Skills and Experience Gained Through Surfing Are Useless to the Rest of the World … Except in This Case

One of my friends has surf journals going back 15 years. He has recorded, charted and studied his observations of the ocean every day. Another friend wakes up early pretty much every morning, goes to the same break and surfs or bodysurfs even if there is a mere ripple. He often takes photos of his beloved spot and understands innately the mechanics that make it work.

I have had friends who have taken water temp readings with a thermometer on a fishing pole, others who drive long stretches of…