Learning to Visually Understand Ocean Movement from Shore

Spending a huge amount of time on the internet strains your eyes as well as makes them tired. If you want to do an excercise that will strengthen your sense of sight, give surfing a try!! Although surfing is a relaxing and exhilarating sport to do, it demands a lot of mental and physical strength from all parts of the body. Today I will be talking about eyesight and the importance of training your eyes to become familiar with the ocean from shore. Understanding the movements of the ocean is even more important than actually learning to ride a wave itself. Without visually understanding the ocean especially for a complete amateur, surfing can be perilous because remember that the ocean doesn't show mercy to anyone. It tests everybody in the same way! It is not a complex thing to learn to visualize the movement of the ocean but it does take practice especially if he or she does not live close by the ocean. Therefore, of course, people who live directly on the ocean have an immediate advantage.

One setting that the amateur surfer needs to put him or herself in that is crucial in order to visually learn about ocean movement is being at a distance on shore. It is obligatory to know this. As mentioned earlier, understanding the environment in which you perform in an activity can be just as important as performing the activity in that environment, depending on the sport which might require more or less emphasis on understanding the environment.

When a surfer first looks at the ocean, there a couple of things that need to come to mind. First know what time of day it is and if it seems sunny or cloudy. Sunny conditions are favorable because the surfer can more easily visualize ocean movement whereas in grey conditions, viewing ocean movements might be obscured. Second feel the ocean conditions like wind conditions. If the wind conditions are right, most likely the surf will be a lot rougher than if there was no wind. Therefore currents and riptides are certainly possible. As a surfer it is important to be able to have the ability to know where the currents, riptides, undertows and other possibly obstructions like rocks are. Another thing to visualize is whether the conditions are low or high tide. Usually low tide means that currents aren't as strong and the waves break further out. Therefore a surfer will have to have strong arms and legs in order to paddle out into the surf without getting caught in the impact zone. High tide usually means that waves will break closer to shore which are not favorable conditions as a surfer could wreck his or her board if he or she comes into close contact to shore. Injuries can occur as well.

In order to visualize currents and riptides, the surfer must look carefully at a breaking wave from shore and watch which sections of the wave break and which ones do not. The sections that do break are mostly likely shallow regions that are called sand bars. This is where a surfer would want to be when trying to catch a wave. The section of the wave that does not break means that a rip current is most likely present because it is deeper water. It is usually located between two sand bars. Riptides are something to avoid as it can be dangerous depending on the direction it pulls a surfer towards. Therefore knowing ocean movements before getting into the water is very important.

Warning #1: When looking from shore, waves may seem smaller than they appear.

Warning #2:  When looking from shore, conditions make look placid.

 Do not be deceived and never assume that surfing conditions are calm. It is always important to be alert and study the ocean rigorously!

Surfing: Tranquility at the Sea

It seems that blogging and social networking usage is increasing because they act as a therapeutic devise to relieve stress or because they want more "communication with people that they can't seem to obtain in the real world. However, let's face it, most people online do not care what you post and getting feedback is quite unlikely. Therefore the respect or recognition your are trying to receive will not be accomplished. However, if you want to do something therapeutic and at the same time get a rigorous workout, go to the ocean and immerse yourself into the world of surfing. That will certainly make a statement! It isn't just about riding waves but being surrounded by the boundless ocean, watching the seagulls glide above you, enjoying the bright and sunny weather, and being somewhere where do not have to think about your problems. In fact you are forced to constantly remain focused otherwise you can end up in a dangerous situation.

Surfing teaches you how to appreciate the beauty that Earth has given us. Before even getting into the water, a surfer is already building up a huge amount of adrenaline just waiting to be unleashed especially if the right wave conditions are taking place. Before a surfer gets into the water, the surfer admires what surrounds him. He closes his eyes and listens to the many different euphonious sounds that enters his ears all at once. He hears the seagulls and pelicans, the crabs crawling on the sand below his feet, the waves crashing on shore and in the distance, the gusting winds flowing through his hair, palm trees swaying from side to side, and if he is at a popular public beach, the sound of a whistle from a lifeguard warning a swimmer that he is to far out.

