Big Saturday

On Saturday morning we went to Manly beach for our first surfing lesson. It was a gorgeous sunny day and this time an ambulance didn’t roll up as soon as we got to the seafront. We squeezed into our flattering wetsuits and walked along the beach with three other slightly more experienced friends of ours. Struggling to carry our 10-foot boards we walked as men, men with something to prove, but no real idea what. After a top-gun high-five moment and a quick tutorial in which Lee proved he can’t actually crouch with his feet flat on the ground - a major problem if you’re planning to stand up on a surfboard - we entered the water.

We didn’t get hit in the head by our own surfboards. We weren’t even stung by a jellyfish or attacked by a ravenous shark. We were however, let down by our meagre upper body strength as we paddled out to a sandbar we could stand up on to catch our first wave. Standing there exhausted, spitting out salt water as wave after wave slammed into us and knocking us under the surface, we waited for a calm moment to climb aboard our surfboards. As it was our first time the instructor lined our boards up to face the beach. Then we waited for our wave to come in. Feeling the fear we glanced over our shoulders to spot a four-footer heading straight for us. I know that doesn’t sound impressive, but from our point of view we’d found ourselves in a scene from the perfect storm. Clinging to our boards we had a few seconds to look at each other, powerless. As we peered up at the wave curling over us, an unforgiving monster that dragged us into it, I had time to utter the word righteous... then we heard the instructor call out to us to paddle as fast as we could, eyes fixed on the beach ahead we paddled with the combined strength of a small child. Lee pulled himself up, ready to jump to his feet. As he stood up he instantly knew something was very wrong. He looked over at me and I could see the terror in his eyes, he knew he was doomed, a dead man riding a wave that was about to leave him disgraced and flat on his back on the sand we’d spent 10 long minutes paddling from. Lee disappeared under the water, his surfboard marking his point of departure.

With my remaining strength waning I pulled myself up. With my profound ability to crouch with my feet flat (an ability shared by most human beings apart from Lee) I stood up. There I was, actually standing up and riding this thing, no doubt with a look of unbelievable concentration grazed across my face. But one ill-advised second later I decided to turn the surfboard and ride across the wave. The next second I was under the water and being rushed out towards the shore.

Over the next hour we both managed to more-or-less stand up and surf. Dignity intact we left the beach ready to return for more next weekend. Photos to be added soon!