This is a community service announcement brought to you by blindboy.

It's that time of year. We are all part of the crowd, but in some weird schizoid manifestation of our primitive instincts, we all loathe it at the same time. So in the spirit of reframing (discuss this with your personal psychotherapist) and trying to see something positive in even the worst of circumstances, consider the few, pathetic, advantages that come from that seasonal swarm of humanity that, with you firmly embedded, sweeps down upon your local surf spot at this time of year.

1. They are a constant reminder that YOU can surf. No matter how inept you may, from time to time, feel in your efforts to surf, you are guaranteed, at this time of year, to be in the top 10% every session. 2. They reduce your chance of shark attack. Simple statistics. Hungry shark. Ten surfers. Ten percent chance it is you. Fifty surfers? Two percent chance it is you. Yes indeed, the crowd could save your life. 3. They help your favourite shaper survive these lean times. Let's face it, they're just about begging on the streets these days. That three month wait used to be a pain in the arse and we're very glad that they can deliver next week at a reasonable price but we don't want them to go out of business completely. 4. They ensure your local corner shop sells wax. We've all been there, done that, in terms of last minute wax deprivation, resulting in undignified slippage at critical instants. 5. It is character building. This is not something that can generally be said about surfing. Mindless, hedonistic self-gratification is usually a much closer fit. Consider the on going spiritual benefits of the self-restraint necessary to survive a typical Sydney Sunday session. Buddhist monks sitting for decades in damp caves draping themselves with bat shit achieve less spiritual progress. 6. You meet old friends. Natural selection, having had a decent interval to operate, has dealt with the dickheads. They are in gaol, dead, suffering cognitive decline or otherwise athletically dysfunctional. You only meet the nice ones. 7. You save the energy that you would have otherwise used surfing your usual quota of waves. This is handy since you will probably have to walk to the beach given the shortage of parking and the abundance of Council rangers stalking the area. 8. Listen up. In Sydney the water is full high level traders gossiping about their investments, such as when to go long on copper or short on the retailers. Like Christmas, this only comes once a year. Just think how much you could have made selling those Billabong shares at the right moment. 9. It being summer, you will have great opportunities to exercise your aesthetic appreciation of the human form. 10. It feels so good when it goes away. Without the summer crowds we wouldn't appreciate the only slightly smaller and marginally more competent winter crowds. //blindboy