Turns Out Maslow Was a Surfer (A Mental Surfer): What Learning to Surf at Short Sands Beach Really Looks Like
- Joshua Moore
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Turns Out Maslow Was a Surfer (A Mental Surfer): What Learning to Surf at Short Sands Beach Really Looks Like
Most people think learning to surf is about standing up on a board.
And sure—there’s some truth to that.
You learn how to paddle. How to pop up. How to balance. How to catch waves.
But after years of coaching at Short Sands Beach on the Oregon Coast, I’ve realized surfing follows a much deeper pattern.
Funny enough, psychologist Abraham Maslow may have understood surfing better than surfers themselves.
He just never picked up a board.
Maslow created what’s called the Hierarchy of Needs—a blueprint for how humans grow. According to Maslow, we all move through layers of development. First comes survival, then safety, connection, confidence, growth, and eventually something deeper: transcendence.
The funny thing?
That’s almost exactly how learning to surf works!
At SurfLife, this is pretty close to how we coach at Short Sands Beach—whether someone is catching their very first wave or building confidence in cold water. If you’re curious what a lesson experience looks like, you can learn more about our private and semi-private surf lessons here.
Maybe Maslow wasn’t a surfer.
Maybe he was a mental surfer.
1. First Comes Survival
Before technique.
Before style.
Before confidence.
Before the Instagram photo.
There are basics that have to be covered first.
Cold water surfing on the Oregon Coast is no joke.
If you’ve ever stood in the parking lot at Short Sands on a gray morning and felt that cool ocean air hit your face, you know exactly what I mean.
The Pacific Ocean demands respect. Mother Nature will try to take your life, make no mistake about it!!! This is the real price of admission.
That means:
A wetsuit that actually fits
Staying warm
Eating before a lesson
Hydration
Feeling physically comfortable
Learning how to stay calm in cold water
At SurfLife, we slow things down in the beginning because a cold, overwhelmed person doesn’t learn well.
They survive.
And there’s no shame in that.
The nervous system matters.
When people are freezing, stressed, or overwhelmed, learning shuts down.
That’s why we spend time getting gear dialed in.
Why we check in.
Why we include snacks and water.
Why we explain things before rushing into the ocean.
The best learning happens when someone feels regulated.
A calm surfer learns faster.
And honestly?
Life works that way too.
2. Safety Before Ego
This may be the most important thing we teach.
At Short Sands, the ocean changes every day.
Sometimes it’s playful.
Sometimes it’s humbling. If you want to better understand the beach itself, check out our complete guide to surfing Short Sands Beach.
Sometimes it reminds you very quickly that you’re not in control.
That’s one of the first lessons surfing teaches.
Respect.
Before anyone catches waves, we build trust.
We talk about:
Ocean safety
Rip currents
Entry and exit points
Where to place gear
Wave timing
How to read conditions
Why the tide and wind matter
Most beginners show up carrying the same hidden question:
“Am I going to be okay out here?”
And honestly?
That’s a fair question.
The ocean can feel intimidating.
Especially at first.
That’s why good coaching matters.
At SurfLife, we believe confidence comes after safety—not before it.
We don’t throw people into situations they aren’t ready for.
We meet people where they are.
Sometimes the biggest thing a coach provides isn’t technical advice.
It’s calmness.
Confidence.
Composure in chaos.
The feeling of:
“Okay… I can trust this.”
And maybe even:
“This coach knows this place.”
Because Short Sands isn’t just somewhere we teach.
It’s home.
We know the cove.
The wind.
The tide windows.
Where beginners tend to feel comfortable.
Where things can get tricky.
And those little details matter.
Because trust creates confidence.
3. Belonging: Finding Your Place in the Lineup
Something funny happens after a few waves.
People relax.
They laugh more.
The nervousness fades.
They start talking in the parking lot.
Sharing stories.
Asking questions.
Celebrating small wins.
Surfing has this strange way of creating connection.
You stop feeling like an outsider.
And slowly start feeling like:
“Maybe I belong here.”
That matters more than people realize.
Especially for beginners.
The ocean can feel intimidating when you’re new.
A lot of people secretly wonder if they’re too old, too inexperienced, too out of shape, or somehow “not surfer enough.”
The truth?
Nobody starts confident.
Nobody starts graceful.
Everyone begins somewhere.
At SurfLife, we try to make Short Sands feel less intimidating and more welcoming.
Like maybe this place could become familiar.
Maybe even become your place too.
Because surfing isn’t just about riding waves.
It’s about relationship.
With the ocean.
With yourself.
And with the people around you.
Community matters.
The shared stoke matters.
Feeling like you belong matters.
4. Confidence Starts Showing Up
This is where things start getting fun.
The first popup.
The first clean ride.
The first time someone realizes:
“Wait… I can actually do this.”
You can literally watch confidence happen in real time.
People arrive nervous.
Stiff.
Overthinking everything.
Then one wave clicks.
And suddenly?
Different person.
Standing taller.
Smiling bigger.
More belief.
That’s one of my favorite parts of coaching.
Watching people surprise themselves.
At SurfLife, we focus heavily on fundamentals because confidence comes from repetition.
Good technique builds trust.
And trust builds confidence.
We break things down.
Adapt to learning styles.
Some people learn visually.
Some by repetition.
Some by encouragement.
Some by understanding why something works.
A good coach adapts.
Because every surfer learns differently.
Confidence isn’t built through perfection.
It’s built through trying again.
And again.
And again.
Until one day the thing that felt impossible becomes normal.
Funny how that applies to life too.
5. Self-Actualization: Becoming More Yourself
Eventually surfing becomes more than surfing.
Something shifts.
The ocean humbles you.
Teaches patience.
Perspective.
Resilience.
Humility.
You stop trying to force everything.
You learn timing.
You learn patience.
You learn that fighting energy rarely works.
Working with energy does.
The ocean teaches calmness in chaos.
Presence.
Acceptance.
Somewhere along the way, surfing stops becoming something you do.
And starts becoming part of who you are.
You begin understanding why surfers wake up early.
Why people chase storms.
Why someone would willingly put on a wetsuit in cold water just to paddle around.
Because it becomes less about performance.
And more about feeling alive.
A lot of people come for surfing.
But leave with something deeper.
Confidence.
Perspective.
A reminder that growth usually lives just outside comfort.
6. Transcendence: The Wave Beyond the Wave
And then there’s something beyond confidence.
Something harder to explain.
At some point, surfing stops being about proving yourself.
You stop caring about looking cool.
Stop chasing validation.
The ego gets quieter.
The ocean has a funny way of doing that.
You wipe out.
You get humbled.
You paddle back out.
Again.
And again.
Eventually something changes.
The things the world tells us should matter—status, possessions, appearances, constantly wanting more—start feeling smaller.
Not meaningless.
Just smaller.
Because after enough time in the ocean, your values begin shifting.
You start appreciating:
Presence.
Friendship.
Health.
Nature.
Challenge.
Stillness.
Moments that remind you you’re alive.
Psychologists call this transcendence.
Moving beyond yourself.
Surfers might just call it perspective.
Maybe that’s why people keep coming back.
Not just for waves.
But for what the waves teach us.
The reminder that life feels better when it’s simple.
That falling is part of growth.
That discomfort creates confidence.
And that sometimes the best version of ourselves shows up when the ego finally quiets down.
Maybe that’s what we’re really coaching at SurfLife.
Not just surfing.
But resilience.
Confidence.
Presence.
And the kind of growth that follows you home long after the wetsuit comes off.
Because I wanted to live deliberately.
To face only the essential facts of life.
And not someday look back and realize…
I had not truly lived.
Maybe that’s what surfing gives us.
Not an escape from life.
But a way back into it. If this philosophy resonates with you, maybe it’s time to experience Short Sands for yourself. Whether it’s your first wave or your first step back into the ocean, we’d love to help guide the journey.
Coast Like a Local. Surf Like One Too (maybe)🤙
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