You've heard of an Instagram hubby, but what about an Insta surf wifey?
She's the one sitting on a remote Indonesian beach with a sun-beaten sarong as the only thing protecting her and the camera from yet another scorching day of their epic summer travels. There's no shade for miles, and her set-up looks far from comfortable. But she's traveled all this way, as her hubby's trusted sidekick, so she's determined to get a few shots of him surfing. The funny thing is, he doesn't actually care to have the surf trip documented. He's far from a social media influencer and just wants to surf. The Insta surf wifey insists, and well, happy wife, happy life, right? He'll thank her later.
Just like an Insta hubby, this wifey sits behind the camera. She might not be stopping traffic to get the perfect shot, but she's definitely fighting over the best bungalow to post up at. After all, she's been eyeing out that spot from well before first light. The pool, fronting a world-class wave, opens at 7 a.m. There's a few minutes left, and her husband's somewhere chatting with the locals.
Meanwhile, all the surf wifeys prowl the premise. The bungalow's a lot more comfy than a desolate beach, and a lot more luxurious with an ice-chilled watermelon juice in hand. First come, first serve means everything in this country when staking claim on one's domain. It all narrows down to who can run the fastest and mark their territory with all the beach stuff; plus, the clunky tripod that also traveled thousands of miles to be right at that very oceanfront spot.
Luckily, she's pretty fast or–maybe she's just really skilled at hurdling over pool chairs. Regardless, this surf wifey's sitting pretty at the shaded beach hut. Time for a selfie, or two, before the hubby paddles out. It's also a good time to lather on sunscreen. It's going to be another hot day, and probably another long session. Forerunners from a swell forecasted for the weekend are already showing up.
It's a good thing she surfs. This wifey can read the waves as easily as anyone in the line-up. But the break's a little too heavy, so she sits in pure bliss under the prized poolside pad. After years of marriage, she can also read her hubby's surf strategies and anticipates his wave choice well before he realizes a set's approaching out back. Heck, the two could come up with their own signal from shore–like world tour surfers and their coaches on land–but they won't go that far. They're just trying to blend in, like all good tourists should.
Although, the camera gear makes it difficult to blend into the third-world backdrop. In stark contrast to the four-star resort, rows of wooden shanties and rice fields line the black sand shores. Indo is known to have little crime, but being showy with pricey items just feels unwise. It'll be several hours before they're back on the road to the next surf destination. For now, it's back to sipping watermelon juice and checking Insta feeds in between sets. Also, the mini handheld fan from back home was a great, great idea.
Capturing surf sequences of her hubby feels almost as competitive as the beach bungalow dash. Loud and continuous camera clicks can be heard by neighboring surf wifeys and girlfriends who enviously eye out the surfer spouse getting totally pitted out front. It's almost as if there's an unofficial scoring system; the more camera clicks tracking a ride, the more points earned. Winner of the heat gets a noticeably big smooch soon after he paddles in.
But even if her surfer hubby doesn't "win" the heat, there's still a card full of shots for him to sort through. That's when he'll thank her for surrendering long hours of their surf vacay to capturing some of the most epic waves of his life. He might even post a pic, even though he's typically checking surf forecasts more than he's checking likes on Insta.
It's really no big deal for her. Although an Insta surf wifey might be a title that's earned when tying the knot to a surf addict, it's kind of become a way of life, and she definitely wouldn't want it any other way.
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