I never thought I would surf. I was terrified of the ocean. I had never, ever, been athletic. But somehow, this is today my main activity. This is one year in, and my journey so far.
Starting
My husband has been surfing for 15 years. And when we got together, I realized it was much more than a hobby for him, it was a lifestyle. 〰️ I had 2 choices at that point. Either I was gonna be the girl waiting for him on the sand, or I was gonna be the girl with him in the water. I thought it was worth giving it a shot at least, and see if I could like it.
First Lesson
I took my first lesson on a cold February day. My teacher was surprised, as people usually learn in Summer. But I wanted to test myself before my trip to visit Daiki in Australia, so here I was , ready to jump in what felt like freezing water. I had to test myself alone, and without Daiki knowing, so he wouldn’t get excited only for me hating it.
Hooked
As often on a first lesson, I learned how to stumble pop-up on a massive board, riding straight on the white wash. 〰️Looking back at it it feels funny, but that 1 hour was enough to hooked me for good. I discovered I was a Regular, and that the best part of surfing is to be in the ocean, feeling it through you. Back from Australia, I got a lesson package.
Take Lessons!
Lessons are expensive. They are. So I understand if it is not something accessible. But not taking lessons, at least a handful of them, will delay your learning.
My husband started alone, and on a short board… it took him years to get his first green wave, as for me, just a few months.
I took lesson with Henry the best teacher, and I did so once a week for a full year. It was a real commitment, and eventually I was able to get on my own, with safety and confidence.
Start Big – and ridiculous
I mentioned Daiki taking years to learn how to surf, and not taking lesson was a part of it. The other reasons was the fact he directly got on a short board… because it looked cool.
Well, drop that thought right there, when you learn something, you’ll look stupid, and if you try to run before you walk, you’ll fail.
I started on a 9′ soft top, my teacher’s, and it was hard enough to get the motion right. Eventually after a few months, I downsized to a 8′ soft top. Mind you I am 5’6, so I need the size to balance my height, if you are shorter, different ratio will apply.
Downsizing
Like I said, I quickly went down from a 9′ to a 8′. But once I hit that length, I sticked with it with for a while. I felt my balance, I then got my own board. 〰️ It was a second hand for me, because I like to be sustainable, and it was also cheaper that way. There are a lot of options out there. New, our used, my was a white Catch Surf soft top, and I still use it to train today.
…
I stayed on my 8′ board for about 6 months. I learned how to angle, and lean to catch steeper waves. I got to improve my pop-up, and my balance. 〰️ I met a few up and downs, like when Daiki came to visit for 6 weeks, and couldn’t catch any ways alone, without the push from Henry. Getting back to my lessons, I felt rusty, and had to build my muscle memory again.
…
My Catch Surf board eventually got beat-up and water logged, so I moved onto a MF 7’6″, downsizing a bit, still with a generous width. 〰️ I was worried to adapt to this change, but I got the hold of it pretty quick. It was still a soft top, but it had real rails and a more defined rocker, so it felt safe, but with a profile closer to a hard top. I surfed that board for a full year.
Spend Time in the Water.
Lessons, the right board, all these elements will help you succeed. But the most important part is to spend time in the water. Yes, go out, go surfing whenever you can. 〰️ If it is once a week, be it, but if you can squeeze a few more days in your week, that’s when you’ll start to see progress.
Once Daiki moved in with me in Los Angeles, we started going surfing each day of the weekend, and several weekdays after work. Soon, I didn’t need a push, and soon after I was risking it for the biscuit. And I started to enjoy it even more.
Today, I just got my very first hard top, it is a 6’10, still wide with A LOT of volume, and I am starting to get the hang of it. It will be another battle upstream, like each time, but this is very much the fun part of it, seeing yourself improve. And how far you’ve come.
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