell A500 3mm skins, layered 1/16" balsa rails, 4" carbon tape, 2 oz and 4 oz e-glass. AND a garage hack made it.

You can even look this this Motely Crew AND cross state lines to ride, like the Calibrated team. Hey Bri? How was your chicken dinner? Good times.

Too much fun. I do believe that wakesurfing, much like life, is what you make of it. If you are creative and want to have fun with the sport, there is a ton to challenge you.

Hey Ed G,

I didn't mean to bury your post in there. You have extra excitment in FL - can you find the alligator in this picture? Ed is located in one of the most pristine areas of the country and has almost year 'round riding weather.

For me, every time I wakesurf I get hooked more. I get so stoked about riding, talking about riding, watching videos of others riding, helping people get slack the first time - just absolutely love it! Teaching new wakesurfers has got to be just about the greatest time I have at the lake now.

I don't think I can get bored as it's the absolute most social thing I do on water. You're close to the crew, close to the tunes, you can hear the bow and they can hear you. From pushing each other to taking a cruise around the lake. It's outstanding. When you get bored or hit a block, you go heelside, then switch, then switch heelside. The challenge and fun starts all over.

The only risk I see for you is your slalom background. It doesn't mean anything, but most slalom fans I know our speedfreaks and loving going 0-60 in nothing flat. That might be the one thing you miss the most is the speed and carving up a glass cove at 6:00 in the morning when you can't hear anything but you tracking thru, carving it up. It's an experience that you cannot replace, yet wakesurfing can still compliment your love for water sports. But I wouldn't look for a straight replacement, but an addition.

Wakesurfing is kinda the opposite to me. It's louder, it's not really solo that much unless you have a headset on and you can ignore what's 13 feet in front of you. Wakesurfing to me is a gathering while slalom to me is a solo showcase of skill and passion.

Me personally, I have pretty much stopped wakeboarding - I continue to skate but my love for wakeboarding is gone.

Just my thoughts...

For me I am 56 Y.O. with very bad knees. I can wakeboard but fear of hurting my knees make what I can do very boring. Wakesurfing gives me the chance to get together with friends, push each other to get better, learn new tricks and compete at a national or world level. What could be more fun with your clothes on? I agree with Jeff it's boring if your boring.

Thanks for the opinions. I just sold my MC Prostar 190 and bought a Malibu VLX, so I have been second guessing whether that was right thing to do after talking to this friend of mine.
He is a hard core wakeboarder and maybe just finds his "rush" on a wakeboard. Maybe the surfboard doesn't give him that same feeling, thus it is boring.

Loc,
What you described is exactly what I love about being on a slalom ski. I love the speed and carving on butter, but at age 36, I always worry about being ejected and breaking bones. The body doesn't flex like it use to.

I really want to get my kids up on surf board. How difficult is it for a complete beginner as my self to ride double with a 5 or 7 year old? I have not gone ropeless before.

"or like Loc you can enjoy your favorite beverage and tell TALL STORIES about how hard his ride is (whatever Loc! You're standing up and drinking a beer - folks do it at bars all the time! :-) )"

Ha! you're killing me! I knew that would come back on me. Tall tales aside I have attempted to chase a boat on a Red Tide at 16mph, that may work for kids and skinny people but it's one of those crashes that looked like Shamu dove in when I fell. The video is one where you can hear the boat go "ooohhhh" and then break into laughter! I should find the video cause you can hear the driver yelling back "I'm giving her all she's got captain!!!" while my fingers pointed up.

That did not compare to that Trojan surf, that really is hell to do. It's so fast the sweet spot is like 2' by 12' and the water is so hard that both of your legs immediately start to cramp from trying to prevent the board and yourself from getting blown out. Running that course for a few miles is hard! A beverage was warranted!

Let's be fair to the real beers of the world while we're at it. The picture provides evidence of the Silver Bullet. Well, had I not been worried about clocking someone in the head I would have thrown that fish back!

I have to agree with Ed, Loc, Dennis and Jeff.

Once you get into it, it can really become an addiction. There is always something to learn.

Many people start on a beginner board (read: wakeboard company popout) and soon become obsessed. That leads trying and buying many boards in search for the "magic" board that will carve, spin, or air just a little bit better...

The addiction then manifests itself with constant searches on the web, reading of forums and blogs, watching wakesurf videos on youtube, etc.

