Reader Submission: Settling Into the Central Coast

Editor’s Note: Happy Tuesday! To celebrate, I’m rolling out another reader submission. This one comes from a long time BambooBlister supporter, Chad Young. When Chad’s not commenting on these posts, he’s probably somewhere between Morro and Vandenberg, hunting for waves or dunes. 

Chad is relatively new to the surfing world, but as wave-hungry as anyone I know. As a member of the newly minted Space Force, and having bounced from a sleepy neighborhood on O’ahu, to snowcapped Colorado Springs, to the nestled San Luis Obispo beach town, Chad understands that life can pull us anywhere at any time, and that you must never take good waves for granted. 

Kick back and enjoy these thoughts from a newer member of a tenured surf community, searching for waves and good times in the third place that he’s called home. Chad Young, everybody. 

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Surfing in San Luis Obispo is, in one word, mellow. The waves and the crowds are peaceful and easy with the occasional exception. The mixture of locals and college students has created a “Cal Poly go home” mentality from the surfers who grew up in the area. This is a song I am familiar with, although I used to be on the other side of it. 

Hawai’i (home) breeds the same sort of localism and animosity towards the tourists that support the Hawaiian economy. You can’t live with ’em, but you can’t live without ’em. Fortunately for me, I am not a Cal Poly student. Although most people in the line up probably assume I am given my baby face looks. Oh well, ear plugs in (also due to my Surfer’s Ear phobia).

The funny thing about SLO is that I have the same chance of seeing a lifted truck with horses in tow as I would a 4runner packed with boards– both blasting country music. As one friend put it, “SLO is a city where farmers found the beach.” Although she phrased it less politely.

My drives to surf in Montana de Oro (MDO) embody that phrase perfectly, as I pass marijuana farms, vineyards, and ranch lands along the way. At Sandspit, a popular beach break in MDO, I’ll see folks on horseback watching people pull into closeouts. I credit the laid back agricultural roots of the area with my love for it. It’s all I’ve ever been used to. 

I started surfing later in life relative to my friends. Standing up on a surfboard was a foreign concept until my early twenties, although I was thoroughly acquainted with throwing myself off of ledges at Sandy’s and Makapu’u. 

Youthful stints in skating, snowboarding, bodyboarding, and water polo set me up quite well to take up surfing once I moved to SLO. It has since become a priority for me. I’ve always loved athletics and the outdoors, and much like snowboarding, surfing provides me with both (but with far more convenience). Surfing also gave me an outlet to compete.

I’ve slowly realized I tend to make everything a competition even when I shouldn’t. Surfing is probably one of those things, but I am who I am. Did I get the most waves? Did I get the best waves? Did I have the best turns? The list goes on. And the funniest part about it is that I am relatively “trash” compared with anyone who can actually rip.

I am the underdog, and that motivates me to push myself every time I paddle out. Surfing keeps me healthy and I plan to keep growing and progressing year after year.