Whats up with old surfers?

Question

After surfing at my normal spot for the past year, I was putting on my wetsuit. This old dude walks by looks, laughs then shakes his head and says "You young people and you're 'wetsuits', bunch of kooks, its summer". I ignore him because its damn too cold to surf without one. So I see him later arguing with some guy who had a tuflite surfboard, while he had a heavy plank of wood. Well thats what it looked like. So later I'm out paddling and sitting in the water, I watch him having a hard time carrying his longboard without a leash, without a suit, just plain board shorts, I don't think his beard would even keep him warm. But anyway a bunch of other surfers nearby laugh and hear that this guy comes around every once in awhile and likes to talk bad about other surfers, and the way he surfs is how it should be done, not with all this new stuff we have in the beach. I watch him and he paddles out not too far from me where he cuts me off from a wave, losses his board, knocks some kid unconcious. The lifeguard comes and saves the kid while the old surfer attempts to swim back to shore where a bunch of us had to get to him as he shook around in hypothermia. Luckily the lifeguards came around and warmed him up. Even after all we did he still resorted to calling us kooks. Whats up with that?

The HB Snake · Accepted Answer

It sounds to me like he is an old kook, not necessarily an old surfer.  There are plenty of older surfers in the water who would never do what that guy did.  I really don't think he was a surfer at all, maybe just a 60s wannabe.  There are many places around that would have run him out of the water for doing what he did.  Yes, I am an old surfer who still gets out on a regular basis..

John F · Answer

Everybody has a "kook" day, where you do something incredibly stupid and look like a total kook. So, part of this day may have been his "kook" day arriving. But, since he seems to have been a genuine kook, I would like to know why you associate that with his age. He was probably always a wannabe kook, and always will be. I surf with 60 year olds who could easily put you to shame; age is just a number, attitude and ability are what count.

Anonymous · Answer

Why is this a question? 
Every once in a while you encounter a person you view as a kook. It's just life.

Jay · Answer

Just avoid him.  Those kinds of people need confrontation for validation.  Unfortunately these type of people exist not just in the surf.  But in traffic, in the market etc..you can simply turn the other way and avoid it all.

? · Answer

those places have a tendency to be on the high priced side nevertheless, different than consistent with threat moist Seal yet as a surf save hmmm...Do you have a close by shops? consistent with threat you reside by the coastline and theres a thrift save?

Anonymous · Answer

they think they own the place

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Whats up with old surfers?

6 Answers