Calling Yourself a Surfer

There is a difference between calling yourself a surfer, being a surfer and being addicted to surfing. How do you know which one you are? I own a skateboard,granted it is tucked away in the garage, but when people ask me do you skate I say yes!

""Calling yourself a surfer"", yes you may own a surfboard but when last did you use it? This may be a risky business when you tell people you surf...Questions asked will be what type of board do you ride? Who shapes your boards? What are the dimensions? Do you have the answers?

""Being a surfer"", the ocean, waves and lifestyle is part of who you are. Surfing is your happy place, you are in the water as and when you get a chance.

""Being addicted to surfing"". Surfing is your only place, your veins are filled with salt water and the only thing on your mind is your next surf, checking the surf, checking the surf charts.

What type of surfer are you?

""Calling yourself a surfer"". Often indicators of a person calling themselves a surfer includes:

- Calling a boards length in meters and not feet.
- Having a board but you not sure of the dimensions.
- Having a board but you not sure where it is
- Knowing what the best conditions are at your local spot.
- Having a local spot.
- Having surfed more than one break.
- Putting your leash on the front foot.
- Putting your board through the car windows or sticking it on your roof fins first or nose facing up.
- Knowing how to work a tie down.
- Your suit is so dry it's a mission to get on.
- Knowing where your wetsuit is.
- Knowing you need fins but not sure how to put them in.
- Surfing in summer is your game.
- Not too early.
- When you not surfing you don't really think about surfing.

""Being a surfer"" means:

- Knowing when the wave is yours.
- Having the confidence to call someone off your wave.
- Having a conversation with a shaper and knowing what you want.
- Your car smells like wetsuit from how often a wet wetsuit travels around (your suit never gets a chance to dry between surfs).
- Your suit is always wet it's a mission to get on.
- You surf all year round regardless of the time or the conditions.
- If you miss a couple days of surfing you start to become moody and irritable.
- When you wake in the morning, you check the surf forecast regardless of weather you are heading to the office or the beach.

""Being addicted to surfing"" means:

- You search for a job that's going to allow you maximum surfing time.
- You find a girlfriend that accepts she will always come second.
- Your girlfriend starts surfing so she can at least see you sometime.
- Eating and showering comes second to surfing.
- Every holiday is a surfing one.
- Every conversation is about surfing.
- Every waking thought is about the next swell or wave.
- When your girlfriend says ""we need to talk"" and you say okay honey but can it wait the surf is going off.
- The only other pair of shoes in your cupboard is a pair of surfing booties.
- The only suit you own is a wetsuit.
- The number one absenteeism excuse is ""there were waves"".
- If you miss a single surf day you become moody and irritable.
- When you not surfing you looking for surf, watching surf movies or reading surf mags.