The Wave Sliders journal
ENTRY # 031
Written By: Andrew Fish
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my surf story with you and your community.
It’s an honor and I hope that it inspires at least one person to get in the water or to go on an adventure.
My surf story begins on the East coast where we had to drive so far to surf such shitty waves. It was me, my older brother, and our two friends. As often as we could, we’d stack the boards, pile in the car, and drive an hour and a half just to surf ankle-high onshore slop for 30 minutes before sunset. Then we’d turn around and drive right back home to Boston. While the waves were rarely any good, we still had so much fun. These early days shaped my surf experience today. Because I didn’t grow up with waves in my backyard, it still feels so novel to live in California and to be able to surf right down the street.
It’s been a bit of a love affair, my relationship with surfing. It started slow, and continued to grow each year. First, my brother and I went surfing one time during the summer. We went again the next summer. And the following summer we discovered Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Shop in New Hampshire and bought our first surfboards. Eventually, my brother got his license. And shortly thereafter we bought our first winter wetsuits and started surfing all year round, in the cold, in the snow, all of it. This was probably 2003? I was hooked, I still am.
Looking back, my inspiration can be traced back to photos I saw of the Malloy Brothers surfing in wild/cold places like Alaska or Canada. As a kid with absolutely no exposure to mainstream surf culture, these photos blew my mind and showed me an adventurous side of surfing that I never knew existed.
Shortly thereafter, I discovered local New England photographers like Nick LaVecchia and Brian Nevins. They had a blog called ‘Get in The Van’ and that was probably the first time I saw local surfers scoring really good waves at home. It was inspiring. And I wanted a taste of it too. This lit a fire within me, a craving for adventure and a passion for cold water surfing that still burns strong today.
Although I live in California now, there is nothing sweeter than booking a last minute flight and scoring an East Coast hurricane swell.
I went back and forth a few times at first, but I’ve been living permanently in California since 2012. It’s been amazing to draw on the adventurous spirit that inspired me as a kid and to explore the West Coast in my 1985 Volkswagen van named Lily. Every year going further north, and deeper south, and eventually scouting the whole coast from British Columbia, to the tip of Baja, and everywhere in between.
While these photos may make it seem like all I do is surf, I can assure you that is not the case. In fact, navigating my career alongside my passion for surfing has been one of the greatest conflicts in my life.
So, when I got laid off from my dream job last year, I knew it was time to take a break, to follow my heart, and to go on the greatest adventure of my life. Everyone told me I was crazy, that it was dangerous, thank god I didn’t listen to them.
While I’ve been back for a few months now, I’m still processing the journey and going through the photos. And hey, if this blog post goes well, hopefully Jack will have me back to share more about it.
Until then, I’m excited to settle in back home and to keep testing FARO products. So far, I love that the Canvas Board Bag has no zippers! I have found that metal zippers rust from saltwater, and that plastic zippers break. So, using a buckle makes total sense. Nicely, done Jack!
Anyways, thank you for the opportunity to share my story. It’s been fun to walk down memory lane and to go through old photos. Now, let’s go get some waves!
What Fletcher Is Stoked On Lately...
In the surf community:
Reluctantly, I tried the new Surfline smart cams. It's both a blessing and a curse, but useful to scroll through past footage to see the frequency and size of sets. Previously, cams often showed flat water unless you caught a set live. These new cams offer a better sense of water conditions. It feels like cheating, but helps decide if I should surf or keep working. If I see good sets in an hour of footage, I head out.
THOUGHTS & QUOTES
"I will not dishonor my soul with hatred, but offer myself humbly as a guardian of nature, a healer of misery, a messenger of wonder, and an architect of peace."
IN THE FARO WORKSHOP:
I’m excited to settle in back home and to keep testing FARO products. So far, I love that the Canvas Board Bag has no zippers! I have found that metal zippers rust from saltwater, and that plastic zippers break. So, using a buckle makes total sense. Nicely, done Jack!
Follow Andrew on IG: @surfisswell or check out his blog here.
Thanks for reading, ya'll! Look out for the next WAVE SLIDERS JOURNAL coming soon.
- Jack
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