Hey Zuz! I am confused: Must I care where surfing came from?

I was a little shocked by this week’s question from one of our readers. Like, you are aware of my entire job description, yes? Anyway. We persist. Today’s question: Must I care where surfing came from? Oh boy.

Not time to read? There’s a micro-pod for that.

‍ hey Zuz, i am confused. does it matter if I don’t care about where surfing came from?

So, I love surfing. It’s the best thing in the world. But I don’t care for the history of surfing much, or getting into all the nitty-gritty of “surf culture” and where it came from. I want to say I am not totally ignorant, but if I’m being honest I just care about getting out there and shredding the best waves I can get. My friends are the same.

This never bothered me until some rando made me feel like a total idiot for not knowing who Margo Oberg was. Who is she to judge me? She’s no better surfer than me. But anyway…now it’s on my mind.

dear reader!

My time to be honest. I am absolutely the worst person to be asking this. I always try to remain objective (and helpful!) when answering reader questions, no matter my personal feelings. But in this particular case…

What do you mean you don’t know who Margo Oberg is?! What is wrong with you?! Okay, maybe I’m overreacting. I’ve been at it for 17 years and I didn’t know who Margo was until last week. Let me start again.

What do you mean you don’t care about surfing history and culture like at all? Aren’t you even a little curious? No? OMG. Hold on, I need to do some box breathing to calm down.

Okay. I’m back.

Seriously though. Do I think you should care about where surfing came from? Of course. Will I lose sleep because you don’t give a damn? Not even a wink.

Knowing the origins of surfing and learning about the culture isn’t going to magically make you a better surfer. It’s not like you need to pass a written test on the differences between longboarding and shortboarding before you downsize.

I’m not telling you to study the Encyclopedia of Surfing like it’s your SAT prep, or binge all three seasons of 100 Foot Wave like it’s suddenly in Netflix’s Top 10.

If I may suggest though: be open to it. If you pick up something by osmosis, don’t dismiss it just because that bit of knowledge won’t directly improve your top turn. Let it in. You might find yourself enjoying the bigger story.Also: Riding Giants is a great surfing primer with an outstanding soundtrack. Watch it. You might just surprise yourself.

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team