Why Bitcoin is A lot Like Surfing

I’ve loved surfing for many, many years before Bitcoin even existed. At this point in 2021, I am a 5-year-old Bitcoiner and a 5-month old Twitter Bitcoiner.

In this short 5 month on Twitter, I have noticed an inordinate amount of Bitcoiners who are also surfers .

Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador was even started — in a surf town area — by a surfer named Mike Petersen.

My current thesis is that surfing and Bitcoin’ing have a lot in common .

Surfing and Bitcoin Require Patience and Far-Sightedness

Most of the time you are “surfing”, you are actually not “riding-that-wave” surfing.

Instead, you are laying prone on your surfboard sitting in the water watching the incoming waves for the one that has your name on it.

Or you’re paddling out to sit in the water and wait for the wave.

The same is true for buying Bitcoin — you’re sitting, you’re waiting, and maybe you’re dollar-cost-averaging.

You’re watching for big dips so you can make a big buy and ride that wave up.

Surfing and Bitcoin — both breed patience and a longer view to the horizon.

Surfing and Bitcoin Can Get you Rekt

The other time you are not “riding-that-wave” surfing is when you are getting rekt by a wave or by your own poor choices.

You can get bruised, battered, beaten or worse — by the water and waves.

This can happen with Bitcoin as well.

Were you required to sell at a loss? Did you over-leverage yourself? You can be totally financially demolished by these choices.

Surfing and Bitcoin — both can wreck you.

Surfing and Bitcoin — Best to Start Small

I remember when I first learned to surf. I was still very much a beginner and a friend and I heard a hurricane was coming. Because we were now surfers, we high-tailed it to the beach.

Because that’s what surfers do — surfers chase the waves.

After paddling furiously just to get a little bit away from shore, we did not surf but instead clung to our boards as they were rocketed back to shore.

You can see similar attitudes with Bitcoin.

Long time Bitcoiners are talking about 95 percent allocations and posting their buys. Because you are now a Bitcoiner, you want to do the same.

Take a breath and dip your toe in with a small buy, then keep learning.

Surfing and bitcoin — with both it is best to start small and learn.

Surfing and Bitcoin — Sometimes the Water is Flat

Sometimes you are not surfing because there are no waves — the water is flat.

So you hang out in the water or on the beach and share stories and plans for surfing.

Sometimes, there is little to no Bitcoin price change action.

Price is flat.

It’s not going up much, it’s not going down much.

You hang out with the Bitcoin community or new users and contribute by building, testing, educating, or just sharing stories and your ideas for bitcoin education, advocacy, adoption.

Surfing and bitcoin — both have a great community of people.

Surfing and Bitcoin Have Higher Vibrations

Surfing — yes, it’s a sport.

However, surfing also evokes many spiritual metaphors — it’s like walking on water, a spiritual experience, being truly one with a force of nature.

Surfing is inspirational.

Bitcoin — yes, it’s a potential money-for-a-better-life-maker.

However, for most people, Bitcoin has a higher purpose.

Helping the unbanked, the censored, those whose rights are oppressed, and those who are being ground down or frozen out by the current fiat monetary system.

Bitcoin is inspiration as well.

Surfing and Bitcoin — both cause you to look at higher purposes.

It’s Early for Bitcoin, but We Can Ride it Into the Future

Surfing has been around since the Incas first rode waves thousands of years ago.

Bitcoin was born in 2009 and is much younger.

I believe Bitcoin will continue forward well into the future — in part due to its many similarities with surfing.

Looking forward to the ride.