Hey all It’s Nirry taking over the blog for today’s post. As you may know a few months ago the both of us went to Hawaii for a holiday. One of the highlights of the trip was the surfing class we took in Maui, the rush you get standing up on the board was just so addictive. Anyway since that moment I haven’t stopped yapping on about it so for my birthday Mini bought me a stack of surfing lessons (She’s awesome I know)!
My initial fears about surfing
Australia boasts close to 2 – 3 million surfers across the country, which is staggering given the country only has a population of a 25 million. But then you think about the sheer number of accessible beaches throughout the country and that number doesn’t seem too far fetched. For someone who grew up loving the water, I wanted to briefly touch on why it’s taken me 25 years to give it ago.
Firstly a fear of the ocean. When I was younger I was once caught in a rip ever since then i’ve always been overly cautious with going out into the ocean. Having had no experience of swimming in the ocean the thought of wading into the ocean and surfing was a far fetched idea.
Secondly, my background. Coming from an Indian background, going out to the beach to surf felt odd. I personally don’t know anyone with a similar background surfing, and you rarely see people with the same skin out on a board.
However, having gone consistently for a few weeks, I can say there was nothing to afraid of. I think a lot of it comes down to a lack of confidence. And the only way to build that up is to keeping going out there and having a go. Further down in the post I’ve listed out a couple of tips for beginners going out without and instructor too.
My experience with lets go surfing Maroubra
The company we went with is let’s go surfing Maroubra. The group have a couple of branches in Sydney, if your a local I’d go with Maroubra, it’s a little quieter then Bondi and there is plenty of free parking along the beach.
The shop itself is just situated behind the main club house, the staff are super friendly and once the forms out of the way, they get you into your wet suit nice and quickly. If you’re a complete beginner (like me) take the surf easy course, they come in packs of 3 or 5. Each lesson is taught in a group of 4 – 5, and lasts about 2 hours each. Trust me that is plenty of time.
Our instructor Dan, manages the shop and has been surfing for the last 15 years or so. He was excellent in getting everyone comfortable, and providing plenty of encouragement and tips along the way. The lessons were broken up into three distinct sections.
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The first 30min was getting to know the group, setting expectations, and understanding how waves work, and general ocean mechanics.
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The second section of the lessons saw us venturing into the water and getting comfortable with catching waves while laying on our boards.
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The third part of the lessons involved us learning about popping up onto our board (i.e how to stand up).
Having completed three lessons the format of each lesson is identical. Unfortunately your instructor will change from week to week but that’s expected with the number of lessons the team run. So if your expecting each lesson to build up on the previous lesson that won’t happen. But what i’ve realised and what each instructor will remind you is the only way to improve is to just keep giving it a go. Once you’ve learn’t how to properly pop up onto your board the rest of the process can be learnt by trying it out for yourself.
So will you be a pro surfer after a couple of lessons? Well i’m certainly not, but I want to walk you through my experience of going by self. It’s likely you’ll find yourself in this position and I think it’s important to share with you my learnings.
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Before you head out, give the surf shop a call, they’ll tell you what the best conditions are if you are a beginner, and if one beach isn’t good there is a good chance that another beach close by might be better (e.g Bondi instead of maroubra)
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Once at the surf shop, ask them where on the beach is the best location, tip try and find the surf school and tag a long with them.
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Stay within your comfort zone. And by that I mean, don’t paddle out too far, and don’t go out if the waves are too big.
I find the the more I’ve gone out the better i’ve started understanding surf conditions, beach protocols etc.
Based of my experience I would highly recommend the lets go surfing Maroubra for anyone looking to learn how to surf. I would recommend taking at minimum 3 group lessons, and then commit yourself to go at least once a week. Nothing like repeating a process to build confidence and muscle memory.
Note: I do have a number of private lessons i’ve yet to take so I shall update this page once I’ve had those too.
Huge shoutout to Mini for taking all the amazing photos and for always being a constant stream of support. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.
