NY Living- Nature & Countryside: Surfing in Long Island

About this series "I Love New York-- Nature & Countryside":
We often feel fortunate to live in Manhattan-- get to enjoy its rich cultural life and, with a short drive, beautiful nature. This series shares the nature and countryside near Manhattan that we like to visit/do outdoor sports.

Surfing
For many years, I admired about surfing, even though I could not swim. That aspiration, together with some determination, helped me to overcome the fear of water and learn swimming two years ago. This summer, finally, I was ready to learn surfing.

We took our first surfing lesson in Carmel, northern California. It was end of June, but 55F with fog and drizzle! And while sitting on the board and paddling out to the ocean, I felt as if walking right into a wall, a wall of powerful water--the waves were higher than my head. Before the wave hit, there was a little fear. After the wave hit, there was pure bliss. The instructor cut the lesson short though because the waves were too high for beginners.

After California trip, we found a surfing school "Surf2Live" locally in NY. No, not the Hamptons, that's too far. "Surf2Live" is based in Long Beach, Long Island. On weekend mornings, just one hour's drive from Manhattan. We were surprised (too) such place exists so close to Manhattan. It's a nice little quiet town, clean beach and not crowded, and the waves are good for beginners (maybe intermediate level surfers too). We took both group lesson and semi-private with instructor/founder Elliot Zuckerman. Elliot brings assistants into the water too. I'd recommend semi-private or private lessons for more focused attention/owner and more ride practice for the the same amount of time.

(Image above: At Long Beach, Long Island, NY. I was practicing popping up before lesson started. Everyone was in the water during the lesson, so we don't have any actual surfing shots.)

Before taking surfing lessons, I looked for books on surfing. Sound funny? I agree that one can't learn surfing on paper. But I don't know anything about it and would like to start with sort of an overview. Plus surfing is more than a sport, it is a culture. I checked out a book from the public library "Surfer Girl, A Guide to the Surfing Life" by Sanoe Lake (with Steven Jarrett). This was the first and only surfing book I read so far, but I felt it very well-written:

It gives a comprehensive overview, starts with Mental Aspects, then Outfit, Fitness, Wave and Ocean Knowledge, Safety and Etiquette, Surf History, Board Knowledge and Surf How-to/Techniques.

Books like this tend to be dry. But this book is fun and easy to read, with magazine-like colored layouts, pictures, illustrations, cartoons. And humor runs through out the text and images.

Perhaps most important of all, I could totally relate to the author's reflection of surfing in context of nature and character-building (courage, confidence, persistence, focus, discipline and respect), from my own skiing experience.

A few quotes from the book:
"I love surfing because you can make it your own, your own form of self-expression."

"There aren't too many other sports that allow such simultaneous beauty, grace and power."

"Spend some time surfing, and the ocean will start to get into your blood. Connect with nature like this and you'll start to understand why surfing is so spiritual."

"Surfing makes me feel strong and confident but also vulnerable and humble. It teaches me patience but makes me all the more ambitious. It shows me that I must seize the moment, yet it always allows me another chance."

"Everyone had the kind of courage it takes to surf. It's just a matter of finding it and tapping into it."

"While focus is internal, respect is external-- it's something you give. You'll respect other surfers and you'll respect the ocean. You don't beat or conquer the ocean; at best, you work with it and harness its energy for a moment. Its power is practically infinite, while yours is minimal. "

And seriously, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about surfing, not just girls.

P.S. For my thoughts on relationship between surfing and investing, Pls see:
http://www.thoroughliving.com/2008/10/financial-crisis-and-surfing.html