Next stage is that you get really grumpy if you haven't rode in more than 7 days, and are really unpleasant to be around until you get your fix.

The last stage of the addiction is very difficult to come down from. Major intervention is required. This is when you spend thousands of dollars buying tools, equipment, materials to build your own boards, trying different designs to see what they do -- constantly tweaking, fine tuning, etc.
(Not speaking of anyone in particular)

(Message edited by smedman on February 08, 2008)

Hey John,

One of my friends who has been out with us twice has gone double with his 5yr old on the second attempt. The son was yelling "that was awesome!" for about an hour after.

WHAT exactly is DARKSIDE wake. On A skateboard this is when you do half a kickflip slide on your boar UPSIDE down and then flip it back over and ride away. I know that isn't happening on a wakesurf so will someone explain what this is and where it came from???????????????

Darkside wake, is the starboard side wake.

Its just a play on words, like good vs evil. Port is the good side and starboard is the darkside like Star Wars.

wussup scott?hows the weather in AZ?who won the rail jam?

Cold this morning. No winner just an exhibition.

John- The pictures Surfdad posted are EXACTLY why wakesurfing never gets boring!!! It really is about learning, riding different boards and then expanding the tricks you can do.

Last season was my first season ropeless; not only did I progress with the help of my friends; I learned a tremendous amount about the sport of wakesurfing through so many folks on this site and others. Many of whom I was able to meet along the way and without wakesurfing I probably never would have met!

I can't say enough about this sport. Like Loc, I was a wakeboarder and wakeskater for years prior to wakesurfing. Now I really just focus on wakeskating and wakesurfing. I just love wakesurfing too much. It also did not help that I herniated 2 discs at the close of season so for me wakesurfing is a bit more "gentle" than wakeboarding...

Like Ed G mentions if someone is getting bored then it is either the skill level or just education around the potential that wakesurfing has today. It is more than riding with a beverage of choice (thanks Surfdad for poking at Loc)...it has been just fun watching as friends (and husbands ;) ) learn 360s, ollies, etc etc... and for me it was fun to learn about what style of riding I enjoyed.

I could go on and on...but just wanted you to have a "girls" perspective too that wakesurfing kicks so much butt.

Wake surfing is an addiction that has taken me over. I get the most joy, and stress relief after I've been on the water with friends and family. In fact there are times at home when the wife says "I think it's time you hit the water" What do you think she's refering to ? To quote the Surf Jedi himself " People surfing is not boring, there are just boring people who surf". If you get bored surfing, you are either the best in the world with no place for improvement, or just too lazy to try something new. For some reason I think it's probably the latter.
Not to mention the camaraderie that is formed in the surf community. It's like no other. No attitudes, no real drama, and no age barriers. Just a bunch of fun people who love to surf.

It can be fun but for me it's too kill time between wakeboarding sets... Then again what kind of response did you expect asking this in the surfing forum... Post the same question in the wake forum and I bet you'll see the exact opposite response.

I work so I can surf. I bought my boat so I could surf more. Surfing NEVER gets boring. There's more to surfing than SURFING. First off, most of my friends surf. Everything we do is around the art of riding waves and standing sideways. Whether in the ocean, behind my boat, or carveboarding, we're still surfing. There's something about getting your group together and going out. There's the post surf grub. The pre-surf pump. I know it sounds cheezy. Surfing is all I really care about with the exception of my family. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

A+ Matt

I'd like to weigh in on this topic but I want to let Jeff Walker have a chance to say a little bit about wakesurfing first.

Ed?! Did I forget to post on this thread?! For my 51rst b-day a client gave me this coffee mug that reads:

"I don't remember things the way I use to...and also, I don't remember things the way I use to."

I wonder if that is why things typically aren't boring to me, I don't remember ever having done them before?

I check WW frequently. By the time I saw this post you had a thesis going. All I could think was WOW.

For me wakesurfing has really become an obsession. Sometimes I think that I might not be well. I can always go on line and look at what Jeff is doing and say, well at least I'm not that ill

Tyler,
While I agree the opinions here are going to be a bit biased compared to those on the wake forum. I guess what I was looking for is if surfing can become an addiction like slalom skiing or wakeboarding is for others, so I sought those opinions here. I might just pose the question in the general forum. I would be curious of the response.

Tubing is a heck of alot of fun for a ride or two, after that, I can go rest of the summer without a tube ride. My kids could tube all day, everyday. So, I hope surfing is in a different catagory then tubing and I am assuming it is.

Thanks for all the opinions.

In that case it's definitely different... you can still try new things surfing... and when you finally learn something new it always feels good... tubing always sucks

Ed you are so funny! So I'm your high-water mark? I had this running joke for awhile. Remember Lisa Nowak - the astronaut that drove 900 miles and all the rumors, at the time, had her wearing diapers, etc. THAT was my high-water mark. Well at least I didn't wake up this morning and think - ya know, I think I'll put diapers on, drive 900 miles, and try and kidnap someone.

Some of my other "period" Lisa Nowak jokes:

"How about that astronaut? She’s been up in the Space Station and she goes wacky and she puts on a wig and a diaper and drives 900 miles. I’m sorry, call me old fashioned, but I don’t recall Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong getting all worked up like this. That’s just what we need, a bunch of sex-crazed astronauts up there hitting on Martians." --David Letterman

"I thought the only space traveler who wore a wig and an adult diaper was William Shatner." --David Letterman

"Have you been following the story of this female astro-nut? She drove 900 miles from Houston Texas to Orlando, Fla., to confront the woman who was her romantic rival. She drove the whole time wearing a diaper so she didn’t have to stop and pee. And let me tell you something ladies, nothing turns a man on more than a woman with a full diaper." --Jay Leno

"When she was arrested, she was carrying a wig, a steel mallet, some duct tape, and a knife. Or as OJ calls it, an overnight bag." --Jay Leno

"A female astronaut has been arrested for attacking another astronaut's girlfriend with a BB gun, a mallet, and pepper spray, after she drove 900 miles wearing a diaper. After hearing about it, NASA officials said, 'We may need to add a new question to the astronaut entrance exam.'" --Conan O'Brien

"She told the police she was involved with another astronaut, and that it was ‘more than a working relationship, but less than a romantic relationship’ -- or as the Clinton’s call that, marriage." –Jay Leno

"There's a big love triangle. This woman astronaut was going to kidnap another woman because they were in love with the same guy. So this woman astronaut drives 900 miles wearing a wig and a diaper. This is one giant step for man, one giant leap to the nuthouse" --David Letterman

"It turns out the female astronaut was trying to kidnap the other woman because they're both in love with the same astronaut. The male astronaut was disappointed the female astronaut was arrested and said, 'I was hoping to get some tang.'" --Conan O'Brien

“As you know, she went to court yesterday and was released in her own incontinence.” –Jay Leno

"How about that story, you know the NASA astronaut? When they caught her, she was wearing a wig and an adult diaper. There was a lot of confusion, because originally, authorities thought she was Elton John." --David Letterman

"She drove 900 miles in a diaper. That’s pretty amazing. Britney Spears can’t even make it around the block in her underpants." --David Letterman

The astronaut love triangle. I love that one. NASA hasn’t had this much press since they faked that moon-landing thing in the ’60s." --Craig Ferguson

"Of course, since this is America, people capitalize on these things . . . have you seen these? Huggies with the 'Astronaut fit?'" --Jay Leno

"This female astronaut ... tried to kidnap and murder another NASA engineer, who was her romantic rival. She put on a wig and attacked the other woman with pepper spray and a BB gun, after driving 900 miles from Houston to Orlando, Florida, in diapers, so she wouldn't have to stop to pee. She drove 900 miles wearing diapers, thus breaking the old record set by Larry King." --Jay Leno

"I guess you know the big story today. Houston, we have a problem. Oh my god! The woman astronaut told police she was involved in a relationship with another NASA astronaut that was 'more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship.' or as NASA calls that, an unauthorized docking procedure." --Jay Leno

I am not very good at wakeboarding but I am ussually the best in the boat at surfing. And I am not that good. That said I never get borred of surfing but after about 20 minutes my feert start to hurt. Anyone else have this happen? The bottom of my feet start to feel numb and kind of like they are bruising?

Does wakesurfing become boring?? Are you kidding me??!!
"F" NO!

Life is what you make of it an so the same goes with surfing or any other sport. As a senior surfer, I find the time behind a boat magical...with friends and music playing. It is really cool to hear your teenage and older kids say you should see my dad do it!

Me and my crew love it so much we were in 38 degree water yesterday riding. It's a sureal feeling that is hard to describe but I can see how surfers sit out there all day trying to catch a good set.