
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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