◇ Depends on the scene Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below
Riding a wave means catching the tide of chance; a good ride is an opportunity, a wipeout warns of being swept by emotion.
Category: Actions & events (how to read this category)
Psychology
Water often stands for emotion and the unconscious, so surfing mirrors trying to ride the swell of feelings or events. Long waiting for a wave shows impatience for a chance; being dumped by a big wave suggests emotions outrunning you.
Folklore and history
Wave riding was practised for centuries in Hawaii and other Polynesian islands and is said to have been bound up with chiefly pride. On Japan's coasts, waves were revered as bringers of both bounty and disaster. Dream readers usually treat surfing as riding the tide of luck.
Driving to a haunted spot while running your phone's GPS, flashlight app, and camera drains the battery fast, and running out on site is dangerous. A dual-port car charger keeps two phones charged up en route.
Anker PowerDrive 2 Alloy (24W 2-Port Car Charger)
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This site's view
In this site's view, note the colour of the sea and what waited offshore. Clear blue water means your feelings are on your side. If the sea was dark at dusk and someone seemed to stand far out on the water, it may be a feeling you have not faced yet, watching you from beyond the waves.
Going deeper: our reading
In surfing, only a sliver of time is spent actually riding; most of it goes into paddling out or bobbing on the board waiting. The basic rule is one surfer per wave, so the water has its own etiquette of who goes first. In this site's reading, notice whether other surfers were there. A crowded line-up with people fighting for waves suggests tension at work or in relationships where limited chances are contested. Giving a wave away reveals a kindness that puts your turn last, and the patience behind it. Choosing freely on an empty sea suggests you can pick opportunities at your own pace. This is our speculation, but people dreaming this during job hunting or entrance exams, competing with many others for one goal, worry less about the wave than about whether their turn will come. Waiting is part of getting ready.
What to do on waking
Put one recent surge of feeling into words today. Naming the wave lets you choose whether to ride it or let it pass.
In this scene
- ◎Good It works out, you escape: you can overcome a real challenge (good)
- ▲Warn It fails, you are caught: feeling cornered — rest or ask for help (warning)
- Doing it again and again: an unsolved problem is still on your mind
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
Turning a bad dream
In Japan, people once tried to turn a worrying dream for the better: a baku charm under the pillow, telling the dream to a nandina bush, or reciting an old dream-turning poem. Read the column on dream trading and dream-turning
If our approach here — documenting haunted locations rather than encouraging visits — interests you, this Japanese-language guide rounds up rumors and records from across the country.
The Ultimate Guide to Japan's Most Haunted Locations (DIA Collection)
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of surfing a good or bad sign?
A. Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below. Riding a wave means catching the tide of chance; a good ride is an opportunity, a wipeout warns of being swept by emotion.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of surfing?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of surfing?
A. Put one recent surge of feeling into words today. Naming the wave lets you choose whether to ride it or let it pass.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Actions & events"
- Tennis
- Table Tennis
- Golf
- A Marathon
- Mountain Climbing
- Skiing
- Sumo Wrestling
- Judo
- Kendo
- Karate
- Boxing
- Pro Wrestling
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
