About the research project:
What do you, as a surfer, feel when surfing? What thoughts and emotions fill your mind as you wait for a wave, and what do you feel when riding it? Is it anticipation, exhilaration, or a deep connection to the sea, or are you mainly focused on your performance on the surfboard?
Do you incorporate your passion for surfing into daily life? Do you actively engage with the surrounding surf culture, or choose to distance yourself from it?
A broad range of surfers’ experiences is central to the study, which is why volunteers are being sought to participate in up to three stages of the research.
What can you expect?
Participants are invited to take part in up to three stages of the research.
Stage 1 – Participants will record a single surf session using a waterproof action camera at a surfing location of their choice. During the session, they will verbally describe their experiences in the water. Prior to entering the water, participants should review the following questions as examples of topics that may be discussed:
When you ride the wave, are you thinking about your technique and the experience, or are you just reacting—completely immersed, with no reflective thought?
When you’re riding, are your eyes fixed on the wave ahead, or are you aware of the space around you? In that moment, do you feel in control, or do you sense a surrender to something larger?
Which sensations are you most aware of—your own breathing, the motion of the board, or the water beneath you?
As you notice others around you and the rising sounds of the ocean and beach—waves, boards, voices—does your attention narrow into your own anticipation, or do these elements merge into a single moment that either draws you back to shore or holds you in the present?
What thoughts are pulling your attention away, and how can you return to what’s happening right now?
When you notice other surfers nearby, do you feel a sense of connection with them, or do you retreat further into your own experience?
When you see other surfers catching waves, are you comparing yourself to them, or just noticing them as part of the surroundings?
Stage 2 – Participants will take part in one interview in which they will share their surfing experiences. For example:
Describe the sensation of entering the water: What do you feel? How does the temperature, weight, and movement of the water affect your experience?
How does your body react to paddling, duck-diving, or catching a wave? Do you feel fatigue, exhilaration, pain, or weightlessness?
What does a wave feel like beneath you, and how does that sensation change from take-off to the end of the ride?
How does sound affect your surfing experience? Do you notice silence, other surfers, crashing waves, or the wind's hum?
Stage 3 – Participants may receive a disposable camera and a self-addressed return envelope. They will use the camera to capture the essence of surfing as personally experienced.
Transcribed recordings from Stages 1 and 2, together with any images created in Stage 3, will form the basis for the interpretation of participants’ surfing experiences. This material will inform a photography-based body of work and support the associated thesis.
Individuals who are interested in participating are invited to express their interest by clicking the link below.