Hey Dibi: Has Surfing Lost Its Cosmic Vibrations?

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 used to think working in the surf industry meant I’d be living the dream. Now I’m chasing invoices and watching plastic-wrapped product pile up. Did I sell out? - LivintheDream
Hey Livin’ The Dream… It always amazes me when I hear “working in the industry” and there’s some confusion as to what that means. I had many interviews at Astrodeck, over the years with young guys looking for work, they’d always tell me “I surf”. I wasn’t looking for surfers, I had a team of them, I was looking for someone who would show up on time and do the job that needed to be done to keep the company going. I ended up doing most everything myself because the mindset of the young guys who thought working for a surf company meant they’d be surfing; there was no reason to hire them if I knew they were going to be a no show every time there was a south swell.

Hey Dibi… My wife and I have a six-year-old autistic son and we’ve heard that surfing is very therapeutic, do you know anything about it? - OurMiracleBoy
Hey Our Miracle Boy… My friend is the co-founder of Surfers Healing, their mission statement  “to enrich the lives of people living with autism by exposing them to the unique experience of surfing” I highly recommend you and the wife reaching out to them at info@surfershealing.org. I’m sure they will be more than happy to help you with the information you need for the next step in your journey to the magic of surfing.

Hey Dibi…When I was 20 I surfed Hawaii with no lifeguards and stayed under the radar. Now it’s drone cams, YouTube metrics, and complete spot saturation. Do you think surfing can still be a mystical experience? - MysticTraveler
Hey Mystic Traveler… I remember Hawaii before the stampede. It was really a magical place with no footprints on the sand all the way from Pipe to Sunset. I could walk almost any time of day and only see a handful of people at the most. Now, well you know, it’s beyond crowded, and it’s hard to find anywhere with breathing room, let alone a place with waves where you could have the type of sessions that used to be the norm. Do I think it’s still possible to have a great surfing experience? Of course, perhaps it will take a bit more of an adventure to find waves that aren’t completely packed, but that’s part of the package I think many have forgotten when they pull up in their Sprinter, walk across a short stretch of beach and paddle out. Get off the beaten path and go on a wave hunting adventure, who knows, you might have the time of your Life…

Hey Dibi… I grew up watching my dad wax his board like it was some sort of ritual. He always paddled out slowly and sat for a few minutes enjoying the feeling. He called it respect. These days, it’s energy drinks, drone cams, and vlogs on the beach before anyone gets wet. I’m 27 and love surfing, is there still room for the ritual in the lineup? - SpiritWarrior
Hey Spirit Warrior… Sounds like your dad was a good teacher and you should follow his example if that’s what enriches your surfing experience. There’s no reason to compare what you were raised to feel as being respectful to the ocean to anyone else’s idea of a day at the beach. I was raised much more in the tradition of your dad, but Herb loved flying around on his Jet Ski. They were both watermen in every sense of the meaning. Should Herb have stayed on his board out of a sense of reference to past generations, or pushed the boundaries and discovered new ways to get to waves that were considered un-surfable before?

Ritual doesn’t have to be old to be scared, if someone documents every session, maybe that’s their way of making it last. Your dad’s ceremony of wax and waiting wasn’t performative. It was how he felt “this matters”. Today, someone else might find the same grounding in checking surf cams and playlist order. The ritual your dad shared with you is now yours and one day hopefully you can pass on the ritual to your own children.  

Hey Dibi… I want to write about surfing like it matters. But the industry feels like it’s allergic to reflection. Is there a place for honesty in surf media, or should I start a Substack and go rogue? - AuthenticVoice
Hey Authentic Voice… There’s never been a time when an artist has more personal opportunities to create their own platform than there is now. Before, there was always a gate keeper that you had to go through before you could get your own work out to the public. You should start a Substack and social media campaign to create a network of people willing to follow, comment and like who will want to read your articles as they won’t get any attention if you just post them and expect them to get noticed in the vast amount of content floating around the web. You must have a marketing plan if you want to get your writing in front of enough eyeballs to get industry attention if that’s your end goal. You may find along the way that it suits your style to remain independent, but for now, start building momentum and work on it daily, your success is up to you, Go For It!