I hate to kill the holiday buzz, but if you are like me, you ate your weight in turkey and pies. Soon the next round of parties and desserts will come and no one will think about changing habits until after New Year’s Day. But why wait until next year for motivation to exercise?
So, in the spirit of good health I went looking for alternative ways to exercise. I didn't exactly find what I was looking for.
I was thinking about surfing as a great way to exercise. And with the beaches empty this time of year, no one would see me struggling to learn a new sport. When I heard about what I thought was a surfing competition I went to find out more about the healthy benefits of wave riding.
I visited Folly Beach and watched as kayakers rode out to the waves, but I did not see any surfers. I asked a woman at the pier if she could tell me where the surfing competition was taking place. After staring at me for a couple of seconds, the woman explained this was a surf kayaking competition.
She explained the kayakers were the actual surfers. I have heard of both terms but never together in the same sentence. The mixture of sports is not unusual. Surfing spawned skate boarding which had its own spinoff: snowboarding. So why not have two similar sports converge. Upon closer inspection, the watercraft was exactly what you would expect from a surfing kayak, a kayak top on a surfboard bottom. The rider is still strapped in and equipped with double-sided paddles, but rides waves instead of rapids.
The history of the sport is sketchy. Polynesian canoeists were among the first to paddle surf thousands of years ago. The sport grew popular in England in the 70s when some of the first surf-specific boats were built. The popularity of the sport spread to the United States in the 90s and now Folly Beach is listed as one of eight beaches on the East coast known for surf kayaking. I just happened to stumble on the Folly Beach Surf Kayak Competition.
Now, I will be the first to admit, I can't paddle a boat very well. These guys decided it was smart to navigate crashing waves while strapped into a boat that flips upside down regularly. Kayaks are meant to travel through white-water rapids and I can't do that either.
I can't do most sports I cover, so why should this be different. I would try this though. It looked like so much fun and it couldn't be that hard to do. Surf kayaker Brent Fields says he used to play soccer in adult leagues before an accident forced him to pick a new sport. He said surf kayaking is more physically demanding than soccer ever was.
Nigel Law, also competing in the event, explains that a good technique and awareness of the surf make the sport less physically demanding. He says many surfers who compete professionally have to be in very good shape. Obviously, the taller the waves, the more demanding it gets.
Law has been a sea kayak instructor for 10 years, but only got into surf kayaking two years ago. He said surf and whitewater kayaking differ mainly in the dynamic of the water movement. He added you don't find many sharks in a river either. I would counter with the argument that no alligators are found in the ocean.
The only thing left to do is learn how to surf kayak. The technique I really want to master is rolling back over after capsizing. Either that or carry a scuba tank.
I will give it a try after I finish another helping of turkey... why fight the urge.
Paul Zoeller is a freelance photographer new to the Low Country. Do you have an idea for a new blog or a question about a current blog? If you do contact Zoeller at paul.zoeller@mac.com.
