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CHAPTER 5 TIMING Read the conditions, ride the wave

‘Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative.' H. G. Wells

For many people living on the coast in Australia, surfing is a part of everyday outdoor life. So when I went for my first surf at age 41 I felt like I was embarking on a sort of belated rite of passage (and my kids were most impressed).

My surf coach, Cliff, looked like your classic Aussie surfer: shaggy blond hair, rusted-on tan and lips caked in zinc sunscreen. We stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the beach, both looking out at the ocean. Cliff turned to me and said, ‘First thing you need to do before going anywhere near the water is assess the conditions.' He pointed to the waves, asking me if they were spilling, crashing, surging or dumping (ah … I had no idea). Where was the rip — the strong and often dangerous crosscurrent? He dissected the conditions for me, blow by blow, and announced, ‘The surf today is good! Some days I'd tell you to get in your car and come back another time.'

Even when we finally got out to the spot where the waves were breaking, we sat on our boards for what seemed like forever, waiting for the right wave (or for a shark to bite off my leg). Surfing, I learned, requires a lot of patience and a willingness to adapt to the conditions. If the waves are wild and messy, you'll find it really difficult to surf. If the waves are too big or breaking way offshore, you exert all your energy just paddling out. According ...