Sri Lanka – how to survive
Sri Lanka is still being toted by travel agents as a distant, untouched paradise. I’m telling you now. That’s not true. If I were a promo writer or a travel agent, this is where I’d stop. South Sri Lankan…
Locals: be nice!
For anyone who lives near a wave, let’s try to be patient and open to travelling surfers. Corona is still around, but so are the anxieties and challenges that we all shrug off in the sea.
Pick Up Your Leash!
Learners, never make this mistake. “You have a split second to decide whether you land on your face or your board. Somehow, you do both at the same time.”
The privileged few: Localism
Fist shaking, a bit of lip service. There’s a chance you might come across an angry oik with a penchant for tyre slashing, but in the vast majority of times, it’s just posturing.
The ‘system check’ aka ‘oh good I’m still alive’
You breach. You gob and gawp and hack at the briny blue. Have you been under for three minutes? You fell on the biggest wave you’ve ever tried. You ate it. Four minutes? More?
Cool Learners Look Stupid
Tell the truth about your experience and what you’d like to achieve. More time surfing waves and less time drinking sea water.
Buy A Crap Wetsuit
This is terrible, terrible advice. The first suit I bought was a £20-something, holey nightmare. It was hardly better than a t-shirt, but it was great for my early surfing ability.
