Practicing my Father's Routine

Every day, my dad wakes up in the dark, and on his way to work, will check the surf. He'll stand there for maybe ten minutes, maybe an hour if his buddies are out looking at the waves too. He brings his binoculars, watches the wind, the tide, the waves, and will call me with the surf report for the day. Often I'll get the call at 6AM, before I'm awake, and if I answer, I'll be groggy and dismissive. I'd always laugh because I can check it online or later in the day, and often times my dad doesn't even have time to surf, but he still checks it. My dad insists on doing it how he's always done it, before you could check it on an app. He drives in his van to the cliffs listening to his weather radio, hearing what the buoys are doing, how the wind is going to pick up throughout the day, the water temperature, what the swell is doing and when it will come. Then he gets to the cliffs and just watches. Surfers are obsessive about factors such as wind, tide, swell height, period in between swells-- they all affect how the waves will be-- shape, height, consistency, etc. I've always been fascinated and almost obsessive with what tides I paddle out on, how an incoming or outgoing tide will affect shape, size. My dad taught me all of this. When we would surf together back home I would ask him questions that he always knew the answer to. It always baffled me how knowledgeable about the ocean he is. My dad and I get along well, and that is because we both love to surf. Our relationship centers around asking each other how the waves were, what spots looked better, talking about board shapes, etc. His love language is not words or hugs-- its calling me with a surf report or shaping a board that he think I'll like. At first, it used to be hard for me that that's mostly what we talk about, but I've realized it's the way he knows how to relate to me. I wanted to adopt his surf check style for a week-- as a practice and tribute to him. I plan to wake up early like he does, drive to a surf spot with his favorite bluegrass CD playing, pull out my binoculars, drink a coffee, and just watch the ocean. I'll give him a call to let him know how the ocean looks.

The Tools

Binoculars (Dad's second pair)

CD (Dad's favorite to listen to)

Coffee (he calls black coffee a tool, and every other kind of coffee a toy)

Car (with board inside)

Day 1

The tide looks like it is rising, and it's pretty high already. The waves are small but consistent enough to go out for a bit. "It's worth getting wet!" as my dad would say. There's no wind, and the water is glassy and the waves are clean. I call my dad, we talk for about a minute. I give him the report, he's already at work. He calls me right after I get out of the water, asking if I had fun.

Day 2

The tide is rising, and the waves are bigger than they were yesterday. It's colder today, the wind looks like it's going to pick up. It looks fun, and a lot more consistent than the day before. I call Dad, he says to have fun. He's already at work. He calls me later today to ask how it was.

Day 3

There's a small wave every few minutes but it doesn't look very consistent. The tide is too high, it killed the little swell there is in the water. There's texture on the water but no wind yet, but if it's anything like yesterday, it will probably pick up at least a bit. I decide not to go out-- it's too small and slow. I call dad and we talk a little longer today. After I hang up, and older man is checking the surf. I've seen him checking it here a few times, we chat about the incoming swell and he talks about lobster traps and whale migration. He reminds me of my dad, with his knowledge about seemingly everything ocean related and his willingness to tell a stranger all about it.

Day 4

The tide is a bit lower today-- it's getting high later and later. There's already some texture on the water, the wind may pick up a bit at the beach later. There are dolphins out today! But the waves are small, not quite worth going out in the cold for. I call my dad and give him the report-- it's our longest phone call yet this week (just under two minutes). He asks me how everything else is going, and tells me about the shop cat at his work and how busy he is, but a good busy. I miss him, and tell him I'll come home soon so we can surf.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/b4198a_1d4afaf7d59748ffa7cb0925a5f0616b/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

It was weird not checking Surfline every night/ morning to get the surf report. Even though I'll often check both Surfline and the ocean, going to the beach not knowing if there is a swell in or if there are any waves was different than what I'm used to, but I like it. It's nice checking on my own instead of using an app, it feels more rewarding. It was nice doing this and giving someone else the report, like a gift. My dad is so busy these days that he doesn't have time to check the surf, and since I'm not home for him to give me home's report, I think he doesn't check it as often. In this way, I felt like I got to return the favor, even though the surf here is different than back home. I also really likes how the practice is something my dad always does. I feel like I've seen myself becoming like him, and I don't mind that too much. I like sharing in an activity that is so common in his life.

This project doesn't really seem complete since I feel like this is a practice I am going to continue doing every day. I liked waking up early every day and looking at the ocean, and I liked knowing that no matter how early it was, I could call him and he would be up and already at work, and would always answer my call (he didn't miss it once). I wanted to tell him about the project after, but I didn't because I am going to continue this daily ritual for the time being.

I feel like I don't have a finished, tangible product or piece from this experience, but rather a renewed appreciation for my Dad. I feel like I understand him better and really appreciate how the ocean has been a bridge between us. I also found myself enjoying the bluegrass CD every time I listened (he only plays bluegrass at his shop and it used to drive me crazy when I worked there). Overall, I'm really glad I chose this experience to do every day. I think the emotionality behind it may be hard to see from as outside audience, but I really am grateful for this week and the feelings I experienced every morning.