TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | FEB 2018 7
By Allie Hayser
Under the Wings of the Waterducks
Learning to surf … learning and surfing … you’ll always be learning
and working on something, whether it’s willing those muscles to paddle
against the current in a wetsuit, or popping up without the nose of
your board pearling under the waves in less than a foot of water. The
journey is full of plateaus, epiphanies, humbling conditions, magical
rides, frustrating days, surprising long sessions, new pals in the lineup,
meeting the OGs that have been ripping for years, dings, shadows in
the water, and some injuries (hopefully something not tragic).
In time, I found my beginner-self “under the wings of the waterducks,”
and that’s where it all started: an injury. I first met Joy in the water,
where I had recognized her from a picture that my father sent from
working the ER. It was a bloody cut on her forehead all the way down
to her skull. It had been a week ago, and there she was back at it again
as if she never took a fin to the head. Instantly we became friends. We
were both starting out, learning things together, some fast, instantly, or
struggling slow. This friendship became filled with saltwater, fiberglass
dings, coconut oil, crumbly wax, sandy boogers, coffee, wipeouts, and
neoprene. The journey really picked up some speed from there. Get
yourself a pal that holds you accountable, a motivator, competitor,
appreciator, or just an enthusiast that’s out there and on it! My advice:
If you want to be able to surf anything at all, you need to paddle out
literally every day (or any chance you get). Muscle memory, balance,
breathing techniques, and cross training are supplemental, but will
only go so far, it’s the adaptive work of surfing every condition and
wave that you can find to become more consistent yourself.
The Lineup: meet everyone you possibly can. Usually the older
guys out there have been at it for quite some time and have a deeper
perspective, try to see it, open your mind and forget about becoming
a pro overnight. Joy and I were taken under the wing of Uncle Jimmy
and Neil Hagan, both having been out there and on it for quite some
time and were dropping tons of knowledge on us even when we didn’t
ask (but always appreciated and needed). Some things occur to you
on their own with enough experience, and then there are tips that are
so priceless and effective that you are awed of other’s ability to relate
them out loud.
Your Ride: You don’t need the best board out there to surf. Pick up a
yard sale oldie, learn how to fix it (the best you can, it only matters that
you tried), or borrow one from an overly trusting friend. Learn to surf
foam, epoxy, plastic, fiberglass, anything that floats! Put fins on, take em
off, or scoot them around! Try all sizes, shapes, and types. Longboards
aren’t just for beginners, every movement made on a longboard is
only more reactive and touchie on a shorter board. If you learn to ride,
turn, cutback, or fall on a longboard, with some adjustments you’ll find
more freedom and ease with less board to maneuver or you’ll just keep
grooving out on your log. Whatever floats your boat, really.
When? Everyday. Even surf the off-season. It’ll be just you, a handful
of committed peers, the fish, and the water ducks. You will have almost
any wave to choose from, time to reflect and think, red cold-burnt
faces, blue feet, sore muscles from wetsuit restrictions, and frozen
nostrils ... but it’ll be worth it. Maybe a coffee meeting at the Tybean,
a warm common-house to keep all of the boards in a shared quiver, a
packed and ready carpool, a post-freezing binge brunch meal, or just
“call until they wake and answer” friend will make the cold not so cold.
Wear a thick wetsuit, or be a Viking like Joy, wearing a bathing suit well
into February. Just one winter of surfing consistently will change your
entire game.
So there I was “under the wings of the waterducks,” my surf family
and all of nature included, learning and falling in love with surfing more
than I ever thought I would. The months and years that followed were
full of surf trips, coaching from Uncle and Neil, handmade boards from
incredible local shapers, watching little groms growing up and ripping,
contests, beach sweeps, sharing the waves with these Tybee surfers
and their ocean-loving souls, and always feeling so grateful to have a
home break like ours.
Thanks for letting me take a moment to share my beginning and
immense love of surfing ... also to thank Joy Davis for passing this
article along for me to write for a couple of months, I’m the stunt double
y’all!
Get out there and on it!
Photo by Wen McNally