How to Improve at Surfing Working 80 Hours a Week w/ Lucas Hildreth

How to Improve at Surfing Working 80 Hours a Week w/ Lucas Hildreth

From Basis Surf Podcast by Basis Surf

May 18, 2026 · 1h 2m · Episode 99

About this episode

Lucas Hildreth shares his journey as an ER resident and big wave surfer, discussing how he balances work and surfing while improving his skills.

🔥 Get your FREE personalized 2-4X wavecount training plan in under 30 seconds.https://surfbasis.com/pages/trainingplan Lucas Hildreth (@lucashildreth5692) is a second-year E.R. resident and aspiring big wave surfer from New York who has somehow managed to surf Mavericks, Iceland, Chile, and Portugal in between brutal stretches of 80-hour work weeks. In this episode, we get into how he stays strategic with his limited time off, how he approaches improving his surfing technically; from dialing in his cutback to breaking down the mechanics of a proper snap, and what it actually takes to prepare for big surf when you don’t live by the ocean. Beyond the technical stuff, we also talk about crowd navigation, adventure surfing in cold and remote locations, and the mindset that drives someone to chase serious waves while wearing scrubs five days a week. Sign up for our free surfboard guide for sizing down volume, video library and newsletter Chapters0:02:06 Introducing Lucas: ER Resident & Big Wave Surfer0:02:52 ER Doctors and Extreme Sports0:03:31 Growing Up Surfing in New York0:05:34 Getting Serious: Driving to Montauk0:07:36 Choosing College Away from the Coast0:09:29 Learning…

People in this episode

Host: Basis Surf

Guest: Lucas Hildreth

Topics covered

  • surfing improvement
  • time management
  • big wave surfing
  • extreme sports
  • adventure surfing
  • technical skills

Keywords

  • surfing
  • ER resident
  • big wave
  • time management
  • technical skills
  • cold water surfing
  • crowd navigation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Basis Surf

Places: New York, Mavericks, Iceland, Chile, Portugal

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