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Daily Speculations The Web Site of Victor Niederhoffer & Laurel Kenner Dedicated to the scientific method, free markets, deflating ballyhoo, creating value, and laughter; a forum for us to use our meager abilities to make the world of specinvestments a better place. |
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03/28/2004
Surfing
and Trading
By Jim Sogi
Big Wave Surfing is very much like
trading. Catch a trend and you're on
top of the world. The key is timing and positioning. Required:
years of
training and top physical and mental shape. Typically waves
come in sets
of 2-5 waves of varying sizes with lulls in between. The sets
tend to
follow a pattern and come in regular intervals. There is
usually a small
area in which one can catch the wave. If you are too far out,
you'll
miss the wave, if you're too far in, you get smashed by the
breaking
wave. To find your spot sitting in the middle of the ocean, you
"line
up" with several points on the land in order to triangulate
your optimal
take off spot.
You can tell if there is a wave coming over the horizon by
looking for
an "indicator wave" , usually dark line along the far horizon,
and you
jockey for position competing with the other surfers for the
best spot
to take off. You have to pick the right shape wave, and
position
yourself just in the right spot, or else it may break in front
of you
and knock you down. Once the swell is near, paddle as hard as
you can to
build up speed. Timing is critical: too soon, you miss the
wave, too
late, and you get pitched "over the falls". Your heart is
thumping. As
the wave steepens, you accelerate and soon are shooting
straight down a
20-30 foot moving cliff of water. You have to give 110% effort
and
overcome your fear, or else you'll be pitched. There is no
turning back,
You jump to your feet and fly down a wall of water two to three
city
stories tall moving at about 30 miles an hour. You look up as
the wave
throws a two foot thick slab of water moving at 30-40 miles an
hour 20
feet out in the air over your head. The water is like concrete
at that
speed. You ride down to the end of the wave and "kick out" once
the
energy of the wave is spent.
Surfing, like trading, deals with powerful forces beyond your
control.
You compete for position among other surfers, and catch
powerful moves.
You must overcome your fear and go with all your effort with
total
confidence, and years of training. If you don't feel 100%, you
had
betting not even venture out into the line up.
Note from Rip MacKenzie:
re. surfing article on your site,
to add visuals of big wave surfing go to a
site i visit daily: http://www.surfermag.com/av/
see jaws wipeouts and cortez bank heist for big wave tow-ins and wipe outs
at their best. see reef models on location for the better side of surfing.