"The activity that most surprised me was a guy who collects water samples and analyzes the bacteria, not for any environmental purpose, just 'for fun.'"

Most do the generic things: wash our clothes, skateboard, and eat Cheetos while staring in utter stupefaction at surf videos. We repair our boards, change our wax, mend our suits, but you probably guessed all that. There are, however, some surfing Jekylls who definitely have a Mr. Hyde.

My curiosity started when I overheard a guy ask another in the water, “How many rugs have you done this winter?”

I gazed over at these middle-aged men who looked more like they should be discussing stocks, not rugs. The rug makers answered, “Too many!”

“You make rugs?” I broke in.

“I latch-hook.”

“I’m sorry—you what?”

“You know the kits that you buy at arts and crafts stores? They give you a design and you use a tool with a hook to put the yarn through a mesh thing.”

Now if you don’t know what I’m talking about, please go to Michael’s and find the right aisle. I can’t believe any guy on this planet actually latch-hooks, let alone a tough guy. Turns out this guy has done hundreds!

“Years ago, my wife was doing one and said I was so antsy from not surfing that I was driving her crazy, so she gave me one to work on and I got hooked.” (Yes, he said hooked.)  “Now she doesn’t do them anymore because we’d have too many. I end up donating them to Goodwill after the piles get too big.”

One guy I know substitute teaches. “I try to get in as many days as I can when the weather is bad so when the waves are good, I don’t have to work at all.” This seems more clever than interesting until he says, “It works out real good.” All you grammatical gurus will join me in praying for just enough of a drought to keep this man in the water.

Some people use the time to better their relationships. “I actually go to the gym with my girlfriend and take yoga or cardio classes with her. We have a good time. She loves it when the waves are bad.”

Another surfer rarely has breakfast with his family because he paddles out for dawn patrol. But when he does sit down to share Lucky Charms with his seven-year-old daughter, she asks, “Did it rain, daddy?”

Others just better themselves. “I work on my Spanish, because when I’m done with school, I want to move to Costa Rica,” says a longboarding chick in college. “So I listen to CDs and watch Spanish soap operas.”

The cleverest idea came from an awesome shortboarder. “I call all my friends who I owe favors to and pay them back. I help people move, watch their dog or their kid while they take their wife out for dinner, whatever, so when the surf is good, they leave me alone.”

The activity that most surprised me was a guy who collects water samples and analyzes the bacteria, not for any environmental purpose, just “for fun.”

Brownie making was the least surprising enterprise. A couple of surfers I talked to admitted to baking and consuming a lot of ‘special’ brownies.

One woman shared an idea that makes good use of location. “When there aren’t any waves, I take my kids to Disneyland.”

Personally, I condition the life into my hair. My long locks don’t particularly enjoy the usual beating they take from the ocean so my hair gets some TLC when it rains. But now I’m thinking that while my follicles are being restored and rejuvenated, I might also do some baking.

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Elisabeth Gause is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Vyuz.