Surf's Up!!

This weekend, I headed up to Jervis Bay for the ultimate and iconic Australian sport experience. We left Sydney from Central Station in the afternoon and drove four hours to a campsite right by the beach. After a night spent listening to the sound of the ocean and gearing up for the day ahead, we woke up bright and early to drive to our surfing lesson. When we arrived, we met our surf instructor and we were outfitted in our “rash guard” surfing shirts. The water was so warm that no one needed to wear a full wet suit. 

Then, we grabbed our nine foot long surfboards (made of a foam material that makes it easier for beginners to balance) and headed to the sand. We started the lesson by gathering in a circle around the instructor to learn all about ocean safety when dealing with potential rip tides, currents, big surf, and dangerous marine animals. After the short safety talk, we learned how to position ourselves on the board and paddle forward to catch a wave. It was time to hit the water! The whole group began to practice catching small waves and riding them in like you would on a boogie board.  

After we mastered the simple task of catching a wave, we regrouped on the sand to learn the next step of surfing- standing up. We were taught the correct way to “pop-up” quickly into a standing position after we caught the wave. Now, it was back to the water to try again. The first few times I tried to stand up, my board took a nose dive, flipping me into the water headfirst. After a couple more failed attempts I finally successfully stood up on the board and rode the wave in. It was such a liberating feeling! After the first successful ride, it became much easier and I was able to regularly stand up and ride the waves. I have such an appreciation and understanding of why surfing is such a popular sport in Australia. It is such an exhilarating experience and is a great way to spend some time in the sun doing something fun! I definitely hope to have another surfing experience during my time here.