How to entertain yourself on the sand if you canât hit the waves
So youâve reached the beach. All your friends have their boards, wetsuits, and locals-only attitude at the ready, and youâre there trembling. You havenât told them yet. You canât surf can you? Staring out at the rolling blue waves, cascading over the sand in front of you. Itâs a perfect day, the water is glassy, undulating sporadically as dark figures dart through the whitewash. But you canât join them.
Surfing is the great Australian pastime, as weâre surrounded by water on all sides, and almost everyone has had some experience trying to stand up on a fibreglass board. But for some reason, you havenât. And for whatever reason that is, itâs really ok. Surfing isnât everyoneâs cup of tea. For some getting in the water is an escape, a de-stressing technique that doesnât need to involve a board or silent competition over a wave.
But then what should you do while everyone hits the surf around you? Should you leave? Absolutely not. Thereâs no reason a minor setback like this should cause you to leave the beach. Thereâs plenty to do at the beach if you canât surf. You can have a little fun, cause a little mischief, or maybe learn something.
Hereâs 15 things you could do at the beach if you canât surf.
Image credit: Neon
Read
Take the time on the sidelines to catch up on some essential summer reading. Whether youâre of the Jacob Elordi inclination, and bring a collection of poetry with you wherever you go, or more like Bill Nighy, and opt for some fresh political analysis. Whatever your stance or habits, bringing a book to the beach to pass the time is never a bad idea.
Image credit: Lochie Blanch via Unsplash
Play beach cricket
Getting agitated while you watch the surfers? Get into the other Australian pastime, beach cricket. Hammer some stumps into the sand, get your bat and away you go. Beach cricket has this magnetic effect at the beach, like opening a bottle of champagne at the bar: people become drawn to you, wanting to get involved. If all your players are out in the surf, beach cricket is a surefire way to find some new ones.
Image credit: 20th Century Studios
Learn to surf
Probably the best thing you could do at the beach if you can’t surf, and are feeling excluded from the surf world, is actually learn how to surf. Start on the small waves, practise your standing-up motion on the sand, and learn the basics.
Image credit: Universal Pictures
Bury treasure
Why not leave something for the next generation of non-surfers? Bury some treasure deep under the sand for a treasure hunter to find in the future. A little ring, or an old coin, something that will get someone excited in the years to come. It could make their day, whenever they find it.
Image credit: HBO
Snorkeling
No one said you had to avoid the water completely if you canât surf. Unless of course, you canât surf because you canât swim. But if you can swim, why not get out in the waves for a snorkel? Dive under the waves, a little further from where the waves break to avoid the surfers and the choppy waves and go for your life. It’s meditative out in the ocean, and thereâs plenty to discover under there.
Image credit: Jannes Glas via Unsplash
Play beach volleyball
Another great sport to play down on the sand in beach volleyball. You only need a net, a ball, and some homies and youâre set. Best played on a flat section of the beach that still has plenty of soft sand, itâs a great muscle burner and should give you a decent sweat.
Image credit: Paramount Pictures
Recreate the Top Gun: Maverick scene
Speaking of volleyball, fast forward to Top Gun: Maverick. Why not recreate that iconic scene You know you want to. Combine your love of schlocky-but-amazing movies and ocean sports. Lather up, swap your swimmers for cut off jorts (for some reason), throw on your aviators, and get a good old fashioned game of American Football going. Thereâs no real winners, nor do you even really need to pick teams. Itâs more of an abstract contemporary dance move with a ball involved. Make sure you jump around a lot, ensure “Playing with the Boys” by Kenny Loggins is on, and chest bump every now and again. Trust us, youâll love it.
Image credit: FX
Eat
Bring a picnic down! The serenity of the beach is a perfect backdrop for a great picnic. Pack a basket full of snacks, light food, plenty of water, and maybe a splash of booze, and youâre set for a great day in the sun. Who even cares about surfing anyway?
Image credit: Warner Bros.
Meditate
In the early morning, or at dusk, the white noise of the waves is the ideal setting for a bit of introspection. Take a bit of time for yourself, reset, and enjoy the feeling of the sand beneath and the crisp sea breeze. Meditation and the beach is a match made in heaven, and can start, or end your summer’s day perfectly.
Image credit: Brandon McDonald via Unsplash
Kayak
Get out behind the waves in a kayak, and explore waterways around the ocean. Kayaking is a great upper-body workout, but also an excellent opportunity to see the beach from a new perspective.
Image credit: Clay Lecony via Unsplash
Go for a fish
Bring a couple of rods down to the ocean and try your hand at landing some fish from the comfort of the sand. Try this at a more secluded area of the beach to avoid hooking swimmers or surfers, dotted along the coastline of Australia are a plethora of fishing spots where you can catch fish like kingfish, trevally, and whiting, perfect for dinner, or to release back into the ocean.
Image credit: Getty Images
Take an ice bath
A new trend that is taking over the sands of beaches across Australia in the early morning is the ice bath. Makeshift baths filled with frozen water are set up facing out to the sea. Along the east coast, the bathers watch the sun rise, while elsewhere in Australia, they enjoy the calmness of the early morning. If you canât surf, an ice bath is a revitalising way to commence the day, and can help with breathwork, mindfulness, and muscle recovery. Not bad.
Image credit: Sony Pictures
Collect shells
For the conchologists among us, why not scour the sands for a neat looking shell, or other beach treat. Bring it back to your place for a touch of bohemian beach-chic, or just admire the shell and leave it on the sand, itâs up to you.
Image credit: Universal Pictures
Have a photoshoot
Get fitted up at the beach. Just because there’s a mountain of sand around you, doesnât mean you canât bring your A-game to the ocean. Get the new swim shorts in the picture, layered with a breezy linen shirt, wrap a towel around the neck for a neat accessory. One for stories, one for the grid, however you want to do it, as cooking on the sand isnât just for the chefs.
Image credit: 20th Century Studios
Have a chat
All that time spent twiddling your thumbs and not surfing would make anyone go crazy. Why not find someone, or something, like an inanimate object, to have a chat with? A volleyball perhaps? Anything works really. Sometimes hearing your own voice is all you need. It can help you air concerns without fear of judgement, and distract you from the surf nearby. It works.
