SURFING IS… WITH NICK LYNN

 

Lynn at Playa Grande, Costa Rica in 2012

If you’re a New York surfer, you’ve probably encountered Nick Lynn at some point.  The president of New York’s chapter of Surfrider, Lynn works tirelessly to make the area’s beaches cleaner and safer for both surfers and non-surfers. Recently, his chapter began an initiative to do regular water testing out at Rockaway Beach (where many of the city’s surfers congregate) and put out warnings when the water quality is unsafe.  Read more about Lynn and what surfing is to him below…

Name: Nick Lynn

Age: 53

Live: NYC
Years Surfing: 20
Surfing is…about two things: Sliding along the ocean with my friends, and seeking self-expression inside flashes of timelessness while connecting with the energy of the planet. Mostly, I’m chasing those moments where an instant feels like a lifetime, and temporal reality disappears. When it goes right, the moving parts of me distill into one: My thoughts, emotions, ego, and physical energy fuse into something I don’t command but somehow understand.

From there, it’s about ceaselessly reading the wave’s energy as it bends and breaks, and using what skills I have to express myself in tandem with its intent. It has a lot to do with the Japanese word “mushin”, which basically means switching off your mind.

All this has connected me deeply to the ocean, local weather patterns, and tides. It’s also the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done. It has made me more environmentally aware and active — without healthy oceans and beaches I won’t be able to indulge this passion / pursuit / obsession. For me, nothing pulls together so many things and delivers the mix of emotion, insight, adrenaline, and awe. I’m hooked for life.

Lynn at Long Beach, Long Island buring Hurricane Irene in 2011

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 at 10:52 am. It is filed under Surfing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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