Is this how it is for everybody?

Proximity to the beach in and of itself is not going to necessarily make me a good surfer, I was reminded today. It's like sitting next to that cute guy in high school chemistry class isn't going to make him like you if he's not into you. Not that I would ever do such a thing. (It was a cute guy in a college history class.)

T., one of the best surfers at our beach, was out this morning with his wife. I am always glad to see them. He was very patiently giving me feedback on my surfing. Nobody else ever does this; they'd rather just watch me flounder and make fun of me than try to help. But a major part of why I've had such a hard time learning is that I've had very little feedback. T.'s virtually the only one who tries to help. I don't care if he does it out of pity. People can't learn this all by themselves!

Anyway, he said I am still holding on to the rails as I'm getting up. When and if I do let go it's too late. Damn, I was told I was doing that a year ago---and I would never have known if someone hadn't told me---but I thought I had stopped. The point is, there's no way to know what I'm doing unless someone tells me, and if those comments are a year apart, I won't know what I'm doing for a whole year.

I don't know if it's this way for everybody, but everything in surfing happens so fast, in split seconds, that it's just too fast for my brain to be aware of, let alone try to record and remember, what happens. Is it this way for everybody?

Once I was aware of what I was doing, I was able to do a lot better immediately.

He also tried to teach me a way of duck diving a longboard, by holding it under your arm while diving under the wave. I tried but didn't quite get the hang of it. These waves weren't big enough that duck diving was necessary. The problem with his approach is that if the waves really were big enough, it wouldn't work; the wave would just tear your arm out of its socket.