Surfs Up -- 100 foot waves
Early spring is an interesting time to be reading an article about big wave surfing but it's also precisely the time big wave surfers begin preparing for the next winter big waves. Over the summer the men who ride moving mountains take advantage of the “off season†by honing equipment, body and mind. Real big wave surfers don't wing it when the waves come up; real big wave surfers prepare for the challenge well beforehand.
In big wave surfing news the New York Times newspaper recently featured a front-page article on big wave surfing and a big wave surfer by the name of Laird Hamilton. Hamilton is being hired by author Susan Casey to help her write about the science of giant waves. Casey has signed a million dollar book deal with Broadway books to produce what promises to be a best seller. Yes that's right a million dollar book deal to write about giant waves.
The book will explore how the frequency and intensity of big waves is being affected by global climate changes and how surfers are “on a race to surf 100 foot waves.†For a million dollars she could have done a little research and she would have found out the race to surf 100-foot waves is long over. Surfing 100-foot waves has already been accomplished. The next breakthrough in big wave surfing will be performance not size. To be a big wave surfing size breakthrough will take waves in the two hundred foot range.
Size is not the only factor when it comes to 100-foot waves. Each wave regardless of size possesses uniqueness like no other. There are slow easy rolling five-foot waves and there are dangerously hard breaking five-foot waves. There are rolling 100-foot waves, which are alluring, and somewhat safe and there are 100 foot monstrous waves no human should even think about surfing not even Laird. Surfing 100-foot waves is one thing getting barreled on a hundred-foot wave another.
Rolling 100 foot waves with perfect form are a big wave surfers dream. Generally speaking the most dangerous aspect of surfing big rolling waves is not wave size but rather crowd size. Rolling waves even 100-foot rolling waves are for the most part really safe. When the crest of a wave begins to pitch instead of roll is when big wave surfing truly becomes dangerous and the crowds begin to drastically thin out. Hamilton excels in hollow dangerous waves and continues to push the edge of possibilities further and further.
It takes years and years of surfing experience before anyone can even fathom the idea of surfing 100-foot waves let alone have enough understanding to actually surf 100-foot waves. Like Hamilton no surfer becomes a big wave surfer over night. The race to ride 100-foot waves never was a race but rather a day-by-day, week-by-week, year-by-year fulfillment of a lifetime of commitment to do so. Will 100-foot waves come again this winter? Nobody knows for sure but we do know for sure big wave surfers worldwide will be preparing this summer just in case they do.
Who would of ever thought 100-foot waves could be surfed or someone would receive a million dollars for writing about a book about surfing giant waves? It's not easy to become a big wave surfer it's not easy to get a deal to write any book especially for a million dollars. Susan Casey submitted an in-depth 36-page proposal through her agent Sloan Harris that went through 11 publishers before being purchased by Doubleday Broadway publishers. She prepared for success and when the right time came she became successful. Casey's book “ Stalking the Giants of the Pacific†is expected to take up to eighteen months for completion.
Just as Susan Casey prepared for success and big wave surfers such as Laird Hamilton are preparing for the next big waves prepare yourself to achieve the worthwhile goals in your life no matter how difficult they may seem to attain at the moment. Those who prepare for success today have the best chances of becoming successful or continuing being successful tomorrow. The steps we take today lead us unto the future of tomorrow. Whether you live in San Diego, Hawaii or some where else if you want to ride big waves this winter you better start now. If you have a goal big or small be it seemingly impossible or not start preparing for success now. Every breakthrough in mankind's history was considered crazy the day before it happened. Just because something has or has not happened does not mean it cannot happen to or for you if you put your heart and mind into it. Prepare for success when you prepare to succeed. All the best.
Surfing experts the Willis bros are recognized for surfing the world's largest waves and teaching thousands to successfully surf
Surfs Up -- 100 foot