Now that summer's nearly here anybody a really keen and regular swimmer in the sea/ surf with waist length hair or longer ? How do you tie your hair up securely given the force of the breakers as I'd like to get my old surfboard out again this year ? :)

I don't! At least most of the times I just don't. I let my hair fly around me, swim with me.
Ohh it's such a nice feeling, it's part of the enjoyment of long hair. Besides, if I don't wet my hair, I don't feel as if I have swam at all!
On the occasion that I do want to contain it, I just braid it, but still it gets wet, only braided.
Sorry if I wasn't much help :D

Being born and raised in San Diego, I'm a regular fish.

To keep my hair safe, I always braid it before swimming. Sometimes oiling beforehand. I have verrry fine, thin hair and swimming tangles it impossibly otherwise.
   Also, I usually wet my hair first with tap water to help protect it from salt/chlorine absorption. And I always rinse my hair with tap water after swimming.

After a day at the beach, I usually take a shower upon returning home to remove all of the sand/salt/seaweed/whatever.

My hair isn't waist length, but I'd care for it this same way if it were.

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I don't! At least most of the times I just don't. I let my hair fly around me, swim with me. Ohh it's such a nice feeling, it's part of the enjoyment of long hair. Besides, if I don't wet my hair, I don't feel as if I have swam at all! On the occasion that I do want to contain it, I just braid it, but still it gets wet, only braided.

Oh yes ! I enjoy it loose for swimming and messing around generally too ....  :) But a couple of years ago whilst surfing and when I thought it was as tight as possible with 3 strong elastic ponytail ties and whilst stuck in an endless face plant on the sea bed, it all suddenly came loose and started wrapping itself continuously round my face and neck on top !

What I kinda meant about the force of the breakers ! ;D

Not that I'm intending to do so !! :D but do women still wear those old white plastic bathing caps or something more modern ?

wrote on May 25^th, 2007 at 2:07pm:

Being born and raised in San Diego, I'm a regular fish. To keep my hair safe, I always braid it before swimming. Sometimes oiling beforehand. I have verrry fine, thin hair and swimming tangles it impossibly otherwise.    Also, I usually wet my hair first with tap water to help protect it from salt/chlorine absorption. And I always rinse my hair with tap water after swimming. After a day at the beach, I usually take a shower upon returning home to remove all of the sand/salt/seaweed/whatever. My hair isn't waist length, but I'd care for it this same way if it were.

Thanks - oiling and braiding sounds the best, though even on a small 4 or 5 footer the force underwater when you fall off is still pretty strong as you get pulled every which way imaginable. And just how anyone can survive after falling off, then going over the falls again on those monstrous 30/ 40 foot winter waves in Hawaii.... It's too frightening to even think about - sheer suicidal lunacy !! :o :o

Ah, you're shortboarder? I didn't know that people surfed in the UK... (you are in the UK, right?). The water seems like it would be cold yearround...I'm not sure why.

Hawaii surf is notorious for gargantuan waves. That's why it has such a draw. But I agree that you have to cross the line somewhere. There comes a point where it's just suicide, as you said. Like the crazies that take helicopters out into the middle of the ocean to catch the monster waves...forget about it!  :P

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Ah, you're shortboarder? I didn't know that people surfed in the UK... (you are in the UK, right?). The water seems like it would be cold yearround...I'm not sure why.

Oh wow yes definitely we do get waves as well !!  :D Ever since the mid fifties in fact. It’s incredibly popular these days though, especially in the South West of England in Cornwall just the same as in Oz and the US !  ;D And as the whole of the west coast of England, Wales and Scotland is on the Atlantic too obviously we get the whole lot ! Really violent storms and enormous waves sometimes ! A lot of World championship rounds have been held here for years during the summer months too, and as fortunately I'm only about an hour's drive or so from several good surf spots I'm not complaining either !  ;)

This will give you some idea !  :) Click on the very detailed surf map of west Cornwall, not bad eh ?  ;)

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=surfing+cornwall&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

It’s been my top favourite sport of all since the ahem early seventies (at least you weren’t elbowed off waves so often !), all mostly on 8’6’ish boards. Apart from mid summer yes the waters are a lot colder so wetsuits are usually essential, yet some of the locals are so keen it’s a year round sport ! I’ve seen people out surfing some really classic waves when it’s been snowing ! It’s the same in west Scotland too where the wind chill must be even worse !

The best time of all for me was when I was living in Durban, South Africa in 1979 (when bleached long hair was very much a part of the beach scene !), as I was able to spend 6 month’s surfing almost every day non-stop ! I even started one unforgettable long ride towards the beach and sea road just as the sun set finishing it in the dark by the light of the street lamps !!

The ultimate though was one fabulous mind blowing 10 day trip of a lifetime to the renowned Jeffrey’s Bay at the tip of the Cape. Clear warm waters and 2/ 3 minute long rights though the coral was razor sharp and lethal ! Hanging ten and three or four long tube rides on top are memories I will always treasure !

Yes I remember reading "Surfer" and a lot of very, very scary stuff about the winter surf in Hawaii (off Maui or Oahu ?), but I’m out of touch with it all these days. I certainly didn’t know they now take helicopters out to the really big waves !! Lunacy ! The fatalities must be even worse than before when they just used to paddle out !  :o

You a boarder too ?  :)

That is so cool! I actually had no idea that people surfed in the UK! lol I must have been living in a bubble all of this time or something. But it actually looks like a great place to surf! What beautiful beaches you all have!  :D  And with sooo much history on their shores as well!

Most surfing fatalities actually happen in rip currents, shark attacks or along rocky coasts. Surprisingly, there are very few in "monster wave" incidents...but those guys still have serious thrill issues I think. hehe

It sounds like you have a lot of great memories from all of it. hehe Not the case with me, unfortunately. I think the last time I actually "surfed," if you could call it that, I was about 12 years old. Very small kid on an enormous board in equally enormous waves...you can imagine how well that worked out. I think I did manage to stand up for at least a few seconds. lol  ;D
   So no, I'm not a surfer as yet, though I do plan to get back into it eventually. Mostly I've been a swimmer/bodyboarder.  :)

Then there's the Celtic history sides to Cornwall as a bonus !

http://www.caradon.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2115

Sounds like once you've had your first ride to shore without falling off you'll be just as hooked as I still am !  ;)

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Sounds like once you've had your first ride to shore without falling off you'll be just as hooked as I still am !  ;)

No doubt!  ;)

*sigh* That article only makes me want to visit the Celtic UK even more (most of my ancestors hail from there). And LOL at the vicar preaching to cardboard cutouts!  ;D

I think an awful lot of people in North and S. America must have some Celtic blood in them too judging, if you're interested by the excellent detailed article below. I know my great grandmother was from a very old Irish family and I gather Cornwall was also in there somewhere as well. Perhaps why I suppose I like Pantheism so much !  ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_nations

Entering Celtic Cornwall and Celts Cornwall into Google is quite rewarding as Cornwall was one of their main strongholds.

(I wonder how the vicar explained it all to the Bishop !)

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(I wonder how the vicar explained it all to the Bishop !)

"See? The congregation was so riveted by my sermon that they've all been rendered speechless!"  ;D

And yes, there are a great many Celtic descendants in the Americas.  :)