My first time attempting to surfboard
The next morning we were up bright and early to eat breakfast and then check out of our rooms by 9AM. Our lesson started at 10:30 AM so we had some time to kill, which we spent hanging out on bean bags by the coffee hut. It was then time to sign in for my first ever surf lesson!
At the surf house, cubbies for our belongings, sunscreen, wetsuits, and rashers were provided. But one of us was in for a surprise when choosing a wetsuit! One of the girls on the group went to put on a wetsuit and there was a giant spider inside! I think it was a baby huntsman?! Eek! I definitely made sure to shake mine out thoroughly before putting it on!
Theory Lesson
We then had a half hour long theory lesson on surfing with our instructor, Fanny. We learned all about the different types of waves, rip currents, hand signals, and proper surfing technique. Once we mastered the theory, we gathered some surfboards and headed down to the beach to put it into practice.
We carried two boards between two people to make it easier and more efficient. The only problem is that I have short arms and small hands so it was hard to hang on to the boards.
Practical Lesson
Once on the beach we formed a large semi circle and practiced standing up on a board. Since boards are curved and have fins, we did not practice on the boards because that would have broken them. Instead, we practiced on the sand.
We drew a line by our toes, then knelt down onto our knees, drew another line by our knees, then laid down and drew a line by our chests. This helps surfers learn positioning on the board and where you need to position your feet. When you stand up on the board, for proper balance, your back foot should be where the knee line is and the front foot where the chest line is.
To stand up on a board, there were four steps we had to learn.
- Back foot: Bring your back foot up to the opposite knee while laying down.
- Front foot: (the hardest step in my opinion) Use your back foot to prop up and pull your front foot up to position/ chest line.
- Twist: twist your feet and hips away from the midline of the board.
- Up: stand up, but you should remain low on the board.
Sounds easy enough right? WRONG!
Learning to surf made me realize how out of shape I am! It really is a full body workout where both upper body and lower body strength are important. And we practiced over, and over, and over again. It was like doing 50 burpees in a row! By the time we actually reached the water I was exhausted!
Once we got the practical down, we got together for a silly group photo and then hit the water!
As beginners, we did not go deep into the water, only to about waist deep. Most of the time spent in the water was waiting for a good wave to come by. The best waves to learn on are white, rolling waves that have already broken.
Into the water I go!
Although I was wicked tired, I had a blast! The first few waves I caught I tumbled, or rode the wave on my knees, but after some assistance from the instructors I was able to stand up! ……for a second! Haha
As soon as I would stand up, I would lose balance and then starfish off the board. The proper and safest way to fall off a surfboard is by doing a ‘starfish’. You fall backwards off the board with our arms spread out.
After about an hour in the water, our lesson was over and we had to rush to get changed, showered, and back on the bus in 30 minutes!
But the fun for the day doesn’t stop here! Continue reading the next post to see what we got up to in the afternoon!
