Few sports have seen such a dramatic shift in societal acceptance and perception over the past half century than surfing. Once dismissed as being the lifestyle of outcasts and no-hopers, surfing has radically transformed itself to one of the most popular sports in Australia enjoyed by diverse communities from all walks of life. For many, the draw is simple: the physical and psychological benefit gained from simply paddling out and catching a wave.
Surfing involves a degree of physical fitness, which can easily be overlooked by the casual observer. But anyone who’s battled a sweeping current on a point break or fought through a beach break during a solid East swell knows the effort involved. In those moments, it is easy to feel at the mercy of mother nature when your shoulders are toast and you’re gasping for air. But then, it can turn in an instant – you might get the wave of your life moments later and all is right with the world again.
It isn’t surprising that sporting and other recreational activities are closely associated with feelings of joy, excitement and happiness. After all, why else would we participate if we did not enjoy it. Surfing though is different. It goes beyond enjoyment. Perhaps because it inherently involves complete immersion in nature and vulnerability to things beyond our control. The conditions are different every day. Every wave is different. Even every board is different (no matter how good some of the machines are these days). It requires complete submission to nature and adaptability to things beyond our control. When the stars align and we are picking off the best wave of each set, this transformative state can sometimes be described as a state of “flow”.
Several studies have explored the concept of flow, which is described as measure of peak psychological experience. It was first discussed by the American Psychologist Csikszentmihalyi in 1975 who described it as complete devotion to an activity that results in major happiness at the expense of other matters. ‘It is a subjective and temporary experience, in which people forget their anxieties and become full of pleasurable positive emotions.’ This is a state many surfers know well: when you’re perfectly aligned with the rhythm of the ocean, everything else fades away.
Given the wellbeing benefits associated with surfing, it unsurprising that it is slowly being integrated into mental health programs across Australia and around the world. One example is Flow State Margaret River which is a not for profit organisation providing mental health through surf therapy programs. Another is Waves of Wellness, which is a mental health surf therapy charity that aims to tackle mental health challenges through the development of surf therapy support programs. There is also the International Safe Therapy Organisation, based out of California, which aims to advocate for the increased adoption of surf therapy as a mental and physical health intervention.
As a personal injury and compensation lawyer, I often see the benefits of people who are undergoing rehabilitation for a physical injury or who are otherwise managing a psychological injury, engaging in those hobbies or sports and activities they enjoy. It is an important part of the rehabilitation process. For some, it reflects a step towards their pre‑injury life. A return to what makes them happy.
Those who have been kept out of the water for some time through injury can lose their sense of community and identity. This is particularly so if their period out of action has been longer than anticipated. Research suggests that surfing can “create a social fabric that aids in delineating people and communities, is capable of bringing people together, connecting generations and implementing a route for outdoor physical activity”. In other words, it can help break down barriers while broadening the societal benefits beyond the individual to the broader community. In this way, surfing can help people regain a sense of belonging and purpose.
In a perfect world, every surf would be our best surf. But that’s not reality. There will be days where things simply don’t go our way. We fall. We get pitched. We get stuck on the inside. These challenging days test the expectations we set for ourselves each time we paddle out. But, as every surfer knows, you never regret a surf.
As published in Smorgasboarder.
Partner & Sunshine Coast Leader
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