Surfing in Washington state may seem incongruent with the likes of hiking, recumbent bicycling, and extremely short summers, but it’s amazing to discover its hold on a growing contingent. In Seattle alone, there are at least three surf shops that cater to those wishin’ to hang ten or go SUP’ing, also called stand-up paddleboarding.
Throughout the Pacific Northwest, there are many awesome spots to make these wishes come true, from as far north as Tofino, British Columbia, to Brookings, Oregon in the south, and for those SUP’ers, any natural body of water will do. This extreme sport, ubiquitous with the cultural landscape of Hawai’i, SoCal, and New South Wales, has planted its seed around these parts—and it’s starting to flourish.
My quest in catching the next wave began as a condition to getting a ride to a softball tournament outside of Vancouver, Washington, three years ago. I had these three questions bandying about in my head:
- Isn’t the water cold?
- Where do you go surfing around here?
- (Double-take) Surfing? Did you really say ‘surfing?’
Since Westport, which is two and a half hours southwest of Seatown, was in relative proximity to Vancouver, and I was just a passenger, I really didn’t have a choice and time has proven that it’s a choice that I genuinely do not regret.
To get familiarized with turtle diving and the difference between a Fish and a Mini Mal, or if you just want to pump yourself up for some serious tubular action, check out these fine materials in The Seattle Public Library’s catalog: Surfer’s Choice music cd performed by Dick Dale and his Del-Tones, Endless Summer and Endless Summer II dvds documenting the search for the perfect waves, and the book Surf’s Up: The Girl’s Guide to Surfing including tons of practical information.
Stay tuned for Part Two of ‘How to Surf in Washington state’!
~ Amy, Central Library
Leave a Reply to Kara P.Cancel reply