Seiichi Sano, an 89-year -old Japanese man, rides a wave at Katase Nishihama Beach, Thursday, March 30, 2023. He has been recognized as the oldest male to surf (冲浪) by the Guinness World Records.
But maybe he will just keep surfing. "I think it would be interesting to try to surf until I' m 100," Sano said. "I think I take better care of myself when I have dreams like this. Even now, I take better care of myself than I did before. "
Sano said he got the idea to try surfing from a worker at his local bank. The man's skin was
always dark and he did not look like a usual worker. His secret to keep healthy and energetic, he said, was surfing. So, Sano found a teacher.
Sano gets out most weekends on the black-sand beach. "I don' t consider myself an old man," he said in his wet suit, board standing next to him. "I have never thought of myself as an old person. I always feel that I can still move forward. I can still do it. I can still enjoy it. "
Several young students who also work with Sano' s surf teacher tlked about Sano.
"I think age doesn' t matter in surfing," a 12-year-old surfer said.
"He is so amazing," added his younger brother.
"To be honest, I was surprised by his age," said Sano's surfing teacher. "I was worried that he would get hurt. I did not know how fit he was. "
Sano still works 9-to-5 at his job. Surfing helps make him less stressed. "People often say that surfing is life itself," he said. "I think it is true. "
