After 31 years of living in the South West (minus three years of Nottingham life) I've finally learnt to surf. It's been an ambition of mine for years, literally since I was a teenager, so it had to make my 2016 list of challenges and I can now finally tick it pff of my Bucks list.
Friday 3rd June, the sun was shining and Saunton Sands was our destination. We'd found an awesome surf instructor, Sarah Whitely, who used to be a professional competing female surfer, who since retiring from the pro' life teaches people to walk on waves.
Matti and I headed down first thing in the morning with the usual feelings of nerves before trying something new. The beach was teaming with people due to half term and for the first time all week the waves were good at 2ft, which were perfect to learn on, apparently! This also meant that we shared the water with keen surfers and families enjoying the early June sunshine on the North Devon coast.
After getting kitted out with wetsuits and selecting our boards it was time to hit the surf, not before a quick briefing on the beach practicing and 3 stage stand - paddle, kneel, stand, which is much easier to write than it is to do! With only three practices under our belts it was time to hit the ocean. Like a duck to water Matti picked it up within minutes - I blame the the fact that he had a bigger,
heavier board. That plus the fact he's a pro BMXer and has the balance of a tightrope walker! Me, well I took my time..... paddling, I had that down quickly. Kneeling, well that was much harder than you think. By the time you've caught the wave, balanced yourself on the board, made sure your toes are tucked under, your head is up, you're central on the board, you then have to pull your legs through your arms and stand. This was hard to master, in fact after two hours I just got to the stage of pulling my leading leg through my arms and kneeling on one leg.
After two hours or floating, paddling, pushing, kneeling and having lots of laughs our arms were tired and we were starting to flag, which then meant that our wave catching was not as good. Surfing is one of those sports that as soon as you've mastered one thing you're then straight back to the start, falling off whilst trying to learn the next thing, and the more you do the more knackered you became meaning it was harder to master. However, we had a ball and now feel like we have the skills and techniques we need to get back out there and practice, practice, practice.
By the time we got home that evening we were confirmed surf addicts. Matti's started looking at boards and we've found ourselves a new hobby.
I can't believe it's taken me so long, and I wish it hadn't. I'm so glad to have finally learnt to surf. So, what will I now be doing with my spare time? I will be practicing my three stage stand, hiring boards until we have our own and will be found bobbing up and down, whilst trying to catch the occasional wave. There is now also another challenge added to my list; to stand and ride a whole wave, and, I will not leave it another 31 years to be able to do this!
Friday 3rd June, the sun was shining and Saunton Sands was our destination. We'd found an awesome surf instructor, Sarah Whitely, who used to be a professional competing female surfer, who since retiring from the pro' life teaches people to walk on waves.Matti and I headed down first thing in the morning with the usual feelings of nerves before trying something new. The beach was teaming with people due to half term and for the first time all week the waves were good at 2ft, which were perfect to learn on, apparently! This also meant that we shared the water with keen surfers and families enjoying the early June sunshine on the North Devon coast.
After getting kitted out with wetsuits and selecting our boards it was time to hit the surf, not before a quick briefing on the beach practicing and 3 stage stand - paddle, kneel, stand, which is much easier to write than it is to do! With only three practices under our belts it was time to hit the ocean. Like a duck to water Matti picked it up within minutes - I blame the the fact that he had a bigger, 
heavier board. That plus the fact he's a pro BMXer and has the balance of a tightrope walker! Me, well I took my time..... paddling, I had that down quickly. Kneeling, well that was much harder than you think. By the time you've caught the wave, balanced yourself on the board, made sure your toes are tucked under, your head is up, you're central on the board, you then have to pull your legs through your arms and stand. This was hard to master, in fact after two hours I just got to the stage of pulling my leading leg through my arms and kneeling on one leg.After two hours or floating, paddling, pushing, kneeling and having lots of laughs our arms were tired and we were starting to flag, which then meant that our wave catching was not as good. Surfing is one of those sports that as soon as you've mastered one thing you're then straight back to the start, falling off whilst trying to learn the next thing, and the more you do the more knackered you became meaning it was harder to master. However, we had a ball and now feel like we have the skills and techniques we need to get back out there and practice, practice, practice.
By the time we got home that evening we were confirmed surf addicts. Matti's started looking at boards and we've found ourselves a new hobby.I can't believe it's taken me so long, and I wish it hadn't. I'm so glad to have finally learnt to surf. So, what will I now be doing with my spare time? I will be practicing my three stage stand, hiring boards until we have our own and will be found bobbing up and down, whilst trying to catch the occasional wave. There is now also another challenge added to my list; to stand and ride a whole wave, and, I will not leave it another 31 years to be able to do this!
