The Surfer Asks Permission From No One, And That Is The Whole Idea

The independence of the lineup reflects a deeper hunger for self-direction

Reporting brought to you by Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat.

Out On The Water, Hierarchy Dissolves And A Person Answers Only To The Sea

There is a reason that surfing has long been associated with a particular spirit of independence, a refusal to be governed, a hunger for self-direction. Out on the water, the surfer asks permission from no one. There is no boss, no authority, no permission required, only the surfer, the board, and the sea. Hierarchy dissolves, and a person answers only to the ocean and to their own skill. This independence is not incidental to surfing but central to it, reflecting a deeper hunger for self-direction, for the freedom to govern oneself, that surfing satisfies and celebrates.

The Dissolution Of Hierarchy

Out on the water, the hierarchies of ordinary life dissolve. The surfer is not subject to a boss, an authority, a structure of command. They answer only to the ocean and to their own skill. The lineup has its etiquette, its informal norms, but no formal authority, no one with the power to command. Each surfer governs themselves, reading the ocean, choosing their waves, riding according to their own skill and judgment. The dissolution of hierarchy, the absence of command, is part of what surfing offers, a space free from the structures of authority that govern ordinary life.

This dissolution of hierarchy is appealing because it offers a kind of freedom rare in ordinary life, which is full of hierarchies, authorities, structures of command. The workplace has its bosses, society its authorities, life its many structures of command. Out on the water, these dissolve, leaving the surfer to govern themselves, to answer only to the ocean and their own skill. This experience of self-government, of freedom from hierarchy, is part of surfing’s appeal, the offer of a space free from the command structures that govern so much of life.

The Hunger For Self-Direction

The independence of surfing reflects a deeper hunger for self-direction, for the freedom to govern oneself rather than be governed by others. This hunger is widespread, a desire for autonomy, for the freedom to direct one’s own life, to answer to oneself rather than to external authority. Surfing satisfies this hunger, offering an experience of self-direction, of governing oneself out on the water, of answering only to the ocean and one’s own skill. The appeal of surfing’s independence is the appeal of self-direction, of the autonomy that the hunger for self-government desires.

This hunger for self-direction is a fundamental human desire, the desire to be the author of one’s own life, to direct oneself rather than be directed by others. It underlies much of the appeal of freedom, of autonomy, of self-government. Surfing, in offering an experience of self-direction, taps into this fundamental hunger, providing a taste of the autonomy that the desire for self-government craves. The independence of the surfer, answering to no one out on the water, is a satisfaction of this hunger, a realization of the self-direction that the desire for autonomy seeks.

Independence As A Value

The independence celebrated in surfing reflects a broader value, the value of self-direction, of autonomy, of the freedom to govern oneself. This value holds that people should be free to direct their own lives, to answer to themselves rather than to external authority, to govern themselves rather than be governed. It is a value of liberty, of autonomy, of self-government, expressed in surfing’s celebration of independence but extending far beyond it. The independence of the surfer is an expression of this value, the value of self-direction that surfing celebrates and that the hunger for autonomy desires.

This value of independence, of self-direction, has implications beyond surfing, for it suggests the importance of preserving the freedom to govern oneself, of resisting the structures of authority and command that would diminish self-direction. The value that surfing celebrates, the independence of the surfer answering to no one, is a value worth defending in life more broadly, the value of autonomy, of self-government, of the freedom to direct one’s own life. The independence of the lineup reflects a value that extends to the defense of freedom itself, the freedom to govern oneself that the hunger for self-direction craves.

Answering To The Sea

The surfer asks permission from no one, and that is the whole idea, the celebration of an independence that reflects a deeper hunger for self-direction, for the freedom to govern oneself. Out on the water, hierarchy dissolves, and the surfer answers only to the sea and to their own skill, experiencing a self-government, a freedom from command, that satisfies the hunger for autonomy. This independence is central to surfing, expressing a value of self-direction that extends far beyond the lineup.

The independence of the surfer, answering to no one, governing themselves out on the water, is an expression of a fundamental value, the value of self-direction, of autonomy, of the freedom to govern oneself. This value, celebrated in surfing, is worth defending in life more broadly, the freedom to direct one’s own life, to answer to oneself rather than external authority. The surfer answering only to the sea is an image of this freedom, of the self-direction that the hunger for autonomy craves, of the independence that surfing celebrates and that reflects a deeper desire for the liberty to govern oneself, answering to no one, free out on the water, directing one’s own course according to one’s own skill and judgment. See the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for relevant context, and the California Coastal Commission for further background.

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