Surfing involves more decision-making than one would imagine. Actually, dilemmas start way before you face that critical moment when you will have to paddle for or wait for the next wave(s).
There is an interesting, unconfirmed fact/theory online that says an association football player makes between 3,000 and 6,000 decisions during a 90-minute match.
The math behind it is quite simple: assuming the player makes a decision every two seconds, which is reasonable, they will reach 2,700 decisions at the end of the game.
It compares to the average 1,000-3,000 decisions an adult makes daily at work. Interesting, isn't it?
Association football players are constantly moving up and down the pitch, correcting their positioning, and supporting the creation of playable, attacking and defensive lines across the field.
In other words, it's not just about passing and scoring goals. There's way more to football than that. Players are constantly making decisions and moving. In a way, it's a bit like chess, but with 11 humans on each team.
Everyone is adjusting their position on the field and following the tactics and strategy previously defined by their managers and coaches.
And, simultaneously, they're reading the opponents and the game itself in real time.
Therefore, the sport's ultimate objective - the goal - is relatively rare and complex to achieve, making it truly fascinating and addictive to spectators and fans.
The process of decision-making in our brains
Decision-making in the brain is a coordinated process involving multiple regions.
Let's keep it simple. It all begins when the prefrontal cortex evaluates goals, rules, and possible outcomes.
At the same time, the limbic system, including the amygdala, adds emotional significance to each option, such as fear or satisfaction.
The basal ganglia help weigh habits and past experiences and influence automatic choices.
Neurons communicate through electrical and chemical signals, with neurotransmitters like dopamine signaling reward and motivation.
The brain rapidly compares potential outcomes, predicting consequences based on memory and learning. Conflicts between logic and emotion are resolved through interaction between these systems.
Finally, once a decision is made, motor areas of the brain initiate action.
The entire process often occurs within milliseconds, allowing humans to make both quick, intuitive judgments and slower, more deliberate decisions depending on the situation.
Decisions in the surf
Surfers can also easily spend 90 minutes in the water.
However, decisions start way before, when they're still dry, fully dressed in winter clothes, and behind a computer screen.
"Which surf break will be working better this weekend? Will this forecasted offshore wind positively affect a mid-tide at dawn? Which board should I take for this 15-second period groundswell?"
These are some of the many questions surfers ask themselves on terra firma, hours or even days before another mission to the ocean.
But then, there's one of surfing's most critical moments.
"Should I go on this one? Or should I wait for the upcoming wave of the set?"
Surfers are always one decision away from heaven or hell.
Paddling for this one could potentially take you on the ride of a lifetime, a magical 20-second experience that you will never forget, and will tell your grandchildren when you can only but dream of surfing.
Or not.
You could skip the wave, thinking you'd be better served with the last ripple of the set, meticulously following the old saying, "Never take the first wave of the set," and ending up eating whitewater and getting pounded on the inside.
Decisions, decisions.
Choosing and paddling for the wrong wave is an inevitable event in any surfer's life. It happens to the beginner in small surf and to the world champion competing against a rookie in the first heat of the contest.
It's often frustrating and occasionally hurts our confidence, even when we carefully read the ocean and the swell lines as they march toward the lineup before making a go/no-go decision.
"What have I done? What was I thinking?" we ask.
Yes, there could be equipment failures, a wave hog jockeying and justling for position and priority, or even an unexpected elbow, back, or arm injury, hitting when it shouldn't.
And what about the role of instinct? Should we leave everything in its hands? Or should we doubt our initial feel?
There is also the time window when the wrong decision is made.
Going for the wrong wave at the beginning of the session can easily ruin the whole vibe for the rest of the surf run.
Ideally, we never want to kick off things on a down note. But it is also true that we love to wrap up a fun surf with an enjoyable ride that makes us proud and boosts that empty and vain thing called ego.
Making peace with wrong wave-riding decisions
Of course, there's always a third way.
We can just embrace the mistake or miscalculation with humor and a chill attitude. And try to learn from our imperfections and mortality.
And if amid thousands of micro-decisions when we make when we surf, there are a couple of mistakes, it's fair to say we're actually quite OK at surfing.
Remember that there's always another wave coming, on which you will be handed the opportunity to redo or fine-tune the previous wrong decisions.
Surfing is life. And both throw us second and third chances.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
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