Have you ever thought about why you love the sea? Is it the smell of the beach, the salty air or the way your skin feels at the end of the day? Could it be the sound of the waves crashing or the wind whipping at your face? For those of us who love the place where the sea laps against the land it is all these and more which keep us hooked. Some of us enjoy a walk along the beach, some like to sail on the sea and there are a few who enjoy the excitement of the surf.  However, there is surfing and there is ‘Big Wave’ surfing.

These last few weeks my Facebook feed has been full of videos from the World Surf League Big Wave Awards.  If you haven’t seen these videos I’ve added a link at the bottom of the blog. To describe what these guys are surfing on as ‘Big Waves’ is laughable. They are mountainous. To imagine these people voluntarily going out to what is only food for nightmares leads me to assume some sort of mental health test was required before competing.  Nevertheless, people do and the waves are almost as magnificent as the people riding them. In an act of skill and bravery, these surfers are athletes, heroes of the sea.

Here is the promised link:

http://www.worldsurfleague.com

If you fancy getting your toes wet and learning how to surf, here are a couple of links:

http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/10-best-places-to-learn-to-surf?page=all