there were waves. But I could not ride them.
Growing up in Malaysia, I had regular access to beaches, but not waves. The Malacca Straits and the South China Sea simply don’t generate enough swell to create consistently favourable surf conditions on the coasts of Peninsular Malaysia. (Disclaimer: the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia has seasonal surf)
Indeed, the opportunity to surf regularly is a privilege only a select few are blessed with.
And here I am: actively defying the lottery of life to aim to master a skill that is typically learnt from late childhood, relatively late into adulthood. (I’m nearing the big Three-Zero)
So, why would I pursue what some would almost consider a fool’s errand?
To paraphrase William Finnegan’s autobiography on surfing, it is to “chase the eye of infinity”, I want to experience what it’s travelling down the ephemeral hydro tube, to be embraced by the ecstasy-inducing yet life-threatening grip of nature’s fluid power in a tunnel of water.
Or to simply put it, I wanna get barreled in a wave.
This dream of mine has eluded me for almost a decade, and I am starting this blog at the beginning of a 5-6 month journey to realise it. I have doubts if I will succeed, but whatever the outcome maybe, I have decided to pen down my surfing progression to reflect on my progress. This reflection on paper should help me identify areas of improvement and accelerate my progress.
And maybe, just maybe, the records of my personal journey will be useful to other like-minded individuals seeking to get barreled late in life.
So, let’s see how this story unfolds š
