Surfing Calorie Burn: A Personal Journey Revealed

The number of calories burned while surfing can vary based on factors such as your weight, the intensity of the surfing, and your skill level. On average, surfing can burn between 300 to 600 calories per hour. However, for two hours, the burn rate can vary significantly. On a low-intensity day, you might burn 600 to 800 calories, but on a high-intensity day, you could burn up to 1500 calories. To get a more accurate estimate, consider your weight and the intensity of your surfing session.

Personal Experience and Insights

I started surfing in 1975. Everything I read then said that in one hour of actively surfing, you burn approximately 600 calories an hour. Some people just like to sit on their boards and get a tan, while serious surfers fight endless lines of white water to paddle out and catch a wave. Other days, you might have to paddle a considerable distance to get to the waves, and then you are constantly surfing, paddling, and catching waves. It's harder than snowboarding or skiing, and if you surf in the cold North Atlantic, with a full wet suit on, the caloric burn can be even higher, possibly reaching 600 to 700 calories or more per hour.

Variable Nature of Surfing Sessions

While experts may try to give an estimation of the average calories burned while surfing in specific conditions, it is important to realize that no two surf sessions are the same. The experience of burning calories can vary greatly depending on the day's conditions and your personal effort. In some days, an hour of surfing might only be equivalent to a brisk walk, while in other days, it can be as intense as a full-speed race. Each day is unique, and the burn rate can be different.

Let me share a personal example from a summer weekend. On the Saturday, I got in the water mid-morning, and after about 2 hours (maybe a bit more), I was so tired that I could no longer endure. I got out, ate lunch, and fell asleep under the sun next to my girlfriend, who was also my soon-to-be wife. When I woke up, I was sore and exhausted, and it was still pumping with amazing waves. My girlfriend asked if I wanted to go back in or have a snack in the mid-afternoon. Being tired, I chose to rest and wait for the next day to try again. I had tomorrow. On Sunday morning, the same tide, the same beach, but with better wind and a glassy sea. The waves were a bit less powerful, but the day was still better than an average day, with clear water. I spent 3 hours in the morning and another 3 hours in the afternoon, handling the sea without getting near exhausted. This experience highlights the variability of surfing sessions and the different burn rates associated with them.

Advice for Passions and Performance

Surfing has a lot of variables, and the effort you make in an hour will be different depending on those variables. If you're not doing academic or professional research, forget the calorie burn and just get in the water and catch some waves. The experience of surfing is what matters, and the calories burned are just an added bonus. So, hop on your board, enjoy the thrill of the wave, and let the calories follow!