As we welcome the new year and anticipate another season chock-full of surf lessons here at Surf Education Academy, it is hard not to reflect on the rollercoaster ride that was our 2020 season. With beach closures put into effect throughout San Diego county last March, it was unclear whether or not we would be allowed to teach surf lessons at all in 2020. Eventually, however, the beaches were reopened and the COVID-19 surfing ban was lifted, as county health officials recognized the dire need for San Diegans (especially kids) to get outside and burn off some steam. 

Although last year’s shelter-in-place order initially hit the surf industry particularly hard, we ultimately reaped the benefit of our sport being classified as one of the safer COVID-19 physical activities due to its individual, naturally socially-distanced (average surfboard length is over six feet), and out of doors nature. In fact, surfing experienced an unprecedented rise in popularity in 2020, as throngs of would-be gym-goers took to the ocean instead to get their endorphin kick. With new COVID-19 protocols in place, our summer surf camps for kids were booked out for weeks on end, while parents of nascent surfers (otherwise known as “groms”) enjoyed some much needed R & R. 

For those of us lucky enough to live near the ocean during the coronavirus pandemic, surfing has turned out to be one of the best ways to overcome the negative aspects of our “new normal.” Not only does surfing allow us to reconnect with nature, which plays a vital role in mental health, but it also teaches us doubly important skills like patience, resilience, reverence, and presence of mind. A surfer must constantly pay attention to his or her surrounding environment (as not to be caught off guard by an oncoming set wave or get sucked out to see in a rip current), a practice that forces the surfer’s awareness into the present moment—a floating meditation. 

And there is no better time to start meditating than NOW. In his best-selling book Blue Mind, marine biologist and neuroscientist Wallace J. Nichols reminds us that the average person in today’s society has to process more information on a daily basis than any other time in history (especially during COVID), resulting in unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression. Nichols points out that most people operate constantly in a reptilian fight-or-flight Red Mind, which can be counteracted by spending more time in and around water. 

“What happens when you’re at the water is your brain is getting a break,” says Nichols. “Getting to the water forces us to disconnect from the stream of auditory and visual information, and switches your brain to Blue Mind, which helps us relax, reconnect with nature, reconnect with others, and reconnect with ourselves.”

Surfing is clearly a great way to inhibit your Blue Mind and mitigate the stress induced by the coronavirus pandemic. So what are you waiting for? Join us for a surf lesson today!