The alarm went off and we slowly rolled out of bed for our second morning of surfing lessons. Click here for our article from day one. Pamela was having a hard time lifting her cereal bowl and was seriously doubting her ability to get in the water. Fortunately for us her arms started feeling a bit better and we were out the door to meet Graeme, our Soulrider surfing instructor, at the beach in South Durras.
An empty half moon shaped beach at South Durras was calling our name. It will be hard to go back to the very crowded beaches of Sydney or Los Angeles after spending so much time at these untouched gems of beaches here on the South Coast of New South Wales. The smaller waves were perfect for today’s lessons of paddling out and catching waves in deeper water. Prior to paddling out we reviewed popping up and standing styles to correct some of our errors from lesson one. Several practices under our belt we strapped on our leash and paddled out into the blue, more like green, water of the Tasman Sea.
The first few waves were definitely warm up and just refreshing or memory from the day before. It wasn’t until Graeme called out a challenge to see who could ride a wave the longest that Pamela and I both caught the same wave together and rode it into the beach. Riding the wave together was so much fun, I really think we’re hooked on this sport. Pamela ended up riding that wave all the way back to the sand and therefore won that competition. From there it was paddling out to try for wave after wave. Thankfully we took some breaks relaxing on our boards and having a good chat waiting for the next set of waves to arrive. Graeme caught a bunch of waves to show us how it’s done and was always there providing tips, and sometimes a nudge to get us on the wave.
After about two hours of lessons we had each caught quite a bit of waves and felt a lot more comfortable out in the surf. The hardest part at the end was trying to get our weary muscles to push up on the board to stand-up. The lessons from Graeme at Soulrider have really paid off, his lessons have really provided us with what we need to know to go out on our own and start surfing. If you're looking for surf lessons on the South Coast we'd highly recommend Soulrider. We’re both excited to surf again and have started looking at purchasing wet suits of our own with the hopes of surfboards in the near future.
Cheers for Now –
Pamela and Dave
When I (Dave's dad) learned to surf, it was at Dockweiler Beach in Southern California. It is the beach where the tar balls move from the water up onto the sand.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to surfing school, it was in January, you know, our winter. The water temp was 9.444 C.
The rails of the 2.59 meter board were so far apart and I was such a little fellow, I couldn't put the board under my arm and still have my fingers grab the other rail. I had to usually carry it over my head.
I'm so happy that Pamela and Dave have picked up another sport they both enjoy. It's also great to see Dallas joining them.
Have fun!
Sounds like you guys were stoked. If you're ever in the area, join us for some epic, uncrowded waves in Nicaragua. We're enjoying warmth in the 90's (30's C) year round. Would love to have you join us. www.soulsurfsession.com Aloha!
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