I finally surfed in 2026
One item on my bucket list got ticked off earlier this year.
I finally surfed in the ocean.
It happened in Weligama, Sri Lanka, on a trip that was unfortunately way too short. I hadn’t planned for it, but by some luck our resort was right on a beach with low tides and a reputation for surfing.
Given that I didn’t know how to swim, I had to gather up a lot of courage. The ocean is an unforgiving beast.
It was a great experience.
Surfing looks cool from the shore. In reality, it’s mostly the ocean humbling you again and again. You paddle, mistime it, get up too early, lean the wrong way, wipe out, swallow some saltwater, and try again.
And that’s exactly why I loved it.
Every fall teaches you something. The more times you fall, the less dramatic it feels. And the less dramatic it feels, the faster you get better. At some point, falling stops feeling like failure and starts feeling like progress.
That felt bigger than surfing.
A lot of life works like this. Building, writing, leading, learning, almost nothing meaningful comes without looking stupid a few times first. Surfing just makes that truth impossible to ignore.
And also, seawater tastes absolutely terrible.
