In early December, I posted that I was going nuclear on improving at surfing. Accordingly, for Christmas, I presented my family with the gift of a week long surf retreat. The retreat is scheduled at a carefully selected location, at a carefully selected time of the year, and is run by a renowned surf travel company. By selecting the right location at the right time, we maximize the chances of appropriate conditions to get the most out of our training. We’ll have coaches on land and in the water with us. Also, photographers with high-powered cameras will be on shore to video us. After time in the water, we’ll review the “tapes” with the coaches to improve our technique. I have no doubt this retreat will catapult us to higher levels with utmost efficiency.
The surf retreat is the core of my nuclear plan; however, it is not all. Fortunately, what appears to be an amAZing surf park called Revel Surf, just opened in Mesa, Arizona. Revel Surf is an hour and forty minutes from our house. I’m going to give that a go either this month or next month. Additionally, I am zeroing in on Tourmaline Surf Park in Pacific Beach (San Diego), California for frequent visits in 2025. Tourmaline is a six hour drive, about the closest surfing beach I can think of, and it’s an excellent match for my needs and skill level. I’ve found several rentals within walking distance to the park, which will make it easier to get more time in the water. There’s a cool memorial plaque at Tourmaline. It reads:
This monument honors the past and present surfers at Tourmaline Canyon Surfing Park who have embraced its beach, surf and camaraderie. Since the opening of the park in May 1963, Tourmaline’s local surfers have shared their time, skills, and wisdom with all who have been interested in receiving them. Great surfers and fine men and women have grown up within the Tourmaline culture, and carry the positive traits learned here into their lives and those of the people around them.
The plaque closes with:
“Surf Well, Spread Aloha, Share Waves Without Judgment”
With Love,
P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present