Surfrider Spirit Sessions With Ezra Rodriguez and Hawaiian South Shore Surfrider Spirit Sessions were created in 2006 through a collaboration between executive director Cynthia Y.H. Deroisier and Girl’s Court therapist Emma Pavich. Inspired by Deroisier’s book “The Surfer Spirit,” Pavich asked Deroisier to join her in creating a program that used surfing as a platform to reach at-risk children. In 2009, Surfline Spirit Sessions became a registered, independent non-profit corporation, and it received its 501©(3) status in 2010. It provides six events each year for 100 Oahu youth (during spring, summer, and fall), exposing them to the challenging and empowering gift of surfing. The goal is to cultivate “Champions in Training” through one-on-one and group mentorship, healthy athletic and adrenaline-based outlets, cultural and environmental awareness, and improved self-esteem—needs that were expressed by the Hawaii State Family Court judges, probation officers, and counselors. Legendary pro longboarder Ezra Rodriguez is a mentor and ambassador for the Surfrider Spirit Sessions and offers his time to help run events and mentor youth. He invited us to join them in supporting the July 24 graduation session, so we went out and spent the day with a bunch of stoked kids who were being exposed to...

15-MINUTE FITNESS ROUTINE FOR SURFERS   While being a surfer has long been associated with being fit and tan, we don’t exactly have a celebrated history of training. Unlike other athletes who cross-train and do cardio workouts to improve their performance on the court or in the field; surfers were better known for partying than for running, stretching, and lifting weights. Surfing was quite the counter-culture, and the beach lifestyle lent itself more to drinking and smoking herb than it did eating a macrobiotic diet and practicing yoga. As far as we were concerned, the best training for surfing was surfing—and the rest of the time, we intended to get loose. But over the past decade or so, that is beginning to change. Starting with pro surfers like Taylor Knox and Mick Fanning and continued by the new crop of world tour competitors and big wave chargers, training for surfing has become quite popular. Non-pros have jumped on the bandwagon as well! It seems like everyone who surfs also paddles, runs, bikes, swims, practices yoga, does pilates, CrossFit, or something else to keep themselves fit and limber for their surf sessions. If you haven’t jumped on the training-for-surf bandwagon or if your...

Understanding the Relationship Between Depression and Exercise Recent research and awareness campaigns have revealed that far more people suffer from depression than many of us might think. For years, many people with depression have believed that they were alone in their struggle, but it turns out the challenge is both common and widespread. It is also quite dangerous, particularly if people attempt to deal with their depression themselves. The sad loss of some of our greatest heroes—even within the sport of surfing—is a testament to how devastating depression can be. Fortunately, there are ways to treat depression and break the depressive spiral. Counseling, support groups, and pharmaceuticals are all common treatments for depression here in the US. But interestingly, there is another simpler and yet incredibly effective treatment for depression that is almost universally prescribed for depression—except not in the US. Although most medical experts know that exercise has a direct positive impact on not only levels of depression but also the physical causes and symptoms of it—and although doctors in other countries routinely prescribe exercise as a first-line or second-line treatment for the mental disorder—here in the US, we largely overlook the fact that simply getting out and running,...

Three Great Ways to Keep Your Stoke and Train for Surfing at Home   As you probably know, a lot of people around the world spent the past month on lockdown at home, and not all of them were as fortunate as we were here in Hawaii. While we were able to surf as part of our exercise here in the islands, many other surfers were landlocked for weeks and even months. They had to find creative ways to stay stoked and in shape for surfing—something that many of us have had to do at some point in our lives, whether due to a lack of swell, living somewhere far from the ocean, or other external factors beyond our control. Fortunately, there are a number of fun ways to “surf” while at home. Here are three of them: 1) Slackline: Slacklining is often thought of as a pastime for stoners in parks and rock climbers in sweaty gyms, but it’s actually a great activity to keep you fresh for surfing as well. Not only does it help you work on your balance (and even your cross-stepping!), it also builds core and leg strength, which are essential to good surfing. 2) Balance boards:...

Yoga Poses That WillHelp you Surf Better During challenging times, sometimes the best thing to do is to look for the silver lining. The months of March and April were hard for a lot of people, due to illness, lost jobs, financial difficulties, and the global pandemic/economic shutdown as a whole. To make matters worse, in many places around the world, surfers were restricted from paddling out and enjoying the natural healing that the ocean provides to our bodies, minds, and souls. But during times like this, when our daily routines are upset and we are unable to do the things we love to do the most, we have an opportunity to branch out and broaden our lives by learning and embracing new, healthy practices. Over the past couple of months,more surfers than ever turned to yoga as a physical practice that they could do while sheltering at home—and that kept them fit and flexible for when the surf was once again accessible. Hawaiian South Shore’s favorite yoga teacher Kilty Inafuku (www.kiltyyoga.com) has been leading donation-based online classes throughout the COVID-19 crisis, helping people stay grounded and healthy during this difficult time. Today, she talks to us about why yoga...

How to Stay Safe in the Sun   I was chatting with FCS rep Keoni Watson sometime ago, and he mentioned that the UV index was going to be super high on that weekend—pushing as high as 11. That sounded pretty gnarly to me, but I realized that I didn’t really know what the UV index meant, or where it even came from, so I decided to do some research. I found an online guideline from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and discovered some really interesting information.  As it turns out, the UV index was created in 1994 by the EPA and the National Weather Service, as a guideline to help people plan outdoor activities but avoid overexposure to UV radiation, which can cause a variety of health issues (including sunburn, cataracts, and skin cancers such as melanoma). The UV index was then updated in 2004 to serve as a more comprehensive, global UV index that provides daily guidance for UV radiation in different locations. The number provided on the UV index for any given day is projected for the time of day with the most radiation (approximately noon), but users should understand that the actual amount of UV radiation rises and falls...

Photo by Jess Vide from Pexels As most of us know, the complexities of surf etiquette can seem pretty overwhelming at times. But for those who understand how lineups work, there really shouldn’t be any confusion—so if someone is breaking etiquette, they are probably either ignorant or selfish. Let’s address ignorance first, and selfishness second. Nearly all waves break in a specific direction—either left or right. (An obviousexception would be Canoes in Waikiki, which is essentially a straight hander, and that’s why you often see 20 people on the same wave and they are all getting along great.) A-frame peaks like Pipeline and Backdoor break in both directions, but we tend to think of the two waves as separate entities, so Pipeline is a left and the other side of the peak at Backdoor is a right, and everything that follows applies to both separately. In general, the surfer who is closest to the peak has priority or right of way. In other words, whoever is deeper gets the wave, because they can ride it the longest, and in most cases, they can get to their feet first. (If you don’t understand why only one person should be riding a wave, then you...