Surfs Up!

When I think about Australian sporting culture my mind always jumps to surfing. Before coming to Australia, I told myself I was going to learn how to surf, so when my abroad program took us to a surf camp for a day I was so excited. I have always loved swimming and the ocean, but I had never tried surfing. When we arrived, we were first put on boogie boards. That was a lot of fun and a great start to the day. It helped me get accustomed to the waves and the current of the ocean. It was also good practice to get a sense of balance on a board, although ultimately it turned out to be very different from being on a surfboard. After boogie boarding we went paddle boarding.

 

I tend to be very clumsy and I lack a great sense of balance, so I didn’t have high expectations for myself. The instructor told us the larger the board the easier it would be. Obviously I rushed to get the largest board possible. I got on the board and started paddling. We were told that if it was too difficult, we could get on our knees. I expected to fall off as soon as I stood up. I turned out to be a lot better than I had imagined that I would be. Midway through the day we all switched boards, and I ended up getting the smallest board there. I managed to stay up and paddle all the way back to shore without falling or having to go to my knees. Finally after those preliminary activities were over, surfing was next.

 

Everyone was so eager to take the board and get right in the water, but the instructors first made us lay on the board and practice paddling while still on the sand. After practicing paddling and standing up on the board, we hit the water. At first I had trouble balancing on the board, but after letting several waves past I finally got used to it. The first time I tried I completely fell off before I could even get into a squatting position. The second time I stood up, but fell off immediately. After a few more tries I got up and was able to ride the waves all the way into shore. This happened a few more times. After I boasted about my impressive surfing skills, my American surfer friend offered to go surfing with me again. This time I was not as good as I had been as a true beginner. He had a small board and he wasn’t as helpful or as encouraging as the instructors had been. I only managed to get up once, but that was enough for me to be proud of myself.