Surfing is a way of life for tutor
JUST how many surfers called in sick yesterday may never be known.
Whether or not they knew it was International Surfing Day is also open to question, but with conditions on the Clarence coast being clean and albeit small at one metre, surfers of all ages and abilities really did have the perfect excuse to make their way to the beach.
Surfrider Foundation CEO Jim Moriarty even went so far as to grant employed surfers "permission to call in sick and go surfing", penning a note for them to complete and hand to their boss.
For Yamba-Angourie surf instructor Jeremy Walters it was just another day at the office.
"It's a good job ... I can't complain," Mr Walters said.
Learning to surf at an early age, some of his earliest memories involve his dad pushing him into the waves before getting dumped and "hating it".
Now surfing has become a way of life which has not only provided Mr Walters with an income, but involves his whole family.
"My kids are all surfing now and I'm doing the same with them as my Dad did with me," Mr Walters said.
"It's a cheap sport and a healthy lifestyle. It's not just a weekend sport."
International Surfing Day has been running for eight years and has grown to more than 200 separate events in more than 25 countries.
From paddle-outs to beach clean-ups, surf movie nights to mangrove restorations, surfers across the world come together to celebrate the sport of surfing.
