Surfing doesn’t care about your surf goals

My surfing goals for 2025 were… I don’t actually remember. Probably something like: “go out more.” That was easily done, and since it didn’t have a numerical value attached to it—most definitely achieved.

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t want to sound flippant about goal-setting. I’m a big believer in knowing where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. I had plenty of surfing-adjacent goals last year that I did achieve. Launch The Wipeout Weekly (newsletter, website, podcast): check. Announce The Wee Surf Shoppe: tick. Roll out the All Things Surf Directory—slight delay, 87% done.

What I want to say is this: in 2026, go easy on your surf goals—because surfing is not playing ball.

surfing is not like knitting

You hear me say this before: surfing is not like knitting.

You don’t follow a step by step process for a few weeks and have something tangible to show for it. Surfing doesn’t work like that. You can surf for months—or years—and still feel like you’re back at square one on any given day.

One day you tick the “goal achieved” box, the next you’re rummaging around for an eraser or some White-Out. Do we still use those?

Why is it so hard? Because it’s not just about skill. It’s also fitness, weather, conditions, crowd vibe, timing, and your actual surf routine—or lack thereof.

social media is not your surf coach

It pains me to say this, but social media doesn’t help. You see a surfluencer’s six-month progression reel and expect to hit the same milestones in the same timeframe. I’m not saying it won’t happen to you—but it probably won’t.

Measuring yourself against someone surfing a completely different wave, on a different board, with a different body and a totally different life schedule is guaranteed to lead to frustration. And frustration leads to quitting—or worse, forcing progression when it’s way too early.

Yeah, I should get a smaller board. Yeah, I should paddle out in 4–6 foot waves. And suddenly it’s not just discouraging—it’s dangerous.

the boring thing that actually works

The good news is that we do know what works in surfing. It’s boring: going out. The old adage that you need to surf four times a week to see progress proves true again and again. It works because there’s very little time between sessions for your brain–body coordination to unravel.

The bad news? It means going out. And if you’re working full-time, have kids, live far from the ocean, or are training to become a doctor—how exactly are you supposed to conjure up four surf sessions a week, every week, for the next 50-odd weeks?

This is where the “go easy on your surf goals in 2026” thing comes in. This is the year we make peace with the fact that surfing is not a normal person’s pursuit.

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team