
The Cult of the Costco Surfboard - mcone
http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/the-cult-of-the-costco-surfboard
======
paulcnichols
Owning a wavestorm is actually really good for working on fundamentals, even
for more advanced surfers. Most people when progressing through the sport just
try and get to the smallest board they can as quick as possible. I did this
too, but what you miss by going too fast is learning how to use your body
weight and positioning to truly command control of the board. All the joy and
style of surfing comes from these subtleties and a wavestorm (because of its
over the top bulkiness) forces you to pay extra attention when doing anything
but going straight. The other thing I enjoy about riding foam boards is time
feels slower while on a wave. They have more drag and usually the conditiwave
are worse. Anyways, big foam fan!

~~~
stereosky
Couldn't agree more, from one foamie homie to another! I often go foam when I
take coaching, just so I can be sure the board is under my control when
working on something new. One of my favourite sessions was one where clean
3-4ft waves just kept rolling in out back (a rarity here) and whilst everyone
of us on epoxy/fibreglass got to surf, no one had wave counts higher than a
local shop owner on a 9-10ft board. If I could have taken a poll that day it
was clear judging by everyone's faces who would have won the vote for happiest
person in the water. That to me is what surfing is all about

------
bitwize
The Wavestorm sounds like the Raspberry Pi of surfboards: a cheap way to get
n00bs on board (no pun intended) quickly and a basic board that even the
experienced can get use out of. I hope it fosters a culture of teaching n00bs
the basics and manners of surfing rather than making fun of them.

~~~
el_benhameen
Case in point, I'm a programmer because of the pi and a surfer because of the
wavestorm.

------
deltamidway
As a surfer living and working in Venice California, I love wavestorms. We can
identify noobs from a distance.

I am glad that Wavestorms are democratizing surfing. Previously you would need
to buy a fragile $800 surfboard to start.

~~~
mathgeek
> We can identify noobs from a distance.

I'm assuming you were being a bit sarcastic here, but these kinds of comments
do come across as judging people just because they're trying to learn a new
hobby with certain equipment. It can be construed as a type of shaming.

~~~
randocalrissian
It most certainly is a type of shaming. I am new to surfing, own a Wavestorm,
and I suck. I am happy that my board sends the message that I am a n00b. They
are judging me and pretty accurately at that. It gives them a heads up as to
whether they should help me or stay away lol.

Why care about feeling shamed or embarrassed? You are trying something new and
there is a high probability that you are going to be terrible at it and look
like a fool. Why let "judgement" stop you from doing what you want to do? I am
awful.. and I am going to keep going out there until I am less awful. I aspire
to learn local etiquette and become good enough to surf with the "best".

If you are afraid of being judged or shamed, try and find a spot that is less
populated. Take a long board and go out on days with smaller waves. Where I
live, the experienced surfers mainly come out on days with 4 ft plus waves.
The point I am trying to make is that there are options. Just don't stop
trying!

------
rdiddly
Gotta say, I never really cared or knew much about surfing, but I always still
kept an idea of it in my head that it was this solitary, cool, independent,
zen-minded thing. This article shatters that illusion into a million pieces.
Come to find out it's just another "sport," with everybody obsessing over
$$$gear, and grasping for their place in some kind of hierarchy that has
doctrinaire douchebags at the top, and way too many clumsy ignorant pretenders
at the bottom.

You know, like cycling. Which I actually do care and know about, but I avoid
"cyclists" like the plague so I can maintain my illusion that it's this
solitary, cool, independent, zen-minded thing. (It is when _I_ do it.)

So of course in hindsight I'm not sure why or how I was surprised by any of
this. Humans ruin everything.

------
gthtjtkt
Wavestorms are great. If they included a pamphlet on surf etiquette for
beginners, they'd be perfect.

~~~
icu
What a fantastic idea! I'd really encourage you to create this pamphlet and
post it around Wavestorm forums.

~~~
warcher
I suspect the pamphlet would be a short read: "Stay off our breaks, kooks."
And then like a picture of beach rats slashing your tires.

(Obviously I'm kidding, but HN doesn't do irony, so I'll make it explicit.
_Joking and I like my tires how they are._ )

------
Grustaf
I wish there were something similar for kitesurfing. As it is, you basically
need to spend 2 grand for equipment, 1.5 if you go second hand but then you
need to be knowledgeable. That's a pretty big threshold for beginners that
aren't sure about it.

~~~
radiorental
Best kiteboarding tried to crack the price barrier but seem to have given up.

Kites are too manufacturing intensive. Kiteboarding and surfing are apples and
oranges

That said. I have a quiver of second hand North kites for under a grand. A
good board will last you 6+ seasons

~~~
Grustaf
> Kiteboarding and surfing are apples and oranges

I know, that's why I wrote "I wish there were". I also know you can get second
hand cheaply - I never bought new, but most beginners wouldn't know what to
look for. Maybe a second hand buyer's guide would go some way.

Some people are working on another way to lower the barrier to entry, if it
works out I'll post about it on HN!

------
wankerrific
Wave storms are the best - especially as a "Saturday morning special" when a
billion people are out. Grab that and a helmet and yer good to go

------
notadoc
> "You've read your last complimentary article this month. To read the full
> article, SUBSCRIBE NOW"

I don't remember clicking a newyorker.com link until now, but apparently at
some point I reached some limit.

Is it just me, or does this sort of article limit behavior train you to simply
not click those links, knowing you won't be able to read them?

~~~
likeclockwork
It's not just you.

------
rurban
The Wavestorm is perfect to catch really bad waves. But the previous Costco
chinese softboard, a shortboard is also cult amongst riversurfers. Because
it's so cheap, thick and extremely wide it's perfect for small riverwaves, and
nobody cares if it crashes into a rock, the most common incident on rivers.

------
reefwalkcuts
Wow I never thought I'll see a HN post about Surfing.

~~~
johankmagnusson
I'm glad it was posted since this is what finally got me to register an
account after years and years of reading HN.

------
setheron
I had a storm blade which is the higher end wavestorm. It was a 10ft! I was
able to catch the tinyest of waves and ride them forever. Although now I have
a fiberglass board and a good wave feels better... I miss the quantity.

------
dogruck
I wish surfing culture wasn't so hostile.

Unfortunately, there are a finite number of breaks and waves each day. So as
the number of surfers increases, it amplifies the tension in every lineup.
It's like biker culture -- if there were only a handful of roads.

The only way I've been able to enjoy surfing is by paying an instructor to
help me navigate the lineup and actually catch a wave.

~~~
nnd
Not every place is hostile, from my personal experience surfing all around the
world (Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Philippines, etc) I only experienced hostility in
SoCal. So maybe it's just the US thing.

~~~
IanDrake
Been to any point breaks in C.R. in the last 5-6 years? The locals have gone
from "what's surfing?" to "go home gringo!" in about 20 years.

I've never had a problem in SoCal, but then I've only been to a few breaks.

~~~
nnd
Good to know, now I'm definitely skipping Costa Rica :)

~~~
johankmagnusson
I've been to CR a couple of times the past few years and the beach breaks are
great and people are super nice. I've never experienced any hostility in the
water there, or elsewhere in the world either for that matter. Being
considerate of other surfers goes a long way and should someone act like an
ass just move a couple of 100m up or down the beach. There is always another
ok break close by.

~~~
IanDrake
That's true. I still like playa grande.

