You all pardon my necro-posting, but since I am an "O.G." I guess I'll claim some privilege.
I loved this article and am completely in awe of these ladies. I love the ocean and I tried learning to surf on several visits to family in Jacksonville, Florida. My nephew (he's only a few years younger than I, so we're closer to cousins relationship wise) is an instructor and he was convinced he could teach me. I failed, but I don't think it was my super-size body, but rather my complete lack of coordination and balance. It remains one of my fondest experiences.
The mainstream media seems to consider any woman over 140 lbs. a BBW, it's crazy! Reading the article makes me regret that I've never surfed in my life, I've just never lived by the ocean.
Mike, if you ever have the opportunity to live, or even visit near the ocean for an extended period of time, do it. I lived in Florida for many years and the ocean's call is almost mystical. Any body of water, from lakes, rivers, streams and even ponds, but the ocean is especially so just be virtue of her size. There's a reason oceans are often referred to in the feminine. She contains and sustains life, she can soothe or destroy, she's often unpredictable, and there is still so much we humans don't know about her. I think that "rush" that surfers talk about stems from the knowledge they are coexisting with one of the most, if not the most, powerful forces on the planet.