Andy McDermott photo/Tom Major
The sun’s out and the surf’s up, so I talked to Bobby Frongillo of Soul Surf Collective, in Freeport, and Andy McDermott of Black Point Surf Shop, in Scarborough, about how to begin catching waves.
How did you get into surfing? If someone wants to start surfing, what’s the best way to begin?
Bobby: I grew up in Georgia. I wanted to look cool when we were on family trips down in Florida. I was twelve years old and my cousin got a board. He got real frustrated with it because he couldn’t get it in one session. So I took his board out and worked my ass off for it.
You get a lot of people who [recommend that beginners] take surf lessons. I’m kind of weird about the whole surf-lesson culture because everybody’s being taught in a very standardized way that doesn’t necessarily work for each individual person. And you get a lot of these social-influencing surf coaches who are teaching people just wrong.
My recommendation is, if you’re interested, rent a board. Hang out at the surf shop, ask some questions. … My thing is, go surf. If you really want to get started, the best way to learn is to … throw your body at it in every way possible. You’re gonna get thrashed, you’re gonna fail a ton, and be OK with that.
Andy: Borrow a surfboard from a friend and head to the beach. That’s how I started. I was nineteen, visiting my brother in Nantucket. I went to the beach and saw this guy with a surfboard. That was the first time I had ever seen a surfboard, because every time I went to the beach in Maine, the water was flat. I never saw surfers. I didn’t even know that was a thing in Maine.
When that guy came in, I went over to him, and I was like, “Hey, can I go try that?” He let me take his board out, and then he waved to me at some point because he wanted to leave. I was probably out there forty minutes or something.
What’s it like to surf in Maine these days?
Bobby: When I started surfing, [there was] an old guard out there that was respected. The respect was based on ability, but also that respecting-your-elders culture. … Now that respect doesn’t exist and it’s supremely frustrating. People just don’t look, drop in on you … people who have come up from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island. They’ll paddle around people, dominating the lineup. And I’m like, “Yo, you haven’t put in your time on this break, you need to get the fuck away.”
Andy: I started right down here at Higgins Beach, and I still surf there now. … We have more people surfing, but we’re lucky that we’re in Maine. We have a really friendly surf community. I feel like if we had this many people and we were in California … you’re gonna get people that are yelling at each other, and there’s gonna be someone who has an enforcer title or something. … But here, everyone’s out there to just have fun.
What’s the best beach to learn to surf?
Bobby: Pine Point or Popham. Neither of them are secret. If the waves are big — say, over four feet — at Popham, it gets sketchy and I wouldn’t recommend it, because the rips get a little gnarly. You need some experience. Pine Point is a great soft-learning beach. It rolls in nicely, it’s got decent sand bars, and it’s so spread out that you don’t have to worry about hurting anybody or getting hurt by somebody.
Where’s the best place to surf in Maine?
Andy: The beach closest to your house. I learned that in California … driving all over the place to go surfing. These guys asked me why I didn’t just surf at this place called Waves 204. I thought about it. Why drive somewhere to go surfing when you can just walk to the beach and surf? There’s something simple and beautiful and awesome about just being able to go to the beach closest to you and just go surfing.
Dude, you should totally send surfing tips and other rad local sports stuff to Tom Major at leagueofbollards@gmail.com.
