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"I’ve
been surfing since 1962. I grew up in New Jersey, and my family
used to go to the Jersey Shore every other weekend in the
summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. One day, my sister
rented a surfboard; she went out and got tossed around by
the waves for about a half-an-hour. When she came in she was
totally disgusted with the whole experience, and she never
wanted to surf again. And I said, ‘Roberta, can I borrow
your surfboard.’ She said, ‘Well, we rented it for
the whole day! Go ahead!’ So I paddled out, and I’ve
been surfing every since. That was in August of 1962.
"I haven’t found anything that’s more fun than
surfing. I’ve found a lot of things that may be just
as fun, but nothing that’s more fun for me. And as I’ve
gotten older, surfing’s become a way for me to relax
and, and get in touch with nature. It’s much more than
a sport for me at this point; it’s a meditation. It’s
a way to keep my body healthy, and it gives me a reason to
stay healthy, because I don’t want to get unhealthy and
not be able to surf."
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Roy
Earnest, co-producer of Surfing for Life, has been a dedicated
gerontological social worker for 23 years and an avid surfer
for 34 years. One of the co-founders of the Pedro Point Surf
Club in Pacifica, he is the club's Surfari Coordinator for
club-sponsored surf trips. In 1994, he was developing a series
of consciousness-raising workshops on the human potential
of later life when he met David L. Brown at the premiere of
bound by the Wind and decided to collaborate on the production
of Surfing for Life. Roy assembled the Gerontology Advisory
Board and supervised the writing and production of the Surfing
for Life Discussion Guide.
Roy came by the Exploratorium to talk to us about the life
of a surfer.
(Please
note: These are very large files and may take several minutes
to download.)
"I know
you are a great fan of surfing, but can it really improve
someone’s life?"
Roy's
answer (13M QuickTime video)
(video help)
"Good surfing
is so dependent on good weather and the tides. How do you
make time to surf?"
Roy's
answer (16.9M QuickTime video)
(video help)
"Last summer a surfer near Stinson Beach, CA was bitten
by a great white shark. Aren’t you worried about being
attacked?"
Roy's
answer (12.9M QuickTime video)
(video help)
"Since the release of your film, Surfing for Life, and
the film Blue Crush, a lot of people are interested in taking
up surfing. Do you have any advice for first time surfers?"
Roy's
answer (14.5M QuickTime video)
(video help)
"I’ve watched skiers on a slope, all vying for the
‘sweet spots’, and have witnessed some nasty collisions.
As waves get more and more crowded there must be some similar
tense moments out there. Is there etiquette involved in wave
sharing?"
Roy's
answer (25.8M QuickTime video)
(video help)
"Spending so much of your time riding a wave must spur
an interest in what is causing the best waves. Can you tell
us anything about what makes a surfable wave?"
Roy's
answer (27.2M QuickTime video)
(video help)
To learn more about
Roy's film, older surfers, and read the film discussion guide,
visit
http://www.surfingforlife.com
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