{"id":293040,"date":"2025-06-14T15:58:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T15:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/adventure\/is-being-bad-at-surfing-actually-good\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T15:58:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T15:58:44","slug":"is-being-bad-at-surfing-actually-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=293040","title":{"rendered":"Is Being Bad at Surfing\u2026 Actually Good?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Explorer Amy thinks we\u2019re all taking this outdoors business a bit seriously. Countless wipeouts have made her realise that being bad at our hobbies teaches us more than nailing them the first time around.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019ve never been naturally sporty, but I\u2019ll give anything a crack: cycling, rock climbing, trail running, you name it. I\u2019ve got into a lot of outdoor sports as an adult, so I\u2019m happy being bad at most of them, but surfing was different. I didn\u2019t grow up near the ocean, hated swimming lessons, and had no clue where to start. A recipe for a great surfer, right? Surfing seemed so impressive and elegant \u2013 a hobby I desperately wanted to be good at.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong>Surfing Slang 101<\/a><\/p>\n

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One Facebook Marketplace surfboard later\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My intro to surfing seems to be a pretty common one \u2013 my friends took me out in waves that were too big for me and I was anxious to keep up with them. I felt like a liability, terrified my friends would ditch me the second I wiped out. All I wanted was to glide down waves like a cool surfer girl. Instead, I was coughing up water on the beach.<\/p>\n

The anxiety around being perceived as a bad surfer was brutal. I\u2019d paddle out, swallow litres of seawater, then ride the whitewash back in, too embarrassed to even try for a real wave.\u00a0 I\u2019d somehow convinced myself I was supposed to be good by now, as if there was an invisible deadline on learning.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong>Chasing Waves: What I Learnt From 31 Days of Surfing (Regardless of the Conditions)<\/a><\/p>\n

After a few months of land-lubbing, I decided to book in for a surf lesson. I missed the euphoric feeling of the rare times I actually caught a wave. I was nervous when I pulled up in the car park \u2013 would the other people in the class be way better than me? Would I look stupid if I missed a wave?<\/p>\n

Thankfully, this group was refreshingly full of people who didn\u2019t care about looking silly, who cheered each other on when we wiped out, and were just stoked to be out there. I threw out my invisible timeline, forgot about impressing anyone, and just had a good time.<\/p>\n

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Scenes from surf lessons on the Victorian coastline<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

And here\u2019s the thing, I made the biggest improvements when I was just surfing for fun. Turns out, you learn more when you\u2019re not paralysed by perfectionism (who knew?). That one lesson did more for my surfing than a year of trying to fake knowing it all. Not just because of the technical tips (though those helped), but because of the good energy, the fun, and the people.<\/p>\n

It reminded me that hobbies are meant to be joyful, not performative.<\/p>\n

That mindset has helped me with everything else \u2013 hiking, climbing, cycling. Sure, I still worry about looking dumb sometimes, but I\u2019ve realised that most people (even the super duper skilled ones) feel that way too.<\/p>\n

The ability to continuously try and fail at something \u2013 and look silly doing it \u2013 is one of the most valuable things you can learn as a beginner. It\u2019s hard, but something you get better at, and the more times you can wipe out and come up laughing instead of crying, the more you\u2019re winning.<\/p>\n

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Ready to shred the baby waves at Wilsons Prom, Victoria<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

My Tips for Adventure Sport Beginners<\/h2>\n