Surfing Chi Gung (Qigong) for Wave Science

Aloha Tribe,

I love the study of the sea. And, as a surfer girl, its a required subject to learn as much as possible about waves and bathymetry, storms and swells, tides and currents, water temperature and saline density, along with a host of other subjects, making it, nearly endless, which, for me, is the exciting part.

I feel truly blessed. Where I live, there are beach brakes. In fact, according to Willard Bascom in his truly  awesome book Waves and Beaches: the dynamics of the oceans surface, the shoreline here is the gentlest of any beach anywhere, which, makes it pretty cool as far as surf goes.

You see, with the reefs of Hawaii and other places, the waves are, more or less, predictable. As is, the ride. It's the first thing I noticed when I went to the North Shore last Spring.

But, with gentle bathymetric beach breaks where I call home, the waves constantly change, even from wave to wave, offering, truly incredible opportunity for spontanaity on the waves. Not at all unlike, in a sense, what Nick Muller does with his snowboard. Nick, as a snowboarder, I believe, is truly the best when it comes to smooth riding style, creativity, and adaptability, he's just utterly awesome. Interestingly enough, from what I've read, he's trained in qigong (chi gung) for awhile, which I think is pretty much way totally kills.  Everybody should study it, I believe,  if they truly want to excel in any sport or activitiy, no matter what it is, for it offers means to go beyond any physical and mental performance of any kind, there literally is that much potential.

In any event, I find the spontaneous adaptability and creativity of soul surfing to truly be the key to surfing harmoniously and receptively with any wave. And, such skills are honed in home breaks like mine, making me feel truly blessed.

Now for most surfers, why goodness, they'd not even think of surfing where I do, the waves are too sloppy, too closed out, too unpredictable, too dangerous (in the Winter), yet, for me, they're truly beautiful.

And as such, I'm on a quest to truly study them, as Willard Bascom did, in a way, that is, by hanging on the beach at every chance and truly studying with an inquisitive and questioning mind. For, in such, comes the art of performance on the surfboard, chiefly, through in-the-moment genuine playfullness.

That's the key to it all, a quick eye that takes in the environment in a flash, with a honed body that can match the slow motion type observations, with a soft gentle smile of relaxation and joy.

I love studying waves and the sea, for Surf Science so fascinates me. And, the more I learn, the more I find it offers me ideas of how to surf in new and excitingly untapped ways.


Bodaciously Stoked,


Lily of the Valley