Everyone sins. This is common knowledge. Sinning doesn’t determine whether you’re a good or bad person. Recognizing that you have sinned, and consequently working to correct your mistake is what is important.
Sins happen everywhere. Anywhere. All the time. At work, at home, at dinner, in the car, on vacation, etc. etc. If you are lucky enough to spend any portion of your time in the ocean riding waves, you’ve undoubtedly committed a sin out there as well.
You might not even have recognized you were sinning in the act. It could be as simple as riding a twin fin fish in waves that are well overhead. I see stuff like this all the time. Example) a guy suits up and paddles out at his local with no leash, falls and loses his board, dings his buddies board on the inside.
Conversely, you could be blatantly sinning. Someone may pull up and ask if you are leaving so they can have your parking spot, and you just flat out lie and say no. This one I am guilty of on a day-to-day basis in the summertime.
If you have yet to listen to any of Stab’s podcasts, you have missed some immense confessions. Buck and Danny Johnson do an amazing job of dishing out healing penance for those who are healthy enough to come forward with their sins. Surfers from around the globe leave voicemails describing their own, or their mates surf sins, looking for a chance to redeem themselves and clear their conscience.
So, folks, the day has arrived for me to disclose one of my most memorable surf sins to date, in hopes of restoring my inner peace. I am leaving Buck and Danny the voicemail, fingers crossed we can get this mess unraveled on the podcast, but here is the long, written version of the story.
When this debacle happened, I must have been 16 or 17. I had just gotten a “sticker” on my board, though it wasn’t even a legit sponsorship. Nonetheless, I had my nose in the air and thought I was the shit amongst my friends, and a bit in the lineup. I really wasn’t that good, at all. I could do a pretty shitty cutback and a couple half-ass top turns but that was about it. I grew up in Orange County so I was decently familiar with surfing Lowers. Not a local by any means, but I felt I knew my way around the lineup. I had gone down there since a grom, kinda knew who was who, and could sneak in a few decent waves here and there. I’ve also always been a bit more comfortable surfing in crowds than most of my friends.
This particular Lowers session had pretty shit waves, so the crowd wasn’t even half what it usually is, but it was a pretty aggro vibe. I remember Matt King – I had no clue who he was at the time – paddling up to me and asking about my ‘sponsor’, “How do you have a sticker on your board? I won a QS event and I can’t find any sponsors.” I was pretty tripped by this. It also irked me, and I wanted to try to rip in front of him, thus adding fuel to the hostility fire.
At this point these two tiny, little groms I had never seen before paddled out and sat just underneath the pack that was out there. From eyesight one could tell they were brothers. I was under the impression they were foreign since I had never seen them out there before. Like I said, the waves sucked, mostly windswell, so they were picking off a couple little fun ones on the inside. They both could surf, no doubt, and I was quick to notice a few stickers up and down both their boards.I grew up and learned to surf in a prominent surf town as well though, so I was used to surfing around cocky little rippers.
As they got warmed up they started to make their comfort more apparent in the lineup. It was grindy, and they were just amped little groms, so I distinctly remember them having a paddle at anything that came through. I’m trying to get my waves, this guy King is pretty much on the best ones, and then theres these fucking kids picking off runners and paddling circles in the lineup. I could feel the tension building in my head.
At some point before the actual sin occurs, I remember making up my mind that I would 100% burn one of these kids if the opportunity made itself known. Didn’t matter the circumstances, if it were me and one (or both) of those groms having a paddle, I would go no matter what. Maybe this is the case for most burns? The decision was already in place before the action. So, with that said, I completely snake the older of the two brothers. Even though the waves sucked, it’s still Lowers, so I managed a couple of half ass turns, with the kid in tow right behind me for the whole wave. I don’t remember hearing a peep from him. No whistle, no “HEY”, nothing. But I knew he was there. And we both ride the wave out , kick out and paddle back out with nothing said.
Now, clearly this is a sin because I burned a grom, who can surf, who did nothing other than being a kid, and didn’t deserve to be snaked. He didn’t have any attitude, animosity, nothing to say afterwards. Just took the burning like a champ and went back out to rip. Yes, I know, I’m an asshole. The best part, however, is that I found out shortly after, within a month or so, that the brothers were Griffin & Crosby Colapinto, and that I snaked what could be America’s next best hope(s) for a World Title. It was actually Griffdawg who I snaked. These photos are the pudding with the proof.
This is where I am stuck, and need some help to heal my soul. Is this a sin strictly because I snaked an undeserving grom? Is my sin doubled down because said grom happened to grow into one of the best surfers from my continent? And I burned him at his home break? I try my best not to bring up or think about such negative moments in my life, because when I do I experience pain, embarrassment, and regret. So, I am anxiously awaiting receiving some penance from Buck and Danny at Stab. I appreciate your time in hearing me out and helping me begin my healing.
If you have any surf sins you would like help dealing with, I highly recommend contacting these two prophets.
-hWilsin.