Philippine surfing hero Jay-R Esquivel shares his tips for surfers looking to ride the waves like him in the future.
Jay-R Esquivel has spent most of his life riding the waves. As he recently told The GAME, Jay-R first picked up a surfboard at six years old, being guided by his kuya and the late “Prince of Tides”, Poks Esquivel, by the Great Northwest in their native La Union.
Fast forward to today, Jay-R has become one of the most accomplished Filipino surfers in recent memory. Most notably, he’s the first Filipino surfer to participate in the World Surf League, where he finished eighth in their 2023 Longboard Tour.
And with a wealth of experience under his belt, here are some tips from Jay-R Esquivel for surfers only starting to ride the waves as he once did.
Enjoy!
First thing’s first and that’s to enjoy! For Jay-R Esquivel, this advice is arguably his “most important” one. After all, it’s hard to find our stride if we can’t even learn to put our hearts into something first and foremost.
Take it from Jay-R that a simple philosophy can make or break your surfing journey. “‘Pag nage-enjoy ka sa ginagawa mo, mas nagagawa mo siya nang tama, tsaka mas madali mo siya magagawa,” he explains.
Confidence is a must
At a glance, surfing can look scary. From the huge waves to being in a deeper part of the ocean with little to no skills to manage, these may be overwhelming to beginner surfers. Add that to the inevitable learning curve they’ll encounter.
And for Jay-R, confidence is a must to overcome all these hurdles. While being scared is perfectly normal, dwelling on your fears won’t get you anywhere either.
“Kasi meron ‘yung iba, parang natatakot. Pero kung mas kinakabahan ka tsaka natatakot ka, mas mahirap siyang i-apply. Mas mahirap siyang matutunan. [Kapag] mas malakas ‘yung loob mo, mas mabilis kang matututo.”
Of course, consistency is key
Last but not least of Jay-R’s pieces of advice is consistency. In a surfing context, it would also be difficult to familiarize yourself with the open sea and its waves if you can’t consistently try to take these on with your surfboard.
If anything, this consistency is what likely shaped Jay-R Esquivel into the surfer that he is today. Probably any other great athlete too for that matter.
“Parang kailangan tuloy tuloy siya para mas mabilis mong magawa ‘yung gusto mo. Tapos ‘yun, tuloy tuloy lang ‘yung training tapos practice para matuto ka nang matuto,” concluded Jay-R.
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