Watching Bustin' down the Door gave me a lot of insight to the mentality behind big wave chasers and the history of surfing as it evolved from lifestyle and spiritual practice into a sport. Seeing these dudes paddle into huge surf at the Bay and other North shore spots gave me the chills and an understanding for why surfing has become so popular in such a short period of time. I also liked the inverse perspective provided by Da Hui and the locals who want to protect the island breaks for native Hawaiians.
It's hard to imagine that something which was reserved only for Polynesian royalty and a remote tribe in the Pacific has spread all over the world within a few generations. It speaks to the interconnectedness of our world and the complexity of our planet.
I have mixed feelings about the merchandizing of surfing and the muliti-billion dollar industry it has become. Without such widespread popularity and success, I don't think I would have ever been able to get that $40 long board at a garage sale and catch my first wave. That feeling of dancing on water can't ever be priced or put into words. However, the impact of surf tourism and the ecological effects of wetsuits and surfboard shaping is undeniable and the over-crowding of beaches and degradation of the ocean needs to be addressed. I think surfers and other people intimately connected with the oceans are the people on the forefront of movements, like the Surfrider foundation, to help maintain our vital source of life and pleasure. We don't have any other choice if we want to keep drinking water or getting barreled.
Hayden -
ReplyDeleteI'm stoked you liked the film - it had quite an impact on me the first time I saw it as well. That's very perceptive of you to not only recognize the disparities and injustices of globalization, but to recognize your own advantageous position within the system - living in a place of such affluence that $40 surfboards are readily available, not to mention the free time needed for the pursuit.
- Trey