By Karl Kastenbaum

Photo credit: Kanenori via Pixabay.

Surfing has always been a large part of my life. It’s been my favorite hobby since I was a child and my way of getting away from everything for a couple of hours. 

I started surfing when I was around four years old. I started out by taking old boogie boards from trash cans in Virginia Beach and riding them as if they were a surfboard. My parents noticed my interest in the activity and got me my first surfboard for Christmas. This was a white and blue soft board with a flower in the center of it that only lasted about a year before I snapped it in half. I then received my first short board, which I fell in love with. It is a 5 foot, 4 inch ultralight hardboard that I decked out with whatever decals I could find. Though I’ve outgrown the board, I still use it on occasions when I want to mess around in the waves. 

I now have three different-sized hard boards that I rotate between, depending on the waves. When a board was unavailable, my friends and I use whatever we could find to ride waves, such as a blowup mattress, paddle board, or kayak.

Surfing in Virginia Beach. Photo credit: C Watts via Wikimedia Commons.

When out in the water, there’s a feeling of being free from anything else going on in the world. If I have a stressful day or want to have some fun in the summertime, there’s nothing better to do than grab a board and paddle out into the ocean. Even if the waves are barely ridable, just sitting in the water a hundred yards off shore is a peaceful feeling. Looking into the distance and seeing nothing but water and the horizon, hearing the faint sound of people on the beach covered by the sea breeze, is therapeutic. 

Weather has never been an issue when it comes to surfing, unless there’s lightning. The summer before my sophomore year, I was out surfing at Virginia Beach during a stormy weekend. While I was in the water, lightning struck the water about a mile away from me. I immediately turned into Michael Phelps as I bolted back towards the beach. The paddle back to shore after seeing lightning is an adrenaline rush that’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Some of my favorite experiences surfing have been in weather that you would expect to be not ideal. Surfing in the rain is by far my favorite time to be in the water. Seeing and hearing the raindrops hit the glassy water all around you, with an empty beach, is a beautiful sight.

Red flags are like a beacon for surfers. When a red flag is posted on the beach, it means the water conditions are too rough for beach goers to swim in. This also means that there will be larger swells and no tourists in the water, interfering with the waves. Sometimes the currents get the best of you, though, when you fall off your board. On many occasions, I have been swept under a wave and viciously thrown around under water by the current. Fighting for your life to figure out which way is up and pull yourself up to breathe is always a thrilling time. The sense of accomplishment when taking that first breath after almost drowning is something to live for.

I talked to a couple of students around Collegiate School who surf regularly about how they felt about the activity. Hayden Rollison (‘23) said, “waking up and smelling the ocean air entices me to get my nine-foot long board. Going out and becoming a part of the waves is heavenly.”

Hudson Avery (‘23), said, “surfing puts me in a state of tranquility and allows me to embrace the beauty of nature.”

Claiborne Dillard (‘23) said, “It makes me feel in the present moment and feel connected to nature.”

Surfing has its consequences sometimes. I have been cut by the skegs of my board, along with being stabbed by the tips of other surfer boards. While attempting to surf in a hurricane, I received two severe concussions, which I recounted in my Senior Speech. This resulted in me missing my entire freshman year football and wrestling seasons, along with six months of physical therapy. That did not stopped my love for surfing, however.