🌊 The Ocean Doesn’t Care How Old You Are
The thing about the ocean is—it doesn’t play favorites.
It doesn’t care if you’re 8 years old or 28. If you’re nervous or confident. If you’ve just waxed your board perfectly or forgot your leash again. The waves come anyway.
That’s one of the first lessons surfing taught me.
When I paddle out at my home break in Batukaras, it’s me, my board, and the sea. There’s no classroom, no grades, no “good job” stickers. Just salt in my eyes, water in my ears, and a voice in my head that says: “Let’s try again.”
🌈 Falling Is Normal. Getting Back Up Is Where the Magic Happens.
I remember my first proper wave. Not the tiny whitewater stuff, but the kind where you actually have to paddle hard, time your pop-up, and commit. I missed it.
And the next one.
And the next.
I cried a little. I was frustrated. My arms felt like noodles. But Coach Budi paddled beside me and just smiled. He didn’t yell or push. He just said: “You’re getting closer.”
That sentence changed everything.
It’s easy to think confidence comes when you land the wave. But what I’ve learned is, confidence actually builds when you miss — and keep going anyway. That’s when you’re training your brain to believe in yourself.
💬 Confidence Isn’t Loud. It’s Quiet and Grows in Layers.
People often think confidence means shouting or showing off. But real confidence is way more quiet.
It’s the little voice that says, “You’ve got this,” right before the drop.
It’s the deep breath you take after wiping out hard but choosing to paddle back out.
It’s knowing you belong in the lineup — even when you’re the youngest one out there.
Surfing gives you that kind of confidence, not in one big moment, but wave by wave, day by day. It teaches you to listen to your body, to your breath, to the ocean — and that trust becomes a kind of strength you carry with you even on dry land.
🏝 The Ocean Became My Confidence Classroom
Where some kids go to piano class or soccer fields, I’ve got the reef, the tide, the lineup. My classroom changes with the swell and my lessons don’t come with grades — but I’m learning something every single session.
One day, it’s about patience.
The next, it’s about handling frustration.
Sometimes, it’s about respect — for older surfers, for the wave, for yourself.
Every session, I leave the water a little braver than when I paddled out.
🧠 From Surfboard to School Desk
Here’s the wild part: what I learn in the ocean actually helps me outside of it too.
There was this one day I had a school presentation. I felt nervous. Like, butterflies doing 360s in my stomach. But then I remembered how I paddled into a messy set the weekend before. I remembered how my knees were shaking but I went anyway.
That memory helped me breathe deeper. I stood up and did the thing — just like surfing.
That’s how I know surfing doesn’t just build muscle or balance — it builds mindset.
Also Read : School & Surf: How I Balance Both
👯♀️ Community Builds Confidence Too
One of the coolest parts of being a young surfer is the community. Other groms, older surfers, uncles, aunties, traveling surfers who give me high-fives in the lineup — they’re all part of my crew.
That support matters.
When you’re starting out, every cheer, every “yeew!” or little nod from someone you look up to — it gives you fuel. It’s like: “Whoa, they believe in me too!”
Confidence isn’t always solo. Sometimes it grows faster when you’re surrounded by people who believe in your light before you see it fully yourself.
💖 Surfing Helped Me Believe I Could Be More
Before I found surfing, I didn’t know what my thing was.
But now, I wake up thinking about waves. I go to bed dreaming about the next session. I journal about goals and dream of WSL titles. I write blog posts (like this one) to help other kids see that they can believe in themselves too.
Surfing gave me something bigger than sport — it gave me purpose.
When you find something you love this much, it pulls the confidence out of you — even on the days when you’re feeling small.
✨ Final Thoughts: What Surfing Taught Me (So Far)
Confidence doesn’t mean you’re never scared.
It means you trust yourself enough to try — even when you are.
Surfing is a mirror. It shows you your fears, your progress, your patience. And when you show up again and again, it gives back the most powerful feeling a kid can have: belief.
So if you’re wondering whether surfing builds confidence in kids, I’ll say this:
It built mine.
Wave by wave. Fall by fall. Paddle by paddle.
And I’m just getting started.