WHAT IS SURFING?

Surfing is pointless - that is the point...

Strip away the physical endeavour, the encounter with the elements, the enjoyment of nature, the beauty of the sea and the challenge to self. What are you left with? Ultimately it is the act of trying to ride a wave whilst balanced on a reinforced flotation device with no other purpose than that. A beautifully pointless and selfish pastime, which has always been part of its great appeal to me.

Poignantly, the single, most important aspect of surfing is also elusive. Waves appear, then disappear. For ever. And to add to the mystique; each wave is unique, a one-off, never to be repeated. Ever. Climb a mountain and it's still there, you can climb it again. Others can do the same. A wave comes, a wave goes. No one will ever ride that wave again. It remains only in your head. Yes, in this age of digital documentation, there may be images, but no one else can ever actually experience it again. It's yours alone.

As surfing becomes more popular, more accessible and more mainstream. As the surf industry tries to contain, package and quantify it I relish the underlying irony that at its heart surfing will forever remain pointless - just someone trying to stand up on a wave for a few seconds.

Painting by Andrew Garner