The Magnetism of a Crowded Line-up

I did not know that Mickey Mouse could surf! I found out when I sat down with my 4 year old boy and saw that he was watching Mickey Mouse getting barrelled, and I tell you what, old Mickey is pretty good for an 83 year old mouse!Yes, surfing is so popular now that even the cartoon characters are surfing.

What will you be doing this summer? Probably fighting for waves in a crowded spot with the rest of the world. This is not a whinge, its just the truth. Slowly people have just expected that you have to fight tooth and nail for a wave when the water is warmer and the kids are out of school.

Some footage to illustrate my point.

So what do we do about it? Maybe get up at the crack of dawn, do a 'dawnie' and beat the surf schools and tourists, get some early morning lines, maybe set yourself up for the day. That sounds like a good idea but guess what, its no secret that the conditions are better at that time of day, and you find the water crowded with people surfing before they go to work. These people are not in a good head space as they are looking at their watch, trying to get their 'wave quota' in before they are late. There will be very little wave sharing in that session.

As a side-note I have discovered that no matter how early you get up and get in the water, there will always be an Australian (sorry guys but its the truth) in before you. You guys must paddle out in the dark.

You could do the 'reverse dawnie', try and get that magical time after the pre-work surfers but before the surf schools get in? It is a risk in the summer as the sea breeze can kick on-shore at any time, you would then have to deal the smug faces of the pre-workers and live the rest of the day knowing you missed out.

You could try the secret spot that is only secret because it is a 40min walk to the beach and there is no mobile phone signal when you get there. You have to 'go to know' and then you can't let anyone else know. Trouble is, if its not on, you could have missed out on having a crowded morning surf with a easy walk to the beach. Frustrated for the rest of the day.

Bottom line, surfing like most things are about making good decisions and living with the consequences. Maybe I am biased, but I know very little that will nag at you for the rest of the day as much as knowing you missed out because of your decision making skills.

The answer seems clear to me. Africa. An entire continent awaits which is littered with awesome, uncrowded surf spots, go and live in Africa. Not many surf schools, okay so the summer might be a bit warm, there are lots of guns and lions and dictators....hmmm. Okay, maybe not Africa.

To wrap up, it seems that the only option left is to go down the 'if you can't beat them join them' route . I have now applied for Australian citizenship and will be soon be paddling out in the dark. Who knows I might even see a geriatric mouse getting barrelled.