Besides listening, a surfer also develops a keen sense of feeling in and out of the water. Outside the water, he feels at peace with nature, nobody to bother him, and enters another world. A world like that of humans that can be dangerous. Just like the human world can have threatening people, the ocean has potential threats like sharks, jellyfish, coral reefs that could cut your board and skin, currents, and riptides. The surfer feels the movement of the water in order to pick a precise location that has good waves but also is "safe". When a wave starts to head in his direction, a surge of energy and passion burns through him, and positions himself to catch it before the wave catches him. With pure concentration, he gets on to his knees, then onto his feet, and looks directly in front of him. The surfer turns into the wave and conquers it. After a successful ride, the surfer feels nothing but confidence and joy. What could be more therapeutic than that?! If you don't get respect through blogging, trust me you'll get your self respect through surfing!

Formation of Self Identity in Surfing vs Blogging

Self Identity is what constructs a human being and differentiates one person from another. It is a slow process that begins from the moment you step foot on the planet. Self Identity is determined by who you grow up with, where you grow up, and what you grow up with. Presently, one increasing factor that shapes identity is through virtual communication like blogging where someone can write about any topic he or she desires. Surfing can also shape self identity because it is far more than a sport especially to the serious surfing warrior. It teaches an athlete far more than any recreational sport will because it gives he or she a more powerful sense of mental toughness going face to face with the ocean.  There are many similarities and some differences between surfing and blogging that I find intriguing since the former is the real world while the latter is the virtual world. Both, however, contain their own lair, since blogging is like a personal secret hideout in the global web, while surfing only takes place in a specific area of the ocean.

Blogging and surfing are alike in the sense that they provide individuality and freedom. With blogging, any creative thought that comes to mind can be written and sent into the global circulation that is the Web.  It allows someone to express views on a current event that maybe indifferent to what is written in the paper. Blogging, however, also gives the rest of the world freedom since anyone can comment on what someone else has to say whether by giving positive or negative feedback. In the surfing world, the ocean is the global Web, allowing you to discover and express yourself through the thrill of riding waves. Positive feedback in blogging gives you a sense of pride, building confidence because you received recognition for your work. In surfing positive feedback comes a result of being able to properly read a wave approaching, getting ready for it, and being able to stand up and ride the wave to wherever it takes you. Once you finish riding a wave, a serge of confidence and adrenaline consumes you instantly and just makes you committed to continue riding, possibly even larger waves. In blogging, if you receive a negative comment,  for example after giving strong convictions over a controversial issue like whether Turkey should be integrated into the European Union, you as the writer might feel mentally shaken up depending on how passionate you are about the subject and what the negative comment specifically said about your view. Negative feedback can take even a more colossal toll on a surfer because the feedback is coming from the power of the ocean not from power of humans. Currents, riptides, and wiping out in the impact zone of a wave cannot only physically drain a surfer, but also enable him or her to lose mental toughness which is absolutely necessary in order to surf. In both blogging and surfing, it is important to evaluate why you might have merited negative feedback and what steps can be taken to revert that negative feedback to positive feedback. In other words, fixing your mistakes.

Self Identity is also formed by meeting different people. In blogging, however, the only people you ever meet comes through comments and allows you to present yourself through a virtual identity based on what you write in your blog. People sometimes blog because they want to virtually socially interact with someone and not feel alone. In surfing however, however you meet people face to face in the water each day, sharing the same passion of riding waves sometimes from dawn until dusk. Many surfers have the mutual feeling of loving and respecting the ocean as well as the indescribable feeling of riding a wave. Many surfers also speak the same surf jargon leading to more personal and dynamic conversations. Your true identity is revealed in surfing by others in discussion and by how well you can surf waves. Your blogging identity could be your genuine world identity but also can be concealed in your virtual identity. However nobody could know the truth until you have meet them directly.