I'm rapidly discovering that Manly may be Nirvana for aspiring surfers. Today is a good example. I rock up to the beach at about 8.45, and start pulling on my wet-suit, fully planning to cross the road and grab a hire board from Dripping Wet, just like I have the last three times. As I sit on the stone wall and have a look at the waves, it occurs to me that a few more tips from an expert might be nice - and then I remember - Manly Surf School is only metres away - down the stairs and based in the bottom of the Surf Club building.
So I grab my gear, hop down there and find that the next lesson starts at 9.00, costs $55 (including board hire) and they'll look after my sports bag for me. If I didn't have a wet-suit, they'd even have given me one of those. Bargain!Our instructor, Dana, matches us with a board (all nice safe foamies in good nick) and asks us to head about 500m down the beach.
This is the bit that threatens to undo me as when I arrive at the start point, my arms are like jelly and I'm not sure if I'll be able to list myself off the board. I can see that some of my fellow trainees are feeling a bit the same, but no one is admitting anything.Dana takes us through a quick but solid intro to reading the waves, a basic approach to standing up on the board, and a few tips about rips, types of waves and paddling techniques. This takes about 15 minutes all-up and then it's into the surf!
One of the great things about going out with the surf school, is that if you're wave catching technique isn't fully developed, they'll help you catch some waves with a push in the right direction. I can't say how much this helped my mood and my learning, as it can be very frustrating trying to catch a wave a missing all the time when you're in the early stages. You've still got to learn those techniques, but at least you get to catch some waves along the way.All up, the lesson lasts 2 hours and I caught 3-4 decent waves in that time.
If you're a beginner that doesn't sound like much, but believe me, just one good wave is enough to make you come back for more. It's just a unique feeling, and one that's slightly different every single time.So - if you're like me and you're looking for a good way to learn, or improve your technique, the very nice people at Manly Surf School will only be too pleased to help. I know I'm going back.
