Sidetracked

With a Little Effort, Even Working Stiffs Can Get the Stoke During the Day                       

Every summer, surfers around the world are invited to celebrate International Surfing Day by getting in the water and catching some waves.

Only there’s one big problem: Surfing Day is usually on a weekday. And — unless you’re Kelly Slater or Rob Machado — chances are, you work during the day.

This year, in fact, it falls on a Friday (June 20), which means most normal working stiffs will be in an office, factory or coal mine, assuming we still have coal mines. So I’m advocating everyone participate in a nooner.

Not that kind of nooner, sicko.  A surf nooner.

The concept behind a surf nooner is simple: Basically, you surf during your lunch break.

Of course, if you work on or very near the beach, it’s not a problem. But for the rest of us, it can pose a challenge. I’ve been figuring out the math for a while, though, and I think it can be done. Since I work in San Luis Obispo, I’ve decided to break down how it can be accomplished from there. But you can us these tips wherever you are, as long as it’s not, say, in Des Moines:

1.)    Pick the quickest destination. Shell Beach would be ideal from here since it’s only about 7 minutes from my office. But in the summer, the waves are minuscule there, leaving Pismo as the closest spot.

2.)    Eat on the run. Since time is limited, you’ll want to pack a lunch before you go to work in the morning and eat it as you drive. I recommend something light.

3.)    Avoid paying for parking. Since I refuse to pay for parking at the pier, I now am further inconvenienced. So I park either at the end of Wilmar Street or the Park Street parking lot (still free – ha!) in Pismo.

4.)    Time your trip. If all goes well – and you’re not pulled over for speeding – you can possibly make it to Pismo in, say, 11 minutes. Considering the drive back, that’s 22 minutes total.

5.)    Consider the time it takes to suit up and then later make yourself presentable for your return to work. Allow a good ten minutes for this. That’s a total of 32 minutes not in the water.

6.)    Cheat. Most work places allow for an hour lunch with two 15-minute breaks, right? Go ahead and throw your two 15-minute breaks in with your lunch, allowing for 90 minutes total.

7.)    Surf. Minus the half hour driving and dressing, that leaves one hour of surfing. Not great, but better than eating lunch next to that creepy guy in your office cafeteria.

8.)    Drive home with the windows open. Even if you make it back within your allotted time, people will ask questions if you return with a head of wet hair. Leaving the windows open – especially on a hot day – is like blow drying your mane.

9.)    Don’t look stoked. Again, best not to fuel rumors about the fun you just had. After all, there are a lot of jealous people out there.

10.) Do it again. The power of surf compels you.

  I’d love to hear your advice or stories about surf nooners. So feel free to share. 

Tribune file photo: Joe Johnston

Posted on May 20th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Surf stuff