Surfing blog #10 Surfing after work: a whole new world
Surfing After Work: A Whole New World
A New Chapter in My Surfing Life
For years, surfing lived in a very specific box in my life: something I did only on my days off. My job has a variable schedule — I work a lot of weekends and have random weekdays off — so I always assumed surfing had to fit neatly into those open daytime windows.
Up until this past year, that was the rule I lived by. Surfing was a “day off” activity. Something reserved for when I had nothing else scheduled. Something that belonged to the margins of my life.
But this year, everything changed. For the first time, I started surfing after work as well as on my days off. And that shift opened up an entirely new world for me — one that improved my quality of life in ways I never expected.
The Guilt of Day‑Off Surfing
Surfing on days off is wonderful, but I’ll be honest: it sometimes came with a strange sense of guilt.
There was always this little voice in the back of my mind whispering:
“Shouldn’t you be doing something productive?”
Working on the yard.
Fixing something around the house.
Catching up on chores.
I still did those things — even on days I surfed — but the guilt lingered. It felt indulgent to spend my free time doing something purely for myself.
Surfing after work changed that dynamic completely.
The After‑Work Transformation
This past year, when the days were longer and the evenings stretched out into warm light, I started doing something new:
I’d leave work, race home, throw my board in the back of my truck, and head straight to the beach.
No guilt.
No hesitation.
No internal debate about productivity.
Surfing after work didn’t feel like I was “using up” my day off. It felt like reclaiming my life after a long, stressful shift. It felt like a reward, a reset, a breath of fresh air after hours of mental strain.
My job can be stressful, and I’ve always struggled to fully leave work “at the office” mentally. But the moment I stepped into the water after work, something shifted. The stress dissolved. The noise quieted. The ocean pulled me into the present moment.
It was the healthiest transition I’ve ever experienced between work life and real life.
Evenings vs. Mornings: A Different Vibe
Traditionally, when I wasn’t working, I surfed in the mornings. That’s when the waves are often cleaner, the wind calmer, the crowds lighter.
But surfing in the evenings is a completely different experience — and honestly, one I’ve grown to love.
The people in the water are different.
They’re other after‑work surfers — people who have also just finished a long day and are squeezing in something meaningful before the sun goes down.
There’s a shared energy in the lineup.
A quiet camaraderie.
A sense of collective exhale.
It feels more relaxed, more grounded, more human.
Morning surfers often feel focused, dialed‑in, sometimes competitive. Evening surfers feel like they’re there to decompress, to breathe, to let the day go.
I fit right into that rhythm.
The Light, the Air, the Feeling
Evening surfing has its own atmosphere.
The light softens.
The sky shifts into golds and pinks.
The water reflects colors you never see at noon.
There’s something magical about paddling into a wave with the sun low on the horizon, the world glowing around you. It feels like the ocean is welcoming you into a quieter, more intimate version of itself.
It’s peaceful.
It’s restorative.
It’s exactly what I didn’t know I needed.
The Mental Reset
Surfing after work does something profound to my mind.
It resets me.
It clears out the stress.
It creates a clean break between the workday and the rest of my life.
I leave the water feeling lighter, calmer, more grounded.
The problems that felt heavy at 3 p.m. feel manageable by 7 p.m.
The tension that built up throughout the day gets washed away with every wave.
It’s amazing how quickly the ocean can shift your perspective.
Surfing after work reminds me of something important:
Work is only one part of my existence — not all of it.
I have a life outside of work.
A life worth living.
A life worth protecting.
And surfing helps me step into that life with intention.
A Whole New World
Surfing after work has become one of the greatest gifts I’ve given myself.
It’s not always easy — sometimes I’m tired, sometimes the waves are junk, sometimes I only get 30 minutes before sunset. But even then, it’s worth it.
Because surfing after work isn’t just surfing.
It’s reclaiming your day.
It’s choosing joy.
It’s choosing presence.
It’s choosing to live, not just work.
It’s a whole new world — one I wish I had discovered years earlier.
Final Thoughts
This year, I stopped limiting surfing to my days off and started embracing it as part of my everyday life. And that shift changed everything.
It made me happier.
It made me healthier.
It made me more present.
It made me feel alive.
Surfing after work taught me that life doesn’t have to wait for the perfect moment or the perfect schedule.
You can carve out joy in the margins.
You can find peace in the evenings.
You can build a life that feels full, even on the busiest weeks.
And most importantly:
You can live your life outside of work — and you should.