So you want to surf??

I've always wanted to surf since I was 12 when I went to Hawaii and saw some kids surfing. Something about spending hours in the blue ocean and riding something as ephemeral as a wave fascinated me, plus everyone looked like they were having so much fun!!

For one reason or the other I never got around to it. Mainly because I never lived anywhere near an ocean. However, when I moved to Sydney for work about 2 years ago, I decided that I was either going to give it a try or forget about it. So I signed up for lessons with "Let's Go Surfing" in Bondi Beach. I LOVED IT!! From the moment I stood up for the first time I was thinking to myself, "why didn't I do this 15 years ago?!?" I've done all sorts of sports, from running, the gym, kickboxing, skiing etc..but none of them match surfing. Not only is it great physical exercise, but just being in the water for 1-2 hours helps wipe away all the stress and tension that life throws at you. So, I bought a board and thus started my journey from being a Barney to hopefully one day being a surfer.

First off..let me tell ya..it ain't easy. I'm sure as a kid it's a lot easier since you're probably learning with friends and have a parent/sibling who surfs and aren't things just easier to learn at that age? At 30, I didn't have any friends or family who surfed, so there weren't many people to turn to for me to ask questions about surfing. Sure I could bug the guys at the surf shop or the surf teacher or even some poor guy waiting for his wave, but after my 3rd question I could see that look in their eyes of "geez..enough questions..just go and figure it out." One good thing was that my girlfriend and her sister were learning to surf at the same time I was. So at the very least I had someone to surf with and all 3 of us could bother more people with questions than I could by myself.

Yup it ain't easy...once at Freshwater, I was taking a break from a session and was sitting on the beach when this 8 yr old kid sat down next to me. His dad was teaching him how to surf. Anyway he asked me how long I was surfing...I said 6 months. Then he asked me if I was able to turn yet..I said no. Next thing I know he's standing up and teaching me how to turn, where to place my feet and weight on the board, etc... Don't get me wrong I was grateful, I was standing up and following what he was doing. But it must have been funny to look at. The worse part was when he said that he would surf better than me in 6 months than I would after 1 year....thanks kid...

So what did I do to learn how to surf besides free tips from 8 yr old kids? What anyone with some disposable income would do in this day and age, I signed up for lessons, bought some how to surf books, and did lots of research on the internet (there's lots of info out there about surfing). A good place to start is the website Surfing Waves. It's catered for beginners and is on my links page "Surfing-waves." With all this info I still made lots of mistakes, got banged up a little surfing, learned lots of things and even did my first surf trip. With this blog I hope to share my past experiences from the last 2 years and my new adventures as I continue my surfing journey. Each post will be around an experience I had, for example "Buying my first board." I have several posts in mind and hope to post them about every 2 weeks. Also check the link for "My Photo Album" to see my latest surf pics.

If you have any questions let me know, I'll do my best to answer them. If you've been surfing a long time and have comments or tips I would love to hear them as well..

Hope to see you in the water!!

Triple T


Quick summary of where I'm at with my surfing. I use the description of levels from Let's Go Surfing (I think it's a pretty good scale for beginner to intermediate surfers). Based on their level I'm a Level 4 surfer. It means I can confidently paddle out the back and take off, and ride down the face of an unbroken wave standing. I'm learning to take the drop and bottom turn, traverse left and right across the face of a wave, and develop duck-diving skills.

Currently I'm surfing a 6 11x 20 3/4x 2 3/4 fun-board (aka..hybrid, mini-mal). It's my second board, just got it a week ago. It's a custom made board designed by Steve Clements. It's shorter than what I was surfing, so I'm still adjusting to it, but it's a great board. I have some pictures of it in my photo album.