Let's Go Surfin' Now, Everybody's Learning How...

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

~Jawaharlal Nehru

My Queen of Awkwardness title was put to the test yet again a couple of weeks ago when I received an email from Donna at White Point Beach Resort inviting me to try surfing with a group of other "virgin surfers" and then again from Cynthia asking me to blog about a surfing experience for Novascotia.com.  Yes, I said surfing; don't laugh like all my friends did! Now dory rowing was one thing, I mean, I had a partner to steer me in the right direction when I failed to do the right thing....but letting me loose on a not-so-big board in the Atlantic Ocean...in the waves??? I totally saw where this had potential to take me! Had I been asked to do this a couple of years ago, I probably would have said no, but these days I find myself more open to new things and a willingness to try something new when given the opportunity...life is short. Oh, and let's face it, I'm also more open to not caring whether I look like a fool or not, which is why I said yes so quickly to this!

I was anxious and excited on my drive from Barrington to White Point...many things going through my head. How big will the waves be? Will I be the only one who won't get up on the board? How much sea water do you think one can swallow before it kills them?  How do you think I'm gonna look in a wetsuit?? Ok, that last one's a little vain....but hey, anything to make a girl look and feel a little thinner!

I pull into the Rossignol Surf Shop, located on the Resort and head upstairs to sign my life away...ummm....sign the waiver. A couple of the other girls that will be trying it out for the first time are also there, and they look about as anxious as I do...so that makes me feel a little better! We head downstairs to get sized for our slimsuits, errrr....wetsuits. My first time in a wetsuit and it was kinda like putting on a full body Spanxs suit...only wetter  and colder, but it was all good 'cuz I felt slimmer! By this time, everyone that had been invited to give this surfing a try was there and ready to go. We were all laughing and joking around (getting pictures of our new slimmer selves!), but you could sense that everyone was a bit nervous about what was coming next. 

Kelly, Me, Monica and Nick - some of the Virgin Surfers all suited up and ready to go! 

Our instructors for the day gave us a quick on land lesson, we all had to lay on our boards and quickly get into a standing position. Quickly is a relative term, right?  Just shred, is what we were told to do. Shred?  Do good we were told. Surfing lingo. Shred….shred….ok! 

Getting some on land instructions from the great team at Rossignol Surf Shop

We all hopped into the lake, where we would get a few more instructions on how to do things. Sit up on the board, turn our boards in a 360 motion, and flip our boards (in case a big wave was coming and we wanted to avoid it by hiding out under our boards). Did he say hide from a big wave?  So, after all that we are instructed to paddle across the lake and head over the rocks to the ocean.

Learning some surfing techniques

As I climbed up over the rock ledge with my surf board in hand I get my first glimpse of the ocean and you know what? It really never gets old, as many times as I look out over the ocean the vastness and sheer beauty of it always takes my breath away…the sound of the surf is like heaven to the ears.  We line up on the beach and get a few more pointers from our instructors and we head out into the surf.

The view as we came over the rocks - spectacular! 

Heading out into the Surf

The water was exceptionally warm, yet the waves were a bit intimidating and as the day progressed they got bigger and bigger. Which I’m sure is a good thing to the advanced surfer! I guided my board through the water, lifting it each time a wave would come so as to make my journey out into the deeper water easier. My instructor (I will note all the instructors at the Rossignol Surf shop are amazing and patient!), told me to hop on my board and he would tell me when to paddle and when to stand up. Huh? Stand up? Ok, so I paddled and when he told me to stand, I tried but through the laughing/screaming I fail my first attempt. I tried several more times and needless to say I never did quite master the art of standing up on the surfboard. BUT I did ride the waves which was exhilarating in itself. The rush of the waves whether I was on top of them or getting hit in the face by them is something everyone should experience, plus there’s nothing like a mouth full of salt water!

My view from the board 

Playing in the ocean - what a great way to spend a day! 

This one was a bit harder than the experts make it look, but well worth trying it and another thing to cross off my bucket list. I had a lot of fun, laughed and screamed more than I had in a very long time and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my surfing experience Looking around at the rest of my group of virgin surfers it appeared that everyone was smiling, laughing, screaming (I won’t repeat the phrase of the day!) and having fun playing in the ocean. What a better way to spend the day! 

Yes, my Queen of Awkwardness title won out on this day, but I will be back to try it again!  I will not let the surfboard defeat me and one of these days I will shred!

I didn't quite master it - but had fun trying! 

Note: The South Shore is a great place for surfing enthusiasts! Beginners can take lessons at the Rossignol Surf Shop all summer long and if you own your own board you can find great waves on many of our great beaches all around Nova Scotia, including my hometown of Shelburne County!