The Surfer’s Moment – Inspirational Quotes about Surfers and Surfing

By Mark A. Leon

Yesterday morning, a ball of regeneration rose from the distance in the ocean.  On lookers were equipped with cameras, tripods an IPhones waiting to capture the first moments of the sunrise.  At 7:00 AM a young female surfer began to swim out on her board.  She maneuvered through the small waves until she was alone rested on her board soaking in the morning rays.  It was a moment of peace shared only by the ocean, the sun, her and the board.  It was in that instance I understood the surfer’s moment; the motivation behind the passion.

Surfing is about the rush.  There is no denying it, but it is also as much about the connection to the ocean and nature.  That vision inspired us to share some of the great quotes by and about surfers and surfing.

If you are not a surfer, you may begin to understand its culture a little more after reading these inspired words.

Surfing Quotes / Affirmations

“Out of water, I am nothing.” – Duke Kahanamoku

“We’re all equal before a wave.” – Laird Hamilton

“The joy of surfing is so many things combined, from the physical exertion of it, to the challenge of it, to the mental side of the sport.” – Kelly Slater

“Sometimes in the morning, when it’s a good surf, I go out there, and I don’t feel like it’s a bad world.” – Kary Mullis

“Surfing soothes me, it’s always been a kind of Zen experience for me. The ocean is so magnificent, peaceful, and awesome. The rest of the world disappears for me when I’m on a wave.” – Paul Walker

“One of the greatest things about the sport of surfing is that you need only three things: your body, a surfboard, and a wave.” – Naima Green

“Surfing is the most blissful experience you can have on this planet, a taste of heaven.” – John McCarthy

“Surfing, alone among sports, generates laughter at its very suggestion, and this is because it turns not a skill into an art, but an inexplicable and useless urge into a vital way of life.” – Matt Warshaw

“What I love the most about surfing is that it’s my first love. It’s the first thing I can remember being consumed by.” – Stephanie Gilmore

“It’s not tragic to die doing something you love.” – Mark Foo

“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.” – Bethany Hamilton

“It’s all about where your mind’s at” – Kelly Slater

“Surfing expresses …. a pure yearning for visceral, physical contact with the natural world.” Matt Warshaw

“If you are doing what you love then you’re doing what is right.  Desire and passion resonate with your body, mind and soul.  When you’re passionate you don’t question, judge, criticize, second-guess, or doubt.  It’s that passion that will fuel the fire to overcome challenges.” – Layne Beachley

“Surfing is very much like making love. It always feels good, no matter how many times you’ve done it.” – Paul Strauch

“Surfing is for life.” – Bruce Jenkins

“For those searching for something more than just the norm. We lay it all down, including what others call sanity, for just a few moments on waves larger than life. We do this because we know there is still something greater than all of us. Something that inspires us spiritually. We start going downhill, when we stop taking risks.” – Laird Hamilton

“Surfing teaches patience.  On land, surfers cannot will a swell to appear.  They have to wait for nature to make the call.  So surfers wait.  They keep their eyes on the horizon and they wait.” – Shaun Tomson

It’s a way of life Charleston.  One that we embrace with the rising and setting of the sun.

Feeling the rush, becoming one with nature and losing yourself in another place is why so many look to the waves to find that inner peace