Learning from those who have come before

OFTEN in life — especially when young — we become fixated on the future, regarding the past as dull and unimportant.

Surfers are no different.

We are obsessed with the latest surfboards, wetsuits, wave pools, aerial manoeuvres — all flashing over Instagram accounts and our favourite websites.

There has been a resurgence of riding older surf craft, and growing respect for graceful (Harrison Roach) and power surfing (Dane Reynolds), but often the older surfers don’t get the respect they deserve. I, myself, have been guilty of misjudging them on the odd occasion.

But that older surfer gently paddling into the line-up can have a wealth of knowledge and be a source of inspiration.

Sometimes it takes chance encounters to bring their stories out.

The first time I heard about the waves of Indonesia was in my early teens when I met a washed-up old Australian travelling through the South Island.

Initially I hadn’t given him the time of day — he was old and riding a longboard. Then he started talking about paddling into 10-foot bombs breaking on coral reefs off remote tropical islands.

His stories of camping for weeks at a time on isolated beaches, living off coconuts and bananas, and staving off malaria had me entranced.

Another older surfer I met in my younger days told me of intrepid journeys surfing and travelling through Central and South America.

Those stories have stuck with me as I have developed as a surfer.

If I ever hesitate paddling into solid waves I think of the old Australian guy charging on an ancient single-fin, and much of my surf travel has been inspired by those early tales.

For my girlfriend, it was a chance encounter with Gail Patty who, along with her late twin sister, was among the first female Gisborne surfers.

She has since drawn inspiration from Patty’s tales of surfing in the 1960s on big wooden plank boards and being one of few women among many macho-men, and often hopes to see her at the beach.

Next time you are out in the surf, whether you are young, old or in the middle, have a chat to the person next to you. Chances are they will have a little more to say than you thought.

In the meantime, if anybody is looking for a quick hit of inspiration check out the amazing short film on the history of the Gisborne Boardriders Club (online on Vimeo), produced by Damon Meade.

The tales of Allan Byrne and other early waveriders, and even the flux of professional surfers in the early 1990s, including Damon Gunness, Maz Quinn and Chris Malone, are enough to make you want to get out in the water and push yourself.