Gliding through the Ocean

Friday evening I hoped on a bus with 24 strangers and set out for the time of my life!

Our drive seemed like forever but we went just a couple hours south of Sydney near Wollongong to a town called Gerroa where the famous Seven Mile Beach was out in the darkness just waiting for us to awaken from a good night's rest and master our first surfing lesson.

We woke up early (ok, so 7:00 am didn't use to be early...but it is these days), and learned how to put on our 'wetties,' carry our board, and find out way to Seven Mile Beach. We were divided into groups...Chris and I were put in the smallest group, which I thought would be a bad since we wouldn't meet as many people...little did I know that of the eight in our group, six would be naturals leaving all the attention from our instructor, Kristi, to the two of who needed it most - like me. Plus, I made great friends with the few people I was stuck with for the next 48 hours!

Our first lesson included jumping on a sand surfboard - do you know how silly you feel pretending to paddle on a surfboard you just drew in the sand? No, you don't, because you haven't been to surf camp...after you go, we can compare stories! At least I was having a great time doing it...do you see the crinkle in my nose from laughing so hard? The best part of the lesson was when we actually got in the water and tried catching waves (just boogie boarding in...no standing up). I have body surfed before and thought this would be the same...but I didn't expect the excitement felt when the power of the wave caught the board and floated me to the beach. I was gliding through the ocean - if you haven't tried it, you must! And this part is easy enough for anyone to do...the rest, I soon learned, takes so many muscles throughout your entire body that I could understand why someone would choose to skip it (but they'd also be skipping the rush of adrenaline that comes with success!).

Our second lesson is when most people mastered standing up. For a few of us, who shall remain nameless, it took a bit longer...But the fun came with each new attempt and being out there just you and the ocean. Just playing in the water was a blast! Before long, my muscles were understand what I was telling them to do, but were so very, very tired they just couldn't do it! After a LONG sleep, it was time to try again - and with better results.

I knew I had fun at Surf Camp. The water was gorgeous, the people were friendly, the staff was always joking around. But when I looked back at all the photos of me in the water surfing, I am smiling in almost every shot. I truly enjoyed the entire experience and can't wait to hit waves again...although I have to wait for all the soreness from the weekend to go away first!