4. Try to blend in
Pink wetsuit? Yellow board? Helmet cam? Neoprene Batman cape? It’s like asking to be hated. Don’t give em an excuse. We’re not saying you have to wear all black rubber and logo-less board… but blending in not only lessens the chance of dislike on your general appearance, but also makes it harder to remember you had a bomb on the last two sets.
5. SSSSShhhhhhh; Don’t shout across folk
In a foreign land, don’t shout in English. If you must chat to your bro/sis, do it when you’re sitting/paddling next to each other at opportune moments.
Pink wetsuit? Yellow board? Helmet cam? Neoprene Batman cape?
6. No paparazzi
Don’t rock up and fire off a memory card of shots/video in the first ten mins. Keep the camera on the down low. Again, it’s just giving crew an excuse to hate on your unlocal ass. If you must shoot, shoot after you’ve surfed.
7. If you do get a bomb…
If you do get a bomb through no fault of your own, paddle half way back out and wait in the channel pretending to adjust your wetsuit neck and just kind of drift slowly into the lineup in last place. Kind of sends out the right message.
Just a thought: The thing is, you can do all the right things and someone, somewhere will still want you dead (or at least not there). Don’t worry about it. As Mark Cunningham, legendary Hawaiian bodysurfer/lifeguard/waterman said, “If the vibe is shitty, guys getting aggro, I just split. There’s always another spot, another session, it’s about fun right? And if it’s not pleasurable being out there, don’t be…”
Just coz day glow is back in with some of the pros, doesn’t necessarily make it a wise choice.
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