Hey Dibi: Do Wave Pools Help Surfing Progression?

Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away. Here’s this week’s dispatch from the Matriarch of Radical…

Hey Dibi…I’ve got 20 boards in my garage and still feel like I’m missing the magic one. My wife complains about the cost, the clutter, and what she considers the waste. I don’t see it that way. Your family must have collected their share of boards, what do you think? - Board Hoarder
Hey Board Hoarder… I might not be the right person to ask as I’m thinking 20 boards is like a starter kit but being in the surf business I always looked at what might be considered hoarding in any other business as part of the business model. I also appreciate the fact that contemporary board building materials are semi fragile, and boards tend to lose their pop and looking for magic is part of the adventure.

Hey Dibi… I’ve surfed all over the world, but the trips don’t give me the same stoke as they used to. Now it feels a bit more like I’m chasing waves but missing out on that feeling of adventure that made every trip unique. Do you think it’s just burnout? - Traveling Surfer
Hey Traveling Surfer… Age and experience certainly make a difference in how we react over time. Is that burnout, or is it just a more casual way of behaving in circumstances that used to cause a higher adrenaline response? Also, the familiarity of traveling to the same places changes the level of angst you’d feel when originally being thrown into the unknown. These things all change over time and chasing the feelings of the past diminish the wonders of the present. So stay stoked and enjoy the process.

Hey Dibi… I push my kid because I know what it takes to make it. He says I’m too hard on him. But I know if I had had someone behind me, I’m sure I could have been a champion. Do you think I should be his coach or should I hire someone? - Surf Coach Dad
Hey Surf Coach Dad… Kinda sounds like you’re trying to correct your own story through his. I don’t think pressure sharpens skills; it tends to distort them. He probably doesn’t need your sense of urgency. He needs room to want being a champion for himself.  There’s a lot of kids with parents who push the kids out of the joy of childhood chasing a dream that’s not theirs. Relax and let him know you’re there to help him find the path that’s right for him. Enjoy the time together surfing and if he’s serious about wanting to pursue it an a more competitive manner, get him a coach for a while and see if he still has the same stoke.

Hey Dibi… I keep telling myself, “I’m getting back to where I was.” It’s not happening. I think I’m just kidding myself and I just don’t feel the same about surfing as I used to. I always read about guys who seem to stay the same, is it just me? - Exit the Scene
Hey Exit the Scene… I think it’s interesting that I get so many questions from people who surf and always expect the experience to stay the same and are constantly surprised when it doesn’t. I always think one of the greatest lessons of the ocean is its constant change, no moment is like the one before or after, but surfers write and act as if surfing is static, it’s not and neither will be your feelings about it. If it stayed the same no one would do it. They paddle out every time hoping it will be great, some sessions will be, some not so much, that expectation of ecstasy is what keeps you engaged for a lifetime.

Hey Dibi… I’ve been surfing the wave pool a lot. It’s clean, repeatable, no chaos. I like the control it allows. Do you think it’s a plus or a minus in my surfing progression? - Wave Pool Surfer
Hey Wave Pool Surfer… I think a wave pool can be a very useful tool as it allows you to train in a controlled environment where you can set yourself up to do different maneuvers repeatedly until they become part of your body’s muscle memory.  It would take much longer in the ocean where you take it as it comes, but the unpredictability creates growth and the ocean humbles you in a way a machine won’t. It seems amazing that surfing has come so far that you can enjoy it All.