This column was first published in The Galveston County Daily News on July 15, 2017.

It was the summer of 1985 when my friend and I resolved that we would learn to surf.

There wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to our decision. I just remember us thumbing through the pages of the surfing magazines, thinking how easy it looked when the pro surfers featured in  the photos turned on a dime, sending fans of spray in their wakes. We can do that, I thought.

Our main issue was that neither of us had a surfboard. That changed when my friend’s mom found a delaminated, used one sitting in the corner at a garage sale. Once he had the tiny, weather-beaten board in his grasp, my friend promptly set about refinishing it with fresh cans of red and white automotive paint to make it look more like the boards we saw the pros riding.

The first day taking turns riding that little board in the waves at Galveston County Pocket Park No. 2 was a disaster. For starters, we didn’t know much about how to wax the deck so we kept slipping off every time we tried to lay on it and paddle. Second, we had no clue how to get from our stomachs to our feet. It seemed impossible.

Of course, that didn’t stop us from trying. And we’ve kept trying over and over again for these past three decades. Fortunately, as we got older and stronger, we figured out how to ride waves at many locations around the world.

The real issue, I would learn later, was that our first surfboard was just too darn short for either of us. When it comes to learning how to surf, choosing the right-sized board is critical.

If there’s one piece of advice I can give to the surfer that’s just starting out, it would be this: Get yourself a longboard rather than one of the wafer-thin shortboards you’ll see ridden by the pros on the world tour.

A longboard, preferably one at least nine feet long and thicker than your arm is wide, will be easier to paddle, make it somewhat likely that you’ll stand up at some point during your first day in the water and be a whole heck of a lot more enjoyable when your figuring this wave-riding thing out.

The key with surfing—as with life—is to never give up. Your next ride could be your best yet.

Board Shorts

Goodbye to “Wave Hog”

Condolences to the friends and family of Larry “Wave Hog” LeGros, who died June 15 at the age of 63. LeGros, a longtime surfer from the Upper Texas Coast, developed his own line of surfboards under the “Wave Hog” label, which he promoted from coast to coast for many years. He was considered a friend and mentor to many up and coming surfers from this region through the years and always had a smile on his face both in and out of the water.

Southern Comforts

In late May, a group of Texas surfers headed to southern Mexico to log some water time at a famous Pacific Ocean point break. Scoring fun waves (and dodging the season’s first Pacific tropical storm during the trip) were Steve Hill, G. Scott Ellwood, Lauren Kenney, Bronson Hilliard, Lee Hughes, James Fulbright, D. Kenney, Melvin Kottwitz, Andre Leeder, Tim Moriarity, Mark Zwahr, Mick McDonald and Mike Meyers.

Salty Dogs

Don’t miss the 5th annual Ohana Surf Dog Competition on Sunday on the beach at 28th Street and Seawall Boulevard. Registration for the competition, which benefits the Galveston Island Humane Society, begins at 8 a.m. with competition starting at 9 a.m. Activities for this year’s event include the surfing dog competition, a puppy sandbox complete with toys and a hydration area and an adoption tent to learn more about rescuing your own canine. Registration for the competition is $25 but otherwise it’s free to attend.

This is a new column about surfers and surfing-related topics here in Galveston and across the Upper Texas Coast. It is written by Stephen Hadley, a former journalist and longtime Texas surfer who lives and works in Galveston. To submit ideas for this column, please email stephen@boardshortscolumn.com.