Surfer Dude and Dudette

I have officially fulfilled my dream to surf! A bus and a ferry ride had us back on the beach at Manly, at the Manly Surf School, last Saturday. Ahead of us was a 2 hour surf lesson with 3 very enthusiastic surf instructors, the perfect sized waves, rashguards and sunshine! The boards we used were for beginners (think: training wheels), and were extra large and floaty! We started off with some stretching, followed by some dry land training before we knew it, we were off to catch some waves! The instructors led us to a sandbar which is created by the surf and is a constant to the area. 

On either side of the sandbar are ripcurls, or DANGER! This is where the surf that comes in gets swept back into the deep ocean. If you end up in a rip, you have two choices: let it sweep you out into the ocean and catch a wave back in; or swim tirelessly, going nowhere, and eventually become exhausted and drown. This is the dangerous area of the beach where people are warned not to swim. With our giant "flotation devices" we were ok though. I was caught in a rip for probably 5 minutes before an instructor came over and said, "Hey, you're in a rip! You shouldn't be here!" I thought, "Yes, thank you for the information, I've only been kicking my brains out for the last 5 minutes and have gone nowhere!" Ha! With a little tug he got me out and it was back to the waves.

The instructors helped us with the timing of catching waves, which for me was the most difficult part. I was able to get up quite a few times and ride waves into the shore. It was so exciting! I think I screamed "Woo hoo!" every time I got up. Twice I actually turned my board and rode the wave sideways... it was completely by accident, but it made me feel like a pro! Catching waves on my own was less successful: I only got up twice when I tried to time the waves. It is very difficult to get enough momentum to get slightly ahead of the wave. If you do not have momentum the wave simply goes under you and rolls to shore, leaving you behind. 

Both Kurtis and I felt that we had a very successful experience and can't wait to go again! We were lucky and did not have any scary moments under the water, and no injuries. I am not ready for huge waves quite yet, but I think with some practice we could actually be ok surfers.

Just as a side note, recently in the Sydney area there has been an uncharacteristically high number of shark attacks, mostly on surfers and divers. Scientists say the number of attacks are statistically improbable, causing them to believe that the sharks are changing their eating habits. While this is a little unsettling, there are ways to avoid sharks. First is to swim or surf in areas that are life guarded. They are vigilant for shark fins... do do, do do (I'm attempting the "Jaws" theme). Another is to avoid the water at dawn and dusk, as these are typically the feeding times for sharks. I'll let you know if we encounter one. :)