Can you explain your reasoning why VLOS is not practical? It seems with your outcome, flying 1100 yards in close proximity to a hazard was not very practical. If your mission was to film surfers why didn't you go to the beach?
you're not old. I am 87 and just set up my mini 5 pro following the promts. The important thing was to have a DJI account , user name and password. I am "so so" on this tech.