duckdives

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to actually supplement paddling strength — and no, I don’t mean from more time in the sea, a wave pool, or in water at all. Something you can train on land, without needing swell or spending money. And it dawned on me — something so simple it almost feels like cheating: the pull-up. The more research I did on it, the more it made sense. The latissimus dorsi — the wing-like muscles running down your back — are what drive both the upward phase of a pull-up and every powerful paddle stroke. When you pull yourself toward the bar, your lats engage in pretty much the exact same way they do when your hand digs through the water. Your shoulders and rotator cuffs stabilise the movement, just like they do when you reach forward on your board to start a stroke. Your biceps take over in the final part of the pull-up, mirroring that last pull as your hand exits the water. Even your core is working the entire time — keeping your body tight, steady, and balanced...

Got curious about mindfulness lately — not in some sit-cross-legged, incense-burning kind of way, but more like… what actually is it? That curiosity kicked in after watching a video from Sterling Spencer — surfer, bit of a mystic these days. He rattled off a bunch of names that helped him rewire his brain, and I figured after a bit of an ordeal, why not follow that breadcrumb trail. First up: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh . Surfing’s always had this built-in stillness to it — the quiet before the drop, the focus it demands. Feels like there’s some crossover with mindfulness. So I picked up the book, gave it a read, and here’s what stuck for me. No fluff, no guru glow — just a gritty first take. 1. Be Present Hanh kicks off with the basics: just be where you are. Fully. Even if it’s washing dishes. It sounds stupidly simple, but it really makes you realise how much you check out of your own life. For surfers, that’s being in the wave, not just chasing the next one or ov...

Sterling Spencer went through a bit of an ordeal — the kind that changes how you see everything. Since then, he’s been exploring mindfulness and awareness in a way that feels both deep and disarmingly normal. At the end of one of his YouTube videos ( check it ), he credited a few of the people who’d shaped his thinking. Sterling’s always towed that weird line between satire and sincerity — half joke, half revelation — and the video reflects both. But there’s something honest underneath it that’s hard to ignore. So I’m going to do the same — minus the ordeal (hopefully). Sterling mentioned a list of names that clearly meant a lot to him: Wim Hof, Alan Watts, J. Krishnamurti, Ram Dass, Mooji, and Thich Nhat Hanh. I’ve heard those names plenty of times, but I’ve never actually sat down to read them. So this is me trying to fix that — to build a little reading list, follow the threads, and see if any of it makes sense. I’ll be starting with: Wim Hof — The Wim Hof Method Alan Watts — ...

Been surfing The Wave in Bristol UK a bunch lately. It’s my closest wave pool — easier to fit in around work and real life than chasing swell and tides like I could in my youth. Not as cool as the ocean, but it keeps some of the rust off — like the gym, for when I can’t get in the sea. The sea’s chaos. The pool’s math. Still surfing, though. The Wave Bristol runs on WaveGarden Cove tech — basically a long row of underwater paddles that shove water into shape. Giant mechanical arms inside the central pier, firing in sequence like a slow-motion domino effect. Each one pushes water out, and as that lump of energy rolls down the lagoon, more paddles join in until it turns into something that actually feels like a wave. Until recently, between sets I’d convince myself it was water jets or air pressure. But no — straight engineering. Metal, motors, and timing. And somehow, it works — a new wave every few seconds, throwing out settings from waist-high slop to barrels you can just about tuck ...

Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail. Just trying to hold it together like the nail does.

Second Expert Barrels session at "The Wave" wave pool in Bristol, UK.

This isn’t for followers. It’s not for clicks. It’s for me. A reminder to write things down. To track the small stuff. To actually see what I’m doing instead of just drifting. Surfing used to feel easy — now it’s work. Good kind of work though. The kind that keeps you coming back, even when it’s not working. Writing helps. Editing helps more. Makes it harder to ignore the dumb stuff I keep repeating. If you somehow ended up here — respect. You probably get it. This isn’t curated. It’s notes, noise, and slow progress. A washed-up surfer documenting the decline.