Kas on tõsi, et kõik surfajad on nii õnnelikud ja vabad?

Stereotypes about surfers abound. Some people probably think they are lean boys in shorts, with blue eyes and long blond hair. They smile a lot and greet each other with incomprehensible gestures. Part of the day they catch waves in the ocean and the other part of the day they sunbathe on the beach. It’s like that 365 days a day.

Shaka is a gesture of greeting with the thumb and pinky finger sticking out and the rest of the fingers on the hand pressed against the palm of the hand. It is a common greeting in Hawaii, as well as in the surfing community and other extreme sports.

If you ask people on the street, half of the respondents will be extremely positive about surfers and say, not without a touch of envy, that they are very close to this lifestyle. Others will have a negative attitude, believing that athletes are infantile. We talked to Sergei Raspravaev, a professional surfer, about whether the image of the 50-60’s is really preserved now, or whether things have become quite different.

Sergey Expandedvaev

professional surfer and head of the Agape Surf project and Athletes Club athlete

Surfers travel all the time. It’s an integral part of the culture, and for some it’s also a job. Prices are rising all over the world now, and traveling hasn’t gotten much easier since the covid days. You have to constantly consider nuances such as entry regulations, reservations and payment issues.

Sergey Vastravaev

“Carefree” beach life

In the movie “On the Crest of the Wave” the surfer guys tried to solve their financial problems by robbing banks. Of course, no one I know does that, but the question of money to maintain a standard of living is naturally one of the most important.

For those who earned money through advertising, these are very sad times. All sponsors – foreign companies – have stopped or almost stopped working in Russia. As a consequence – the closure of sponsorship contracts.

Most of the surfers live their lives teaching others how to ride the waves. Those who are in Russia are fine. But for those who live abroad, it is more difficult. Getting a group of Russian tourists together in another country is not the easiest thing to do.

Domestic stereotypes about surfers

There are many. Surfers are silly, carefree, like to smoke, hang out – this is a collective image of a teenager. While the majority of athletes in the world are quite mature people who have been involved in sports for a very long time.

Interesting fact. When surfing culture in Russia took a leap forward, everyone who started practicing it was an adult. Therefore, the approach to learning to surf in the country is very sensible.

What is lacking in surfing in Russia

Everything is very banal – the general level of income, culture and education in the country does not allow this sport to develop to the fullest. People in Russia do not take surfing seriously and do not even think of it as a real occupation. The work on development and popularization of surfing still has to be done and done. Everything is developing, but rather slowly, surfing is moving in the most simple directions. “In depth”, as 10 years ago, almost no one goes. It’s very superficial.

Does surfing make people “absolutely” happy?

No, it doesn’t. It’s an interesting concept – “absolute” happiness. Problems out of the water are not solved by riding, but on the waves they disappear for a while. Riding, you forget about yourself and your worries. On a wave, you can’t think about all those thoughts. You just act and are in the process of riding 100%. It turns out to be such an active meditation. Of course, at these moments a person feels, if not happy, then very good.

Our brain produces radiations of different spectrum. During surfing they are the same as those of monks during deep meditation.

It remains to be said that.

Surfing sharpens all your qualities, and it becomes much easier to look at yourself “from the outside”. Many people have a desire to change. This sport definitely helps self-development.

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