all too often does one of my friends, someone who is only aware of stereotypical surfing, is intimidated by the average surfer. this i s how i feel about surfing, it is the best feeling ive ever experienced, and too my knowledge many, many people share that. all ages, shapes, sizes, have understood love for a wave. for me, i have only grown to love the waves more and more, always searching for the first wave feeling. i do not even understand, or does it register in my mind that a stereotype, a bad time surfing, can even exist. surfing is beautiful for me, it is something so overwhelming, open, undivided, unjudging… the sea, that keeps you afloat or pulls you under is one huge mass that allows you, no matter rules of gravity, pull of tide, allows you to sit, lay, swim, come into, how extremely gentle but fierce that water is. i see beaches like people, they come in all different colors and shapes and sizes, full of different things, so different, made the same yet differently, same basic structure, some are alike, some different, it amazes me. the list is long, full of fear and love and all kinds of emotion about the sea and sand, water heaven. and somewhere in each surfer is that passion. we are not all stoners, we are not all born and raised sand kids, we dont all compete, we dont all bow down to Kelly Slater, we dont all ride the same board, we agree humans from different places, we are individuals who share the water, something in the water we find that connects us. i do however understand the intimidation of the locals, but you must understand that they are the ones who grew there, found a place of their own that is just for their home surfing, they are preserving he beach for the passion of surfing. most of the time a locals only beach is created simply for the respect of home surfing since tourists overwhelm a popular surf place nearby. asking a local to not get angry because a few people are making their beach explicit, or coming there is like coming into someone elses home uninvited, no matter what your intentions are, they arent going to ask you to stay! its common surfer respect on your own part, and thats an important thing if you plan on being a free or competitive surfer. surfers, locals, do not mind a surfer, beginning or experienced making a mistake, surfing at a local beach, its just that you have to remember to respect them, you cant pretend to own shit if its already a private beach more so, and that shouldnt be a lot to ask. most surfer etiquette is common sense, and once youve experienced the waves, the feeling, no matter what that is for you, the intimidation and all other over thought, society based issues wont have a right to stay in the surf based state of mind. surfing ids not over thought, it is beautiful, it needs no sense r anything, its natural. its an accomplishment to think an element designed for a another species has accepted humanity to join, its beautiful we have been respectful of it, it is care free, absolutely undescribable. to me atleast. so i just want everyone to know, a local, a surfer, never deserves disrespect at all, never should be joked about, or involved in societies stereotypes.