Things Surfers Like: The Smell of Neoprene in the Morning

September 17, 11:39 PMSurf ExaminerPat Pemberton

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When everyone else is sleeping in on a Saturday morning, a surfer will force himself out of bed at some ridiculous hour so he can take advantage of the best surfing conditions.

At that hour, it may be cold, foggy and perhaps even dark. But it doesn’t matter. Because that time of day offers the best conditions (a.k.a., “glassy”) for surfing.

Now, of course, the surfer will certainly complain about waking up this early. After all, waking up early is no fun. No -- waking up early sucks.

Royally.

Especially if the surfer sees other people in his house – perhaps a wife or a child – who are sleeping cozily as he heads out the door at this ridiculous hour. This hour when he too could be sleeping cozily.

In fact, were it not for the surfer’s buddy, who was assigned the wake-up call, he might have been successfully tempted by further slumber.

But the surfer who waits – the lazy surfer – will find that by ten a.m., the wind has picked up, the waves have taken a washing machine pattern and only the only surfers that remain – usually younger guys who stay up late – are lazy like him.

As painful as waking up this early is, once that neoprene wetsuit is on, and the surfer is in the water, all is right with the universe.

 Photo: Mike Baird