Novices venture into ocean on International Surfing Day
Lucie Watts sat on the sand of Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica Saturday, catching her breath beside her bright green surfboard.
The London resident had a flight out of the Bay Area that night at 7:30, but before she left, she said, she had to try surfing just once.
Watts joined scores of surfers who came to the beach for International Surfing Day, a celebration sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation that included a beach cleanup and a paddle-out with surfers both new and experienced.
“It’s tough; it’s really tiring,” said Watts, 33, of her first attempt to paddle out into the ocean. “I feel like I need more upper body strength. It’s quite intense.”
Not far from where Watts rested, Sid Naik threw bottle caps, candy wrappers, plastic bottles and other trash he had picked up from the beach into plastic bags.
The 17-year-old San Jose resident first became interested in beach cleanups through a school project and he plans to participate in a number of them during his summer break from the University Preparatory Academy, a charter school, he said.
Among the hundreds of cigarette butts that Naik picked up, he said, he also found plenty of half full beer bottles and one surfboard, broken in half.
“If we stop the plastics from entering the ocean at this level, it’s really important because we can save lives,” Naik said.
He picked up an abandoned tiny blue toy race car, washed it off and placed it on the bench nearby. His consolation prize for the day, he said.
Nearby, children dug holes with pink and blue shovels, skipped rocks into the water and played paddle ball with their family members. For many, it was just another beach day.
But for Watts, the day was somewhat of a triumph. She was able to get up on her knees as the water rippled underneath her board. Watts was determined, she said, and wasn’t going to leave until she was able to stand up on the board.
“I was just trying to rest to catch up,” she said as her wet hair dripped onto the board.
Watts’ difficulty getting up on her board isn’t uncommon for a beginner, especially in Northern California, where beach and weather conditions don’t make it easy to learn how to surf, said Max Ernst, the board chairman for the Surfrider Foundation’s San Francisco chapter.
Last year, the celebration was held at Ocean Beach, notorious for its strong waves and currents, but this year the venue was shifted because Linda Mar is a good place for beginners to dab their toes in the water, Ernst added.
There were hoards of beginners in yellow jerseys, wading in the shallow water while more experienced surfers in black wetsuits ventured out farther.
Dedication to the sport is key in Northern California.
“Surfing in (Northern California) is like training. (Surfing elsewhere), I never get cold. Wind is never that strong. I never get tired. If you can surf here, you can surf anywhere,” said Jeff Young, a volunteer with the Surfrider Foundation.
For many surfers, calm, sunny weather and unruly waves — the opposite of what’s commonly found at Northern California beaches — are crucial for surfing, Young said.
“In Southern California, there’s tons of babes and you hang out,” Young said. “Here, you can’t even plan a beach day.”
But Saturday’s surfing event was an attempt to put aside all the factors that play into a “perfect” surf day, and instead was focused on “spending time in the water with your friends,” Young added.