It’s been really
rewarding for
our relationship.
For him to be
just as passionate
about surfing
as I am is great.”
23
Before heading to Masonboro Island, one of their favorite surf spots,
Brandon and Mark Mitchell pause on their Harbor Island dock.
it’s father and son who enjoy the most time
in the water together.
“It’s been really rewarding for our relationship,”
Mark says. “For him to be just as
passionate about surfing as I am is great.”
Brandon, a 14-year-old freshman at Cape
Fear Academy, says he loves being able to
take the family boat over to Masonboro
Island to surf and spend time with his dad.
“He is the one that taught me how to
surf. It keeps us together and we can talk
in the water and give each other tips,”
Brandon says.
As Senior Vice President of Bald Head
Island Limited, the sport’s ability to open
and clear the mind has kept Mark addicted
to surfing.
“You can never go out in the water and
not learn something about yourself, the water,
your equipment, or the relationship with your
son,” Mark says. “Every day is different in the
water and when you stand up on a wave, you
are 100 percent in the moment. That exhilaration
is what’s relaxing.”
Even though he has always encouraged
Brandon to surf, Mark knows that pushing
kids can sometimes backfire, with their loss
of interest as a result. Instead, he hopes to
continue to teach his children the values of
surfing.
“Surfing is really a kind of quest for finding
perfection in the location, environment
and surf, and you know you’ll never find it,
but it’s that search that’s the lifetime goal,”
Mitchell says. “That’s the idea that will
keep us close.”
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