Surf On, Sister! Hanging Ten In Surfer’s Paradise
When we received our itinerary from Tourism and Events Queensland, getting a surfing lesson was one of the things that I was surprised to find myself most excited about. I’ve wanted to try my hand at riding the waves for a long time, but it was never at the top of my priority list.
I was a little nervous too, I can’t lie. I’m not the strongest swimmer, and the idea of drowning has never appealed to me all that much. And what if I got bitten by a shark?! The Jaws theme music started to play in the back of my head.
After a few hours at Dreamworld, we hit up Cheyne Horan School of Surf in Surfer’s Paradise, ready to take some photos of us looking glamorous on the sand. Our plans were dashed, however, when we were told to put on rash vests, and immediately thrust into a class with Patrick, a no-nonsense surfer dude who definitely had more faith in our abilities than we did!
We practiced a bit of “board control” on the beach, and after he showed us how to lie on the board and ride a wave into shore, Patrick instructed us to hop into the water and give it a go. The water was a little bit chilly and I felt extremely uncoordinated, but imagine my surprise and delight when I was able to do it on the first try! The rush was incredible, and I quickly spun my board around, and headed back out to try it again.
Soon, Patrick called us all back into shore to show us the right way to stand up on a board. Kat and I exchanged petrified looks, communicating telepathically that this all seemed a bit fast, but I trusted that he knew what he was doing, and followed his guidance. Again, after practicing hopping up on the board a few times on the sand, we toddled back to the water to give it a shot.
The first time I tried it, I wobbled and fell off, swallowing a big mouthful of sea-water. Delicious!
But on my second go, lo and behold, I DID IT!
Kelly Slater’s got nothin’ on me!
As you can tell from the astounded look on my face, I couldn’t believe it! But the thrill was amazing, and I absolutely loved it. I wish our surfing lesson had lasted longer, but I can’t wait to try it again.
Stoked, dude!
Photos by Janneke Storm. This post was made possible with the generous and amazing help of Tourism and Events Queensland.