In the mid-1960s, there was a place on the sands of Waikiki called Perry Boys’. It featured an all-you-can eat breakfast for a dollar, and surfers would line up there, still dripping wet from the gentle waves out front, and mow through the place like locusts in a corn field.
Even then I wondered how a business could ever survive an army of ravenous wave riders, each piling four or five plates high with bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes and Hawaiian sweet bread. This, of course, was all washed down with oceans of coffee, orange juice or passionfruit/guava. I get sick just writing about my former gluttony.
Making matters worse for the proprietors were those unfortunates who didn’t have a buck, and so, I was told, would wait beneath the balcony for food-filled napkins to be air-dropped like care packages to hungry hands below. While I never participated in that, I, for one, would like to apologize for my part in Perry Boys’ demise.
By the 1970s, a group of brash young Australian surfers perfected the craft of all-you-can eat at the Kuilima Hotel on Oahu’s North Shore. Imagine the appetites of 20-something-year-old top professional surfers after a day of doing battle with Sunset Beach.
They called themselves the “Bronzed Aussies,” and Ian “Kanga” Cairns and Peter “PT” Townend were the leaders of the pack. Also, along for the ride most days was Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew. All three of the aforementioned would rise to become world champions, eclipsing their mastery of the game of eating.
Ian once lectured me on the art of the smorgasbord. “Don’t fill your plate with the first items in the line,” he warned. “Go light on the salads, and things like potatoes and pasta. Avoid bread completely and save room for chicken, fish and steaks. Also, never get in line behind me.”
As history has since proven, the Aussies had it right in those days. They made dinner the big meal, while I gorged from the moment I awoke. Somehow, I never realized then that surfing on a full stomach was not a great idea. I know now that it slowed me down and made swimming in (the surf leash had not yet been invented in the 1960s) far more difficult.
I currently practice intermittent fasting, and don’t take any nourishment until around noon each day. This may be difficult initially but becomes easier over time. Intermittent fasting, in theory anyway, gives the digestive tract a much-needed break. While I am not completely convinced this is true, I know for certain that I have far more energy when not lugging around extra pounds of undigested food.
Intermittent fasting is not for everyone, but it might be a key to better health and fitness for you. Be sure to consult your health care professional to see if skipping the morning or evening meal will work for you.
As for nutrition itself, I call myself a vegetarian who eats meat, and find that the generally agreed upon idea of consuming mostly organic fruits and vegetables works well for most everyone. I am also certain that eating as much as possible is not good for surfing or long life.
Still, diet is not a one-size-fits all proposition. You have to figure out what works for you. Sticking to a healthy diet will help you avoid many of the pitfalls encountered by aging surfers.
