Catch a Wave!

One of the Arcadia NZ programs every semester is a surf lesson. Before I even came to New Zealand, I was so excited. I've always wanted to give surfing a shot, even if I was terrible at it. The lesson was originally scheduled for a couple of weeks ago, but we had rain and big waves so it was postponed until today. It could not have been a nicer day to spend out in the sea. The sun was shining and the wind was calm, absolutely perfect conditions.

We were told to meet outside of the Farmers Department Store to catch the city bus to the beach. Only 2 of us turned up, though, along with Helen, who is employed by Arcadia to help out with all of the students. She ended up driving us instead. On the way, we picked up another student who misunderstood the information and was waiting at the train station where the farmers' market was set up. . .

More students met us at St. Clair beach where we were suited up with wetsuits. It was the first time I have ever worn one. (They are amazing! I could hardly feel the cold water.) My arms were a bit too short to carry my pink surf board the "correct" way for very long, so I balanced it on top of my head instead and made my way down the beach. We were split into two groups and given a few instructions on the basics of surfing.

We all laid our boards in a semi-circle and pretended to paddle. Then, we were told to jump up in one fluid motion, landing with our feet a bit further than shoulder length apart, on the back half of the board, with our front foot turned out. Believe me, this is much easier said than done. I almost always landed incorrectly, and it was never a fluid motion.

Oh well. We headed out to attempt to catch our first waves. Making my way out to sea was pretty challenging; for every step I took forward, the incoming waves pushed me back another two. Once I finally made it out to about my torso, I was able to catch a few waves. Timing the waves wasn't hard at all - the difficult part was standing up.

Most of the time, I would make it to my knees and then slip off my board. A couple times I swirled around in the waves for a few seconds before resurfacing. The instructors gave me good tips on how to try and stand, and eventually I did it! Twice! I stood on my moving surf board twice! I'm so proud.

We spent about two hours or a little less in the water, but it went by quickly. I kept trying again and again, and I didn't even get frustrated when I couldn't get up. By the end, though, I was exhausted. Carrying the board, fighting the waves, and using my arms to paddle and then force myself up was hard work.

Today was one of my favorite in Dunedin. I can't wait to try surfing again.