119: One Wave Is Enough

Podcast - SURF MASTERY

Do you walk away from surf sessions frustrated—even when the waves were decent?

In this episode, we dive into a powerful mindset shift that helps surfers of all levels enjoy every session—no matter the conditions. Whether you're chasing the dream swell or just trying to improve, managing your expectations could be the key to unlocking more joy and better performance in the water.

• Learn how unmet expectations quietly sabotage your surfing experience

• Discover the surprising benefits of aiming for "just one wave"

• Hear real-world examples of how this mindset frees surfers and boosts performance

Hit play now to learn how a small mindset shift can help you catch more waves, feel more stoke, and surf with more ease.

Key Points

• Introduction of the podcast discussing the importance of managing expectations in surfing.

• Discussion on the emotional impact of unmet expectations when surfing, emphasizing the role of expectations in creating disappointment or elation.

• Suggestion to lower expectations, particularly around surf conditions, and adopt a mindset of aiming to catch just one wave as a strategy to enhance enjoyment and reduce frustration.

• Personal anecdote illustrating the effectiveness of managing expectations by aiming to catch just one wave, even in challenging conditions.

• Observation that setting low expectations, such as catching one wave, leads to greater enjoyment and improved performance in surfing.

• Encouragement for listeners to try setting their expectation to catch just one wave during their next surf session to experience the benefits of managing expectations.

Outline

Managing Expectations in Surfing

• Michael Frampton, the host of the Surf Mastery Podcast, discusses the importance of managing expectations in surfing.

• Michael shares personal experiences of arriving at the beach with high expectations based on forecasts, only to find the conditions different than expected.

• The emotional swings experienced by surfers are often due to unmet expectations rather than the surf conditions themselves.

• Michael suggests setting low expectations, such as aiming to catch just one wave, to enhance the surfing experience.

• By lowering expectations, surfers can focus more on the enjoyment of being in the ocean rather than the number of waves caught.

• Michael recounts a recent surf where, despite challenging conditions, catching just one wave made the experience rewarding.

• Michael has shared this 'one wave' approach with clients, who have reported increased enjoyment and improved performance in the water.

• The approach encourages surfers to appreciate the waves they catch more, regardless of the conditions.

• Michael challenges listeners to try setting their expectation to catch just one wave on their next surf.

• For those interested in exploring this philosophy further, Michael recommends visiting surfmastery.com to download the e-book, The Philosophy of Surfing.

Transcription:

Welcome back or welcome to the Surf Mastery Podcast. The show that helps passionate, lifelong surfers to catch more waves, surf with more speed, style, and grace, building wisdom and confidence in the water. I am your host, Michael Frampton, and today's episode is all about managing expectations in surfing. Now, we've all had the experience of turning up to the beach and expecting it to be four foot and offshore because that's what the forecast promised. But then when we arrive, it's two foot and onshore. That familiar feeling of disappointment sets in. And of course, the opposite is true. The forecast says it's going to be two foot and onshore, but we decide to go for a surf anyway. And when we get there, it's four foot and clean, and suddenly... you are elated. Now, these emotional swings aren't actually caused by the surf itself. It's caused by your expectations.

So it actually makes sense to lower your expectations, especially around conditions. For example, if your expectation is that it's surfable, that's a pretty low bar. Combine that with the mindset of "I'm going to catch one wave," and you've set a low bar that's actually empowering and realistic. Most frustration, anger, and disappointment in the surf comes from these unmet expectations. If you expect to catch ten waves but only get three, you will likely walk away frustrated. Because what happens then is, instead of you focusing on the enjoyment of the experience of being in the ocean and riding three waves, you chose to focus on the seven waves that you didn't get.

And lately, I've been practicing this idea. And when I paddle out, my goal is to catch one wave, no matter what the surf is like. A couple of weeks ago, I drove out to the beach for a surf and the only expectation I had was that it was going to be surfable. Had boards in the car ready for any type of condition, as always. And then, when I turned up, it looked like it was pumping. It was well overhead. There were heaps of waves coming through. There were plenty of surfers out, but there were plenty of waves as well.

And I sort of felt like I should higher my expectations. But I managed them in the moment and I thought, no, I'm just going to suit up, paddle out, and catch one wave. Go from there. And then, as I was suiting up, I was watching the surf, and I sort of realized, man, people aren't really catching these waves. There's a lot of paddling for waves happening, but no one was really catching them. I wasn't quite sure why when I was suiting up. But when I got out, when I managed to paddle out the back, I realized, man, it's actually really hard to catch these waves. There was a lot of water moving. There was a lot of backwash and secondary swells.

So it was really tricky to get into these waves. And most of the surfers out there were pretty frustrated with it. Because I suspect they had seen the surf look like it was pumping, and they paddled out with all these expectations of catching some of these waves. And not many people were. And the ones that were catching were just really bumpy and there wasn't much good quality surfing going on. It took me forty minutes to catch one wave, but that one wave made my day. That's because I'd kept my expectations low.

I've been sharing these thoughts with clients recently as well. And a few clients have adopted this "just one wave" approach, and it's taken the pressure off their surfing. They're enjoying surfing more, feeling freer in the water. Ironically, they're actually surfing better as a result. It tends to be what happens. Because, when the example I gave—when the waves, they look good but they aren't, which happens a lot—and it takes you ages to even get one, where you've met your expectation, you actually appreciate that one wave a lot more. But if I had paddled out there and caught that one wave in the first five minutes, then I got another, another thirty-five minutes of time up my sleeve. And if you end up catching two, that's double your expectations. And of course, I've had surfs recently where I've paddled out expecting to catch one and caught twenty. Just makes you enjoy surfing so much more.

So, listener, here's the challenge. Next time you go surfing, set your expectation to just catching one wave. Try it. Feel it out. See what happens. If you enjoyed this philosophical approach to surfing and you want to go deeper, head over to surfmastery.com and grab a copy of the e-book The Philosophy of Surfing. It's available now for about the price of a cup of coffee. The link is in the show notes. And as always, thanks for listening. Keep surfing.

119 One Wave Is Enough: The Surfer’s Guide to Managing Expectations

For the passionate surfer—whether you're a weekend warrior, a surf dad, or an older surfer—this podcast is all about better surfing and deeper stoke. With expert surf coaching, surf training, and surfing tips, we’ll help you catch more waves, refine your paddling technique, and perfect your pop up on a surfboard. From surf workouts to handling wipeouts, chasing bigger waves, and mastering surf technique, we’re here to make sure you not only improve but truly enjoy surfing more—so you can get more out of every session and become a wiser surfer. Go from Beginner or intermediate Surfer to advanced.