Down The Beach Syndrome

Surfers are NOT immune to the belief that more is always better. If surfing were a religion, then acquiring amidst scarcity would be the adherents' foundation.

Unfortunately, surfers suffer from another affliction that exacerbates their frustration: “Over there is better.”

I’ve realized that Mother Nature plays a cruel trick on surfers as we're waiting in the lineup. When I'm seated out beyond the break and I look left or right, I have an illusory vantage point of the barrels cresting on the "over there" waves. They appear bigger than the one that's about to break right in front of my face.

Maybe there’s some geometric principles that explain this. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking in the eye of the wisher.

Regardless of its scientific cause, it’s quite easy to contract Down The Beach Syndrome. A virus infecting 1-in-5 unaware surfers.

Symptoms include:

• Extreme fatigue following excessive paddling to get to the waves that are “definitely better” just 100 yards away

• Severe frustration once patient becomes impatient with where they currently are

• Spoiled sessions spent endlessly searching and never arriving

Consult with your doctor if you believe you might have a case of Down The Beach Syndrome. Left untreated, it can evolve into a rotten attitude as you conclude your sesh.