Just wanna surf - not arrive at the Billabong

For the past 5 months your intrepid scribe has been nursing a post neck operation. No surfing, no physical activity that can jeopardise recovery, just physiotherapy and lots of reflection.

For a time I felt like a fire gradually losing it's oxygen........

The things that were valuable, was the researching, the skills learned about filming and editing, and the vast array of of material that was read. In absence of the surfing, was a desire to surf with my brain, in and out of endless technical advice and terminologies that had me referring to dictionaries (wikapedia) for meanings.

But I am over it now, I just want to surf. I have paid the price for taking it for granted, that life would go on forever with surfing being an option to decide upon on the day. Nup...I just want to surf again. Feel the water through my fingers as I paddle, feel the wave as it goes over my head as I do a faltered duck dive, stand up and look down the line. Just to sit in the lineup and look out to Sea. I just want to surf again..............6 weeks to go. Fitness level the equivalent of a potato, strength of a sick slug. The regime starts today!!! GET FIT, EAT FIT.

So in essence I am going back to start my surfing journey again. This is not ALL bad, in fact it refocuses me on why I started surfing in the first place......the pure physical and mind exhilaration......

(photo - Dan Hayllar-wednesday waves)

It is interesting, in a way, how my 6 month journey has a similar story line to Billabong, and to some degree the major surfwear companies. While my journey (so far) has been only 6 months Billabong has a much larger time period (for the purpose of this discussion, include Quicksilver). I note that the new CEO is contemplating selling off Surfstich and swellnet as part of the recovery of the company? If I am not mistaken online sales are the growing market and bricks and mortar are declining? Anyway that is probably a commercial decision and one that the shareholders will have to wear (pardon the pun).

I want to try to simplify this, it has been stated that most surfwear is worn by people who don't surf. Nothing wrong with that. After all, I have been known to wear footy shorts, but I don't play footy. 

Fashion is a state of mind, but if you don't follow it than you become a slave of it. So, anyway, Billabong and others have moved to public companies, a commercial outfit, employing lots of people (or used to?) and is responsible to shareholders and most likely, super funds. It is simple, therein lay the answer.

Billabong has zip to do with surfing........it is a marketing and retail company. It has profits.....or losses that are felt across the community. It markets through "sponsoring" surf events and paying surfers a salary plus bonuses to sell their products. Fundamentally, a business model like anyone else's in that space. THE BIG PROBLEM IS............they refuse to go to established bricks and mortar stores like David Jones, Target and the like, because somehow they believe it will damage their brand (surfing related). THE REALITY IS.........that is exactly what they are a major retail label, loosely based on surfing and requiring (for some reason) to use bricks and mortar for sales.

A side issue, but in some ways supports the point......recently I was visiting a camping store and there were Quicksilver tents. On the same day I went to specsavers to get new glasses and there were Quicksilver glasses frames?

So...........lets try to now link the similarities between my six months of recovery and reflection to the plight of the now suffering Billabong.

It is easy.........while mine was forced discovery of finding new things to explore, my absolute desire to return to surfing is where I recognise my base.
Billabong has strayed so far away from its base it is now lost, and cannot get back. It chose the greed is good philosphy and now is about to wear it (pardon the pun). There is no pleasure in saying this, but the course has been set and their relevance to surfing, the absolute pureness of surfing, is very very miniscule.

You can only wish Billabong a speedy recovery, but it is as just another fashion label that may succeed, but not as a "quirky" surf label.

As for me, well, everything happens for a reason. I only hope my return to surfing will be successful. For me success is happiness in and out of the water........for others it is return to the Billabong for another sip of miracles.

 Aloha