Three years ago in Malibu, the sun reflected on ocean waves as surfers floated like scattered notes on a musical staff. For his 45th birthday, Sam Youngman sat on the pier, coffee in hand, watching them ride.
As he watched one group of surfers, Youngman noticed a pod of whales positioned directly behind them. Minutes later, he realized something about these sea creatures.
“The whales weren’t swimming past,” he said. “They were watching the surfers.”
Even as a kid, billboards for Ron John Surf Shop and movies like “Point Break” made him want in with the surf community, but he felt it was meant for a different class of people. Yet, at that moment, Youngman, from Owensboro, Kentucky, was consumed by an “overwhelming feeling” that he had to learn to surf. So, he did.
Youngman, now 48, is a political consultant and journalism professor at USC Annenberg. Sitting on the beach in Santa Monica, Youngman explained how surfing has infiltrated even his time teaching at USC.
“I feel sand in my shoes when I’m on campus and that keeps a part of my brain out there,” Youngman said.
Some surfers are territorial when it comes to surf breaks, but Youngman prefers to be in areas that are accessible to everyone. That’s why he gravitates towards Santa Monica, where he found a welcoming community. Take Priscilla, better known as P-Nasty, who taught him to surf and has become like a big sister to him after the two spent hours together on their boards.
“It’s hard to make friends when you’re in your 40s,” he said. “I’ve been really fortunate to meet a lot of cool people out here.”
Youngman remembers the first time he rode a wave parallel to the beach. While rising above the sea, he dipped his right hand into the water, letting it trail as he cruised down the wave. He described the moment as “magic.” But not all days are like this.
“When it’s freezing in the middle of winter and the rocks hit your toes and it feels like a hammer, those are the days you earn it,” he said. “Every time you get your ass whooped, the first thing you do is get back on the board and you paddle out.”
It’s that mentality that Youngman carries with him everywhere now. Though he’s still learning, Youngman likens surfing to a “healthy drug” that he wants to chase for the rest of his life.
“I’m completely hooked, and it’s all I want to do now.”