Interview Corinne Evans
Letting go of the pressure to be a great surfer and falling in love with surfing is something I have been trying to do for a few years now. Accepting that I may never surf like the professional surfers and feeling happy with this changed surfing for me. The moment I started to now care so much about what I looked like on the waves was the moment I truly fell in love with riding waves.
As a keen surfer myself, I have been through my ups and downs in surfing, but I try to fill my mind with positive thoughts and not get too hung up on the bad surfs. I also try to fill my social media feed with positive female surfers who are keeping the good vibes flowing. One such surfer is Tiara Jones. A female longboarder from the British Virgin Islands and who’s love for the ocean and surfing is infectious. I caught up with Tiara to get her tips on how to enjoy the waves and become a happier surfer.
Why do you think it’s important to stay positive in the surf?
I believe that a person’s attitude definitely shows in their surfing. When you keep positive during a surf session, you will truly have a great one. As a surfer yourself, you must have so many epic memories and feelings associated with surfing. How does surfing make you feel? For me, there isn’t just one way of how surfing makes me feel. But at the end of the day, all I want is a good session whether or not I feel like I progressed, if I can come out of the water happy after a surf, then I’m doing something right.
It can’t all be good times in the surf. What do you do if you have a lousy surf, do you let it get to you?
I try not to let myself get to the point that a bad session gets to me and ruins my mood. I try not to let it a bad session sit on my mind for too long. Once that session or day is over, everything that I felt wrong with leaves as well. I don’t let a past session ruin a future one.
Do you set goals for your surfs, or do you go out there and see what happens?
I do and don’t set goals for myself. I don’t necessarily set goals for myself when I’m about to paddle out, but I do have goals that I work towards and try and achieve through each session.
In the years you have been surfing, what’s the one thing that stands out the most that the sport and lifestyle has done for you?
Surfing has done many things for me. It’s helped me to connect with so many different people and to make friends that live and are from all over the world. It has allowed me to travel to different places and allowed me to dream of where I could go and what I could see.
What advice do you have for anyone feeling stuck in a rut with their surfing?
If someone if feeling stuck in a rut, I would tell them to forget whatever it is that they are trying to accomplish in their surfing. When paddling out don’t think about what you think you’re doing wrong. Just clear you’re head and enjoy yourself and being in the ocean.
Can you remember why you started surfing?
I began surfing because my dad and older brothers surfed and we were always at the beach playing in the water.
You’re a big advocate for surfing being for everyone, can you tell me more about why you think surfing is a great sport for all?
I think that everyone should have the opportunity to try surfing at least once in their life, whether they stick with it is their choice. The joy of catching and standing up on a wave really is a different kind of feeling. It’s a feeling that can’t be described with one word.
The best advice you have ever been given (surf or non surf related)?
“Just Do It” – NIKE, the best advice that I have ever received…honestly. These words have helped me to better my surfing and mentally and physically. When I stopped thinking about everyone that was around me, what they were thinking/how I was perceived and stopped fearing bigger waves, my surfing truly started to improve. When I start to feel scared, or I begin to get too deep into my head and thoughts and say “screw it and get, Just do It”, because you’ll never know what will happen unless you do it. The outcome could be horrible, and you can learn a lesson, or it can be incredible, and you can have that moment where you think “this is the reason why I surf”.
Describe surfing in three words?
Happiness // Euphoria // Friendship
