08 A Surfer's take on scars...

It's time for me to hi-jack the Blog; here are some words from the non-surfing wife's surfing husband...

Sumatra has always been one of those places where I have felt both at home and out of my depth at the same time. That’s why I think I love the place so much. As a Bodyboarder, we spend hours in the water with strangers, trading stories, introductions, jokes, and “Stoke.” The waves in this country are some of the world’s finest. With water temperatures reaching up to 30℃ +, it makes it easy to stay out for hours at end. 

The waves, being beautiful and perfect, are quite heavy, shallow, and not to be disrespected. Hitting the reef and getting an infection can end your trip or, worse, your surfing career. One of the many things I have learned here over the years is that surfers must look out for each other. The medical side of things in Sumatra is not the same as Western medicine; thus, when in Rome… We use a very strong disinfectant called Chinese medicine and lime to clean wounds here, but occasionally, the wounds get so deep that they require more than just a dab of disinfectant.

Why am I going on about this? Well, by helping fellow water men with injuries and conveying their symptoms back and forth to trauma specialists and doctors in South Africa and Aus, we get to build amazing relationships. 

Life is not to be done solo. We are all social creatures, and we all experience hurt, some physical and some emotional. The question that came up while fixing up a badly bashed knee was: Who can you patch up? Maybe not with Miracle Chinese medicine, and if so, good on ya! So many people cross our paths, and a simple sit down, having a coffee, or actually listening can help mend even the deepest of scars. That’s step one; step two is building real relationships now that there is common ground.

Paying attention to each other’s hurt and scars is to not live just for oneself; it’s to embody the African saying Ubuntu: “I am because we are” broken down into “ a person is a person through other persons.”

When will I stop surfing… when the oceans dry up?

So, for the non-surfers out there, here goes:

Yes, we paddle onto ocean bulges the size of houses; yes, it is ankle-deep water sometimes, and yes, the margin for error is tiny. Surfing is the perfect combination of risk, focus, flow, fitness, and enjoying creation to its fullest. 

“Turn the fear of the unknown into the excitement of the potential!” D